CHIVAS USA vs TORONTO FC
STUBHUB CENTER, Carson, Calif.
July 17, 2013 (WEEK 21, MLS Game #186)
7:30 p.m. PT (TSN)
A pair of clubs in real need of a buoying victory meet on Wednesday evening when Chivas USA play host to Toronto FC at StubHub Center. Chivas USA have now gone 14 league matches without a victory, returning home off a 3-1 loss to Philadelphia Union last Friday. Toronto FC saw their current winless streak extended to four games, starting off their road swing with a 3-0 loss at Sporting Kansas City.
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REFEREE: Sorin Stoica. AR1 (bench): Corey Rockwell; AR2 (opposite): Fabio Tovar; 4th: Baldomero Toledo
MLS Career: 16 games; FC/gm: 27.4; Y/gm: 4.4; R: 3; pens: 7
DISABLED LIST: CHV: Daniel Antuñez
SUSPENDED: CHV: Josue Soto (through July 17) … TOR: Doneil Henry (through July 17); Reggie Lambe (through July 17)
WARNINGS:
SUSPENDED NEXT YELLOW CARD: TOR: Darel Russell
SUSPENDED AFTER TWO YELLOW CARDS: CHV: Mario de Luna, Bobby Burling, Carlos Alvarez, Gabriel Farfan, Walter Vilchez … TOR: Doneil Henry, Darren O’Dea, Matias Laba
INTERNATIONAL ABSENCES: CHV: Steven Purdy (ESV)
HEAD-TO-HEAD
ALL-TIME (11 meetings): Chivas USA 8 wins, 20 goals … Toronto FC 2 wins, 6 goals … Ties 1
AT CHIVAS (5 meetings): Chivas USA 5 wins, 12 goals … Toronto FC 0 wins, 1 goal … Ties 0
LAST YEAR
4/14: TOR 0, CHV 1 (Minda 31)
2012 Highlights: TOR 0, CHV 1
• The teams are meeting for the only time this season in league play.
• Chivas USA haven’t lost to Toronto FC in the last four meetings between the clubs. They have three wins in that time, including a 1-0 victory in the only meeting a season ago, April 14 at BMO Field.
• Chivas USA have won all five meetings in the series played in Carson. TFC has scored just once in those games, that goal coming in a 3-1 loss in 2008, now 330 minutes without a road goal vs. Chivas.
• Coaches record: José Luis Real vs. TOR: first game … Ryan Nelsen vs. KC: first game
CHIVAS USA
Chivas USA saw their league winless run stretched to 14 matches, Philadelphia Union coming back with three second-half goals for a 3-1 win on Friday evening at PPL Park. Chivas USA sit in ninth place in the Western Conference with 14 points from 19 matches.
LAST MATCH
• Chivas went on top in the 14th minute. Union center back Amobi Okugo slipped while defending Jorge Villafana, and he then pulled out Union goalkeeper Zac MacMath and played a ball across the box to Jose Correa, who easily tapped home from the spot.
• Philadelphia got the equalizer in the 58th minute. A Conor Casey header from a Sebastien Le Toux cross skipped into the back of the net after deflecting off the back of Brian Carroll.
Highlights: PHI 3, CHV 1
• The match turned when Josue Soto was whistled for an illegal back-pass to the goalkeeper. In the aftermath as the Chivas USA players protested, Soto was issued his second yellow card and given his marching orders.
• Union took advantage of the ensuing indirect free kick from seven yards out, with Le Toux tapping the ball to Michael Farfan, who roofed home his first goal of the season on 82 minutes.
• Casey added an insurance goal in the 89th minute – his seventh of the year – tapping home on an assist from transfer-window signing Fabinho.
• Chivas USA head coach José Luis Real made one change to the team that played to a 1-1 draw with the Montréal Impact at Stade Saputo. Edgar Mejia came back into the team, in place of Carlos Borja.
• CHIVAS USA (4-1-4-1): Dan Kennedy - Marky Delgado, Walter Vilchez, Mario de Luna, Josue Soto (ejected 79) - Edgar Mejia (Bobby Burling 82) - Eric Avila, Carlos Alvarez, Gabriel Farfan (Carlos Borja 77), Jorge Villafana (Julio Morales 67) - Jose Correa.
TEAM NEWS
• Chivas USA had their winless streak extended to 14 games in the loss to Philadelphia. It’s one game shy of the club record, tied for the third-longest winless run in MLS history and matches the longest ever contained within a single season.
