Chivas USA/Earthquakes rb

Chivas USA versus the new and improved Quakes in a major clash for points for two playoff desperate teams.

I ran into Sacha Kljestan's dad, Slavko, in the elevator. He looked at the Free Kick magazine, where his son is the coverboy and said, "Who is that guy?" The younger guy with him (a friend of Sacha?) said dryly, "Yeah, he must have an ugly dad."
I cracked up a little at that. Slavko shook his head at the magazine. "He needs a haircut, don't you think?" He turned to me.
By then, the elevator had opened and the pair had stepped out. "You tell him that," I said before the doors closed.
Quakes
* 1 - Joe Cannon (GK)
* 2 - Eric Denton
* 3 - Nick Garcia
* 4 - James Riley
* 6 - Darren Huckerby
* 7 - Ronnie O'Brien
* 10 - Francisco Lima
* 12 - Ramiro Corrales 14 out
* 17 - Arturo Alvarez
* 21 - Jason Hernandez
* 33 - Scott Sealy
Chivas USA
* 28 - Zach Thornton (GK)
* 3 - Jim Curtin
* 4 - Shavar Thomas
* 5 - Paulo Nagamura
* 6 - Francisco Mendoza
* 9 - Ante Razov
* 13 - Jonathan Bornstein
* 16 - Sacha Kljestan
* 19 - Jorge Flores
* 24 - Atiba Harris
* 37 - Kraig Chiles


Kickoff!
5 - Chivas USA have a corner. They take it short and get a throw. Quakes clear the danger.
7 - Ante caught offside. The Quakes have a pretty impressive traveling contingent sitting in the regular Riot Squad section. that's good to see. They're loud too, spurring the Union Ultras and the Legion to try to drown them out.
12 - Corrales is down. Apparently he stepped on Atiba Harris trying to make a tackle and his left ankle turned. He limps off after at least three minutes.
15 - Kelly Gray comes in for Corrales.
19 - Eeeek moment for the Quakes. Razov hit a long pass to Harris, but Garcia got there first. His backpass to Cannon almost didn't make it and Cannon had to run outside his box to play the ball.
20 - Chivas USA corner. It's cleared.
23 - The Quakes had the ball in the Chivas USA box and Alvarez was trying to turn but Curtin cleared the ball way out first.
Bad news for Ramiro Corrales. It's actually his knee that's the problem. He has a left knee MCL sprain.
25 - Harris is offside, again.
27 - Sealy gets undercut going for a header, and topples acrobatically. It's interesting that sometimes the most spectacular falls are where the player bounces back but just fine, and the ones that look like no big deal are often the worst.
29 - Razov earns a free kick right at the arc. Joe got burned by 'Te FK the last time the teams played here.
30 - 'Te went near post - and barely missed wide right.
34 - Jase Hernandez just had a nifty take-away tackle on his old teammate, 'Te.
37 - Riley gets a yellow for his takle on Flores.
39 - Bornstein heads a dangerous long ball out.
40 - Atiba Harris is down. It looked on the replay like Garcia caught him on the ankle as he was clearing a pass.
42 - Someone asked about the formation for CHivas - looks like a 4-4-2, with Flores breaking forward on the attack.
44 - Denton slidetackles a dangerous ball out.
45 - Sach with a shot off a feed from 'Te! Joe saves it.
45 - Too often, games where a lot is on the line end up like this - tightly contested affairs where not a lot happens - 000hhhh, Flores fights his way into the box, great job there, lays off a perfect little pass to 'Tiba - ugh, he shoots way wide.
46 - Chivas USA right off the bat with a chance, but a Quakes defender clears the cross into the box.
48 - Chivas USA moving the ball well around the perimeter of the Quakes' box. Joe finally claims an errant pass.
50 - Chiles cross in front of goal - no one. Oooh, deep Quakes pass nearly gets through while Zach is off his line.
52 - O'Brien with an outside shot. I could see that one coming. He dips his head slightly before he shoots.
'Te on the counter! Tries to finesse the ball low into the corner and misses wide.
53 - Shaver Thomas gets a yellow card for a tackle.
55 - Denten with a foul on Chiles deep. Chiles sends in the FK like a cross, but the Quakes clear. It gets served back in - over the line. Goal kick.
56 - Some in the pressbox think this is Huckerby's worst game since he joined the league. He's done little of note.
57 - Hernandez is given a yellow for a clumsy shoulder challenge. It's a FK in a dangerous spot, but Sacha doesn't do much with it. High over the bar.
60 - Alecko Eskandarin is in for Chiles.
63 - 'Te tumbles, but kicks out at Hernandez at the same time - gets called for the foul. Sach had a nice play to get 'Te the ball, but Hernandez was all over it.
66 - Bornstein rampages up for a shot - wide.
67 - Joe comes out for a cross - oddly, he hesitated a bit and made it more scary for his defender than it should have been.
68 - Attendance is announced as 12,209.
69 - Kelly Gray high on a FK, but it deflected and the Quakes have a corner. It's taken short, put out and another corner follows.
70 - Zach punches this one out, heaving his bulk through the crowd in the box.
73 - Offside! No goal for Alecko there.
75 - Quake corner - headed wide.
77 - Ooh! Joe saves a touch Harris shot, give ups the rebound, Mendoza chases it down and slips a pass to 'Te, who shoots wide of the far post.
81 - Quake FK - Zach catches.
84 - Ned Grabavoy comes in for Sealy.
89 - Crappy backpass gives Ante a chance in the box - Quake defense barely recovers.
90 + O'Brien gets a yellow for a bad tackle.
Quake corner. Alvarez header - over the bar.
Deep Quake throw. Huckerby fights his way into the box, but Zack saves the shot.
Final whistle
No late game heroics. The teams split the points.