Chivas USA/Santos

Green and white versus red and white! Let's go to it. The stadium isn't full by far, but the crowd is lively.
Chivas USA: Dan Kennedy, Jim Curtin, Carey Tallye, Shavar Thomas, Jonathan Bornstein, Francisco Mendoza, Sacha Kljestan, Paulo Nagamura, Kraig Chiles, Roberto Nurse, Atiba Harris
Santos: Oswaldo Sanchez, Jorge Estrada, Rafael Figueroa, Osmar Mares, Fernando Ortiz, Edgar Castillo, Johnnie Garcia, Fernando Arce, Francisco Torres, Vicente Vuoso, Christian Benitez
Kickoff!
1 - Bornstein is battling for the ball up high.
2 - NO GOAL! Kennedy was beaten all kinds of badly, but the offside saved Chivas USA. The Santos fans aren't happy.
3 - CK for Santos, but the ball into the box misses everyone. The crowd starts a "Me! Hi! Co!" chant.
5 - It turns out Kennedy wasn't in goal for the last Chivas USA game because he had a slight injury, not that Lance Parker had suddenly surpassed him.
7 - Arce in the box, but Curtin shields him from reaching the cross well, and the ball is out for a goal kick.
8 - Benitez gets pulled down and the crowd yells for a penalty, but all Santos gets is a corner.
Kennedy catches it.
9 - Santos seems like the home team. They've come out with more aggression and their fans are loud whenever they do something noteworthy.
10 - oooh, Chivas USA quick counter - Jonny with the shot - high.
11 - Nurse takes a nice pass from CHiles in midfield and attacks Santos - getting the ball into the box before it's cleared out for a corner. Chiles takes it - misses everyone in the box.
12 - Benitez on the counter - he's beaten the entire Chivas USA backline and faces Kennedy alone. Kennedy commits and goes to ground, but Benitez keeps control of the ball and rounds him and shoots and - HITS THE CROSSBAR! Wide open net. Amazing.
16 - In case you're wondering where he is, Rafael Wicky just had surgery on his ankle. It was reconstructed, and he's likely out for the rest of the season.
18 - As Jesse Marsch and Claudio Suarez are on the bench, the captain's armband goes to Kljestan. I'd have given it to Nags, actually. He's the midfield engine in a lot of ways.
21 - The pace of this game is fast - Preki was probably wise to rest some players.
22 - Neither team is in a dominant rhythm, but Santos does have a FK. It's far out though and they basically put the ball square then lose it.
23 - Nags is down, but Sacha attacks into the Santos box. Nags stays down while a shot by Harris gets squelched, then finally gets up as the Santos attack comes back his way.
24 - Chivas USA have a corner now. Chiles takes it, Harris gets a head on it, but sends the ball wide.
27 - SAVE! Kennedy comes up big as Curtin gets beat by Vincente Vuoso and exposes the Chivas goal to a 1v1 against the keeper.
29 - Mendoza with a great run into the box, but his low cross gets cleared.
31 - Nags smacks into Arce so hard on a tackle that we can hear the impact in the pressbox. He gets ball, and a yellow card. We laugh here in the box, because the replay doesn't show us whether it was studs up or not - the camera lingered too long on Sacha and missed the tackle completely.
34 - Castillo on the run, but is give-and-go gets cut off.
35 - FK for Chivas USA - the ball gets cleared for a throw in. Sanchez catches the service from that.
36 - Hustle from Bornstein earns Chivas USA a FK on the left sideline. Kljestan takes it, serves into the box - it gets cleared.
37 - Torres pops Nags into the air with a tackle - gets yellow for that. Earlier, Vuoso had what looked like a friendly clothesline of Kljestan.
39 - After a nice through ball from Vuoso, Estrada strikes a cross deep into the box, Castillo brings it down, but under pressure, puts the ball out without ever really shooting.
40 - Castillo tries to atone on this counter, racing forward and sending in a low shot that Kennedy dives full-length and just palms wide.
41 - The resultant FK gives Chivas USA problems, but they finally clear.
42 - A racing Nurse helps for a corner for Chivas USA - Kljestan takes it but no one gets on it and the ball turns over to Santos.
43 - Vuoso releases a great ball for Estrada who races forward with Arce making a run up the middle, but Estrada puts the ball inbetween a cross and a shot to the far post and gets the benefit of neither as the ball goes out untouches.
