In control the entire afternoon, Chivas USA dominated the New England Revolution in a 2-0 victory Sunday afternoon at The Home Depot Center, getting goals from Maicon Santos and Sacha Kljestan and keeping the visitors from registering a single shot on net.
Most importantly, the win puts Chivas USA in a tie for fourth place in the Western Conference, as well as the final spot in the MLS Cup Playoffs, with just six games left to play.
"I thought we were the better team all night," said Chivas USA head coach Preki. "The guys kept plugging away and working hard for each other and in the end, we got the three points. Right now, it's all about getting the position in the playoffs. Every game and every point is important."
Preki opted for a young lineup on Sunday, including Michael Lahoud, Jorge Flores and Justin Braun in the starting XI. It was just the third starts of the season for Lahoud and Flores, while Braun, who had been sidelined with a concussion, was making his first appearance in four months.
"They're young and they're athletic," said Preki of the three, none of whom is older than 22. "I felt we needed a little more athleticism and speed. They've all been working really hard in practice and to be fair, they all had a good game."
Braun, particularly, looked dangerous in his first minutes since May 16. The Utah native earned his first assist of the year on the team's first goal and nearly got one of his own early in the second half.
"I felt like I didn't really lose too much," said Braun of his return. "I thought I did well out there. I need to get my fitness back up a little bit, but that will come as I play more and more. Hopefully next week I can go in and get some more minutes."
Braun's assist came in the 10th minute when he found Santos at the New England penalty spot with a rolling cross from the right flank. The Brazilian slammed the ball into the lower right corner for his first career MLS goal.
"I'm so happy," said Santos. "I don't feel that I played my best, but it's my first goal and that's great for me."
Santos was productive all evening until he left the match in the 51st minute with a knock to the ribs. With a penchant for fancy footwork and blistering speed, his talents will certainly be useful as the Red-and-White look toward the postseason.
"You can see in training, he's a good finisher, he moves around with ease, and he's good in the air," said Preki of the Brazilian. "We knew he was going to score goals, it was just a matter of time."
While Chivas USA are happy with Sunday's victory, the game was not without its hiccups. Carey Talley got into a scuffle with Edgares Jankauskas in the Red-and-White penalty area in the 70th minute and both were ejected for violent conduct. The dismissal means Talley will miss Chivas USA's trip to Seattle next weekend, and is the second red card for Chivas USA in as many games. Maykel Galindo was dismissed last weekend against Los Angeles, also for violent conduct.
"I'm very concerned," said Preki of the red card. "We've shown a little lack of discipline on the field and if we don't clean up our act in the key parts of the year, we might be having a difficult time. Hopefully, we can learn from our mistakes and become a little more disciplined as a team."
The Red-and-White have also failed to score more than two goals in any game this season. A lack of offensive firepower could cause the team some problems as they get closer to the postseason.
"It was frustrating for us on the bench that we couldn't score a second goal [right away]," said Preki. "For whatever reason, the ball is not rolling in the net easily for us the whole year. That's one thing that will hopefully change."
The return of Braun to health and the addition of Santos and Jesús Padilla should help to alleviate such concerns, but the Red-and-White are looking to remain focused on finding the back of the net in upcoming matches.
"We are the forwards, so we're supposed to be producing," saud Braun. "No matter what, we're just going to go out there and do our thing, and the goals will come hopefully."
Chivas USA now heads to battle Seattle to take on Sounders FC for the third time this season. But with two victories already against their rivals to the north, and good momentum from a second win of the season against New England, the Red-and-White are eager to earn some points on the road as they continue their match toward November.
"Every game now is like a final for us," said Santos. "You can't lose, you can't play badly; you must do everything you can and play hard every game."
Jeffrey King is a contributor to MLSnet.com