• “For me, it’s not easy to talk about the final result because Chivas USA, for 70 minutes, was very good,” said Chivas head coach José Luis Real. “For the last 20 minutes, Philadelphia did very well. We had a little bit of problems at the end of the game.”
• For the third time in the last four matches, Chivas USA failed to win after scoring the opening goal. They conceded equalizers in the 88th minute June 29 vs. New England, and the 80th minute July 7 vs. Montréal. Chivas is 2-2-2 when scoring the opening goal, the worst winning percentage in MLS.
• “It’s related to the lack of confidence when you don’t win,” Real. “Logically, it takes more to maintain the same intensity for 90 minutes. We’re good for 60, 70 and 80 minutes, but we’ve got to solve that issue.”
• After playing in the midfield vs. Montréal, Marky Delgado moved back to right back with the reinsertion of Edgar Mejia into the lineup.
• José Correa scored his first Chivas USA goal, in his 16th league appearance, to give his team an early lead vs. Union. Correa has started three consecutive matches at striker.
• Jorge Villafaña recorded his team-leading fourth assist of the season, his first since April 27, setting up the Correa goal.
TORONTO FC
Toronto FC saw their winless streak extended to four games, falling 3-0 to Sporting Kansas City on Saturday evening at Sporting Park. TFC sit in ninth place in the Eastern Conference with 13 points from 18 matches.
LAST MATCH
• Sporting opened the lead in the 21st minute. Seth Sinovic sent in a short pass from the left flank, and Soony Saad settled it just outside the area and fired past Joe Bendik into the lower left corner.
• Sporting, and Saad, made it 2-0 in the 51st minute. Graham Zusi's shot from distance was parried by goalkeeper Bendik, the ball rolling past Bieler to an onrushing Saad, who buried it from the edge of the 6-yard box.
Highlights: SKC 3, TOR 0
• Toronto FC went a man down in the 56th minute when defender Reggie Lambe was shown a straight red card after chopping down Saad in the open field.
• Sporting went up 3-0 in the 63rd minute, on a sequence started by Saad's run and through ball to Kei Kamara. Kamara one-timed the ball to Benny Feilhaber, who pushed it out to Claudio Bieler with the right side of his foot for a tap-in from point-blank range.
• TFC boss Ryan Nelsen made two changes to the team that reached a 3-3 draw with the Montréal Impact at BMO Field. Richard Eckersley came into the back four for Darren O'Dea, and Robert Earnshaw started up top in place of Luis Silva.
• TORONTO FC (4-4-2): Joseph Bendik - Ryan Richter (Jeremy Hall 46), Steven Caldwell, Gale Agbossoumonde, Richard Eckersley - Reggie Lambe (ejected 56), Darel Russell, Matias Laba (Michael Thomas 78), Bobby Convey - Jeremy Brockie, Robert Earnshaw (Justin Braun 60).
TEAM NEWS
• Toronto FC had their current winless streak extended to four games in the loss at Sporting Kansas City, and have now won twice in their last 32 league matches.
• “We had a bad day at the office and that is the first time that I have had to say that,” TFC head coach Ryan Nelsen said. “It’s the first time I have had to say that we got turned over. But some very good teams have come into this stadium and been turned over even worse than what we have.”
• Robert Earnshaw returned to the lineup after the trade of Luis Silva to D.C. United following the match vs. Montréal.
• The other lineup change was also enforced, after the club announced an impending transfer of defender Darren O’Dea.
• “[The transfer is a] win-win for both parties,” TFC head coach Ryan Nelsen said. “It obviously will give us some short-term pain, but, from our point of view, we have to look at the fact that Darren was the most expensive player in the entire league in terms of the salary cap.”
• Richard Eckersley made his return to the TFC lineup from injury, playing his first match since April 6.
• Toronto FC have now allowed a season-high three goals in back-to-back games, and have been shut out at the attacking end in three of the last four games.
• “It was a disappointing night for everybody and the players know it. We have the standards that I have set and that they try to adhere to and we didn’t get there tonight. I think this is the first time we can all hold our hands up,” Nelsen said. “This is when you really measure the true character of guys. It is very easy when things are going well. It is when your backs are against the wall that you have to find out the steel of a player and a person. These are all tests.”
• Michael Thomas made his TFC debut – against his former club – coming on for the final 12 minutes in the midfield.
• “I’ve been told I’m going to get some opportunities in the midfield, both attacking and defensive. We’ll see how much time I get throughout the season, but I’ve just got to come in and work hard every day,” said Thomas. “If I give everything that I’ve got, hopefully that will turn into more playing time.”
