2009 Jun 6 2009 Jun 6
Home Depot Center, Carson, CA
Goals:
38' CHV: Eduardo Lillingston
Chivas: Zach Thornton; Jorge Flores, Carey Talley, Shavar Thomas (Claudio Suarez 70'), Mariano Trujillo; Justin Braun, Michael Lahoud, Paulo Nagamura, Atiba Harris; Maykel Galindo (Alecko Eskandarian 90'), Eduardo Lillingston (Sasha Victorine 68'). Substitutes not used: Lance Parker, Bojan Stepanovic, Gerson Mayen, Chukwudi Chijindu.
Seattle: Kasey Keller; Tyson Wahl, Jhon Kennedy Hurtado, Patrick Ianni, James Riley; Steve Zakuani (Sanna Nyassi 79'), Stephen King, Brad Evans, Freddie Ljungberg; Fredy Montero (Sebastien Le Toux 65'), Nate Jaqua (sent off 88'). Substitutes not used: Ben Dragavon, Evan Brown, Nathan Sturgis, Peter Vagenas, Roger Levesque.
Match report by Ron Stickney
The Seattle Sounders FC controlled the ball for most of the match but it was Eduardo Lillingston for Chivas USA with the lone goal. The match was the second away match versus Chivas, who have now served the Sounders two of their three defeats.
More suspensions are on the slate. Nate Jaqua earned an unfortunate second yellow card late in the match and was sent off. Jhon Kennedy Hurtado drew his fifth yellow card and will sit one out due to accumulation.
Patrick Ianni got the start in place of the suspended center back Tyrone Marshall. Peter Vagenas was a late scratch after being injured in warmups, and Stephen King got the start at center midfielder.
Seattle earned chances right away, the first coming before the match was a minute old. Jaqua got loose on the right and centered the ball for Stephen King's shot from 20 yards, but it went well wide. Two minutes later Fredy Montero took a long ball on the right and tried from the top right corner of the penalty area, but goalkeeper Zach Thornton had it covered at the near post. A minute later Freddie Ljungberg got around the corner and in close on the right, but his cross was just within Thornton's reach.
Seattle continued to maintain possession well past the half hour mark. At 18' Jaqua took a gift from Chivas' back line and his shot from 16 yards was deflected wide for a corner. At 25' Jaqua headed a cross to Montero, whose header went over the bar. At 28' a Ljungberg free kick from the right led to two more crosses by Ljungberg, but none of them were good enough to create a scoring chance.
38' CHV: Lillingston. Chivas scored on their first shot of the match. On a throw-in play, Lillingston played a forward pass to Maykel Galindo, who dished it left for Paulo Nagamura running in unmarked from the left. He shot from close range and Kasey Keller knocked it down in front of goal. Lillingston had run up the middle past Ianni and was there to volley the rebound into the open net. 1-0 Chivas.
Halftime: Chivas 1 - 0 Seattle
Just 19 seconds into the second half Seattle had a good opportunity when Atiba Harris turned the ball over to Montero for a shot, but he shanked it well wide.
For Chivas, Justin Braun headed a cross on goal at 48', but right to Keller at the near post. Chivas had a chance from close at 55' when Nagamura took a through ball on the right and sent in a dangerous cross. Hurtado and Galindo got to it at the same time and the ball popped over the bar.
A minute later Ljungberg took a good shot from the right, and Thornton saved overhead, knocking it wide for a corner.
On the one hour mark, Lillingston received a gift on a poor clearance by Hurtado and chipped a shot over Keller, but Hurtado recovered to head it wide at the goal mouth.
For Seattle at 64' a long diagonal ball was sent to Steve Zakuani on the left, and he dropped a diagonal pass back for Brad Evans, who volleyed a nice shot that forced a nice save by Thornton at the top far corner.
Sebastien Le Toux came on for Montero at 65' and in his first minute fed a nice pass to Jaqua in the area. Jaqua turned and shot, hitting the outside of the top near corner. Two minutes later Seattle had their best chance of the match when Ianni headed a Ljungberg free kick back in front of goal and Hurtado was open for a header, but he sent it just over the bar.
The Chivas defense did a good job of shutting Seattle down for the last 22 minutes plus four. Seattle's late chances were hurt when Jaqua stepped on Nagamura's heel at the halfway line, earning his second yellow card and the resulting red.
Final: Chivas 1 - 0 Seattle
Statistics:
CHV SEA
Shots: 6 11
Saves: 3 2
Corners: 1 8
Fouls: 19 12
Offsides: 4 5
Misconduct:
26' CHV: Lillingston cautioned for an elbow to Hurtado's head
48' SEA: Ianni cautioned for a a hard charge on Galindo
54' SEA: Jaqua cautioned
81' SEA: Hurtado cautioned for a tactical foul on Galindo
88' SEA: Jaqua cautioned for stepping on Nagamura's heel and sent off for his second caution
90' CHV: Trujillo cautioned for a late challenge on Ljungberg
Referees: Kevin Stott; Fabio Tovar, Jeff Hosking; Yader Reyes
Attendance: 13,117
Additional match reports:
