WASHINGTON -- D.C. United and CD Guadalajara resumed their budding rivalry in the 2008 SuperLiga opener on Saturday night and once again the two tradition-laden clubs did not disappoint, producing a robust encounter that was edged by the Mexican side's opportunistic finