April 1, 2011 MLS--Match Preview: Chivas USA at Toronto (from MLSsoccer.com)
Match Preview: Chivas USA at Toronto
Chivas USA looking for first win of the season
MLSsoccer.com
April 1, 2011
After getting their first victory of the campaign, Toronto FC remain at home for a second week, taking on Chivas USA. TFC bounced back from a First Kick loss in Vancouver with a win against the second expansion team, defeating Portland 2-0. Chivas USA are on the road for the first time, after starting the season with a pair of home losses. REFEREE: Baldomero Toledo. SAR (bench): Ian Anderson; JAR (opposite): Frank Anderson; 4th: Juan Guzman MLS Career: 107 games; FC/gm: 25.2; Y/gm: 3.8; R: 42; pens: 42 INJURY REPORT: TORONTO FC – OUT: MF Elbekay Bouchiba (sprained knee); QUESTIONABLE: MF Julian De Guzman (knee surgery recovery); DF Nana Attakora (knee) … CHIVAS USA – OUT: MF Blair Gavin (L hamstring strain); MF Paulo Nagamura (L calf strain); DOUBTFUL: DF Jimmy Conrad (concussion); MF Simon Elliott (R knee sprain) INTERNATIONAL ABSENCES: TOR: Doneil Henry (Canada U-20) … CHV: Zarek Valentin (U.S. U-20s) SUSPENDED: TOR: Mikael Yourassowsky (through April 3) HEAD-TO-HEAD ALL-TIME (8 meetings): Chivas USA 6 wins, 15 goals … Toronto FC 2 wins, 5 goals … Ties 0 AT BMO FIELD (4 meetings): Toronto FC 2 wins, 4 goals … Chivas USA 2 wins, 6 goals … Ties 0 RETURN MATCH: 9/24: Chivas USA vs. Toronto FC, 7:30 p.m. PT LAST YEAR (MLS): 8/7: TOR 2, CHV 1 (Attakora 21; Barrett 32 – Maldonado 66) 10/9: CHV 3, TOR 0 (Flores 51; Padilla 88; Espinoza 90) ¦Chivas USA won on their first two trips to BMO Field, but Toronto FC have won the last two meetings in Canada, including a 2-1 decision last Aug. 7. ¦TFC has lost all four games at Chivas USA. The Reds have been shut out in three of those meetings; they have not scored in their last 240 minutes vs. Chivas at The Home Depot Center. ¦Coaches record: Aron Winter v CHV: first game … Robin Fraser vs. TOR: first game CHIVAS USA Chivas USA lost for the second consecutive week at home to start the season, falling 1-0 to the Colorado Rapids on Saturday evening at The Home Depot Center. Chivas USA have no points from 2 games on the season. LAST MATCH ¦The lone goal of the game came in the 32nd minute. Colorado's Jamie Smith played a ball to the streaking Amarikwa behind the Chivas USA defense. The young forward beat the offside trap and danced around Chivas USA goalkeeper Zach Thornton for the finish. ¦Chivas USA head coach Robin Fraser made three changes to the team that lost 3-2 to Sporting Kansas City at The Home Depot Center. Michael Lahoud and Blair Gavin came into the midfield while Victor Estupiñan started up top, with Alejandro Moreno and Zarek Valentin on international duty and Francisco Mendoza going to the substitutes’ bench. ¦CHIVAS USA (4-1-2-3): Zach Thornton - Heath Pearce, Ben Zemanski, Jimmy Conrad, Ante Jazic (Tristan Bowen 76) - Michael Lahoud - Nick LaBrocca, Blair Gavin (Mariano Trujillo 32) - Marcos Mondaini (Francisco Mendoza 64), Victor Estupinan, Justin Braun TEAM NEWS ¦Chivas USA has opened the season with two consecutive losses for a second year in a row. Last year they rebounded from defeats by Colorado and LA with a 2-0 win against New York. “It’s heartbreaking, when you do a lot of good things and still you have nothing to show for it,” said Conrad. “We need a win to give us that spark and tell us that we’re doing the right things. It’s unfortunate that we find ourselves in this situation because we’re a better team than our record indicates.” ¦Chivas USA were forced into a change after just a half-hour, when Blair Gavin suffered a recurrence of his hamstring injury and was forced from the field. While Mariano Trujillo was still preparing to come on, the Rapids scored the lone goal of the game. ¦“Through our lack of aggression, we didn’t take advantage of the space that we were given and had we done that, if we had that urgency then we could have gotten the ball to the forwards in better spots,” said Fraser. “For whatever reason, we were just too passive.” ¦Then on Tuesday, Chivas USA were knocked out of the U.S. Open Cup with a 2-0 loss to the Portland Timbersat the University of Portland’s Merlo Field. Jack Jewsbury (84) and Eric Brunner (86) netted two minutes apart late in the match for the Portland victory. ¦Here’s the Chivas team: Dan Kennedy; Heath Pearce, Ben Zemanski (Tristan Bowen 88), Andy Boyens, Seth Owusu (Ante Jazic 63); Michael Lahoud; Justin Braun, Nick LaBrocca, Francisco Mendoza (Jorge Flores 46), Marcos