45 - Dangerous FK for Santos. Kennedy gets low for it, but can't hang on and gives up the corner.
45+ The ball nearly bends in for an Olympic goal, but Kennedy touches it out and gives up another corner. Chivas USA clear the ball, with Kljestan leading the attack until he realizes no one else on his team is making the run with him.
Halftime
Really fast match. It will be interesting to see if Preki was saving the savvier players, like Razov, for the second half. Santos had better chances, but Chivas USA hung in well, and Kennedy came up big a couple of times. That Saprissa goalkeeper isn't going to walk in and just take the job if Kennedy keeps this up.
47 - No PK! It looked like a handball on Santos, but the ref waved it off.
49 - Jesse Marsch and Razov are in the game for Nurse and Harris.
53 - Castillo is a versatile, quick terror on the left side. He helps Santos earn a corner here
54 - The short corner leads to a shot by Castillo, but Sacha deflects it out for another CK. That's cleared.
56 - Castillo again on the attack - takes a shot at the top of the box - wide.
59 - Razov helps Chivas USA earn a FK outside the edge of the box. Tough angle for 'Te. He centers the ball instead for a shot by Kljestan, but it's deflected.
61 - Pace of the game is still very fast - Santos pushing the issue, but Chivas USA looking lively on the counter chances.
62 - Castillo again creates a chance, but Benitez doesn't give back on the give-and-go.
63 - Sueno comes into the game! Jorge Flores replaces Chiles.
65 - Watching Santos, I realize MLS no longer has any team using green as a primary uniform color. Green's my favorite color.
67 - It's hard to describe the action - every ball is a battle - there's a lot happening, but everyone is going so full-tilt that it's a deadlock. Slight advantages are gained and lost, without a clear chance anywhere.
69 - Castillo seems to get free to a through pass - but he's actually offside.
70 - Walter Jimenez is coming on for Garcia, who the announcers are calling Lopez, but he used to play for Chivas USA, so Luis and I know who he is.
71 - Bornstein with a great run into the box, but his cross gets cut off - still, Razov helps get a CK out of it. It misses everyone in the box, though.
72 - Vuoso is furious about the latest offside call.
73 - GOAL! Razov takes a great bending pass from Kljestan into the box, and flicks it trickily to the far post, beating Sanchez. Nice. Razov celebrates in the corner with his teammates. He and Sach do Karate Kid kicks together. 1-0 Chivas USA.
76 - Kennedy slips on a clearance kick, but the ball goes way downfield. Santos bring it back, though and get a corner out of it. It's served in well in front of goal, but it falls well for Chivas USA and they clear.
78 - Santos again bringing a lot of pressure, but like before, it doesn't lead to a good chance - oh wait, they get a corner here.
79 - That's cleared, but then another one is forthcoming.
80 - Arce gets a yellow - the corner is out for a goal kick.
81 - Santos waste a FK as confetti rains down on Kennedy. At least it's not streamers, though that much confetti makes it hard to see.
82 - Basically, if you're playing Chivas USA at home, attack hard at the 80th minute, because their fans will do the confetti shower under any circumstances and it might help to create a goal.
83 - Vuoso gets off a shot - Kennedy dives, just parries it wide.
84 - Burling comes in for Thomas to defend the corner. It's cleared for another corner, same side. Corner leads to a shot, but it's deflected - offside.
87 - 'Te juggles the ball to control it and continue the Chivas USA attack. It leads to a cross by Kljestan, but Santos clear it.
88- Santos is pushing up desperately and more than a little frantically, in an effort to score.
89 - NO GOAL! Burling gets a yellow and gives up a FK. It's in a dangerous area, but not too close. Torres gets on the end of it and pops the ball away from Kennedy, near post, side netting. Nicely done! Gosh, it was so noisy here, I didn't realize the goal was called offside.
90 - Chivas USA look deflated, Santos charged up.
90 + Flores gets a yellow card for going down too easily, trying to draw the foul. Santos fighting for one last good chance, they whip the ball around and earn a deep throw. Now a CK. Chivas USA fight it off, but before they can counter, the whistle blows.
Final whistle!
Santos didn't dominate the game, but they played well, and to leave with nothing is a bit harsh. It's like they say, though. It's not what you deserve, it's what you do, and Chivas USA scored. Both teams are still alive to advance to the next round, though.


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