Chivas USA earned a 2-0 win over FC Dallas on Saturday night at The Home Depot Center behind a fine effort from goalkeeper Zach Thornton, who made six saves, including point-blank stops on Kenny Cooper and Dax McCarty in the first half, to earn his fourth shutout of the season. The shutout was the 62nd of Thornton’s MLS career, which ties him with Tony Meola for third place on the all-time MLS shutout list.
Gerson Mayén earned his fourth assist of the year on Chivas USA’s second goal, giving the midfielder the MLS lead in the category.
FC Dallas was reduced to 10 men in the 25th minute when goalkeeper Dario Sala used his hands outside the box to make a breakaway save on Chivas USA forward Chukwudi Chijindu, who started his first match for the Red-and-White.Atiba Harris scored his second goal of the season in the 68th minute on a header from 10 yards out past Dallas goalkeeper Ray Burse, who had entered the match for Dax McCarty after Sala’s red card.
The goal came after Paulo Nagamura switched the ball to the right wing for Mariano Trujillo, whose cross found Harris in the middle of the box.Chivas USA closed the game out in the 91st minute on a counter attack after a Dallas corner. Zach Thornton punched the ball clear to Gerson Mayén, who saw forward Alecko Eskandarian sprinting behind the Dallas defense. Mayén played the ball into space while Eskandarian was still in Chivas USA’s half of the field, and the forward ran onto the ball and finished the breakaway for his first goal of the 2009 season.
The 20-year-old Mayén, who joined Chivas USA in 2008 from the club’s youth system, earned his fourth assist of the season on Eskandarian’s goal, and is currently alone atop MLS in assists, ahead of six players tied for second with three assists.The team resumes training next week at The Home Depot Center; a full schedule of the team’s activities will be released Monday, which is an off day for the team.
Chivas USA travels next weekend to face the San Jose Earthquakes, currently in fourth place in the Western Conference with a 1-3-2 record (W-L-T) after a 2-0 loss tonight at Seattle Sounders FC. Next Saturday night’s match kicks off at 7:30 p.m. PT and will be broadcast live on W Radio 690 AM, and will be Tape-Delayed on Prime Ticket, with kickoff scheduled to air at 10:00 p.m. PT.
PHOTOS: Juan Miranda/Chivas USA
AUDIOS
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