Mondaini; Victor Estupiñan. ¦Held without a goal for a second consecutive match, the rojiblancos will see the return of Alejandro Moreno, who did score for Venezuela on international duty in their friendly against Jamaica. ¦“There’s a bit of a commitment issue there, guys want to score, but we have to need to score,” said Conrad. “There has to be some urgency there and some point, someone is going to have to step up to be that guy.” ¦Andrew Boyens, who returned from international duty with New Zealand, was sent off before halftime of the Open Cup tie, though that will not affect his availability in the league match. Jimmy Conrad did not make the trip to Portland after suffering a mild concussion. ¦Normally a central midfielder, Ben Zemanski made his professional debut as a central defender against Colorado. Zemanski scored the second goal in the season opener vs. Sporting KC; Conrad had the other. TORONTO FC Toronto FC began the home portion of their 2011 season with a victory, defeating the Portland Timbers 2-0 on Saturday afternoon at BMO Field. TFC has 3 points from 2 games on the season. LAST MATCH Toronto FC took the lead in the 14th minute when Maicon Santos feathered a perfect pass into the Portland area toward a streaking Dwayne De Rosario. De Rosario then laid the ball off to Javier Martina, who fired a low drive past Timbers 'keeper Adin Brown. ¦Martina put the game out of reach in the 70th minute with a brilliant piece of skill. TFC goalkeeper Stefan Frei sent a 60-yard pass up field that the Dutchman took on one touch and volleyed over Portland substitute 'keeper Jake Gleeson. ¦TFC ended the game a man down after Mikael Yourassowsky was sent off in the 84th minute after receiving a second booking, this one for failing to leave the field quickly enough when being substituted. ¦TFC head coach Aron Winter made two changes from the team that fell 4-2 to Vancouver Whitecaps FC at Empire Field. Mikael Yourassowsky came into the back four Nana Attakora, and Alan Gordon started up top in place of Nick Soolsma. ¦TORONTO FC (4-2-1-3): Stefan Frei - Dan Gargan, Ty Harden, Adrian Cann, Mikael Yourassowsky (sent off 84) - Nathan Sturgis (Alen Stevanovic 46), Jacob Peterson - Maicon Santos (Gianluca Zavarise 69) - Javier Martina (Ashtone Morgan 87), Alan Gordon, Dwayne De Rosario TEAM NEWS ¦Offseason signing Javier Martina, who played for head coach Aron Winter at AFC Ajax in Amsterdam, scored two goals to lead Toronto FC to their first victory of the season, including a wonder strike, a dipping full volley from outside the area off a long downfield punt by goalkeeper Stefan Frei. ¦“We try to get him into one-on-one situations and that’s what I saw up there,” said Frei. “He has the skill to take advantage of those situations and we saw that with the type of finish he delivered at the end.” ¦After having the advantage in play in the loss to Vancouver, with 63 percent of the possession, TFC had just 45 percent against Portland and were outshot 11-10 (though they had a 6-3 edge in attempts on target). “What I want is the players ... when they are receiving the ball ... that they stay relaxed,” Winter said. “They don’t have to be afraid because (they know) they can play football.” ¦With Nana Attakora out with what Winter called a “slight injury,” Adrian Cann moved into his preferred spot in central defense, alongside Ty Harden. “The performance today compared to last week is night and day,” Cann said. ¦Attakora did return to full training in the days leading to the Chivas USA game, and if ready will likely return to the lineup. “If he is fit, Nana is going to play,” Winter said. ¦Winter will be forced into another change, though, with Mikael Yourassowsky suspended after he was sent off late in the Portland match, his first TFC start. ¦Alan Gordon was also given his TFC debut, in place of Nick Soolsma. Gordon had completely missed out on the season opener after he was unavailable due to passport issues. ¦Serbian midfielder Alen Stevanovic, on loan from Italian club Torino, made his MLS debut, entering the match at the start of the second half for Nathan Sturgis. ¦Designated Player Julian de Guzman has also returned to training, but Winter cautioned against expecting to see him in the first team. ¦“(Julian) has to be fit for the whole season,” Winter said. “We can’t risk him for just one game. The system we are playing is one where Julian is going to be important. He can be the key between the midfield and the defense.” ....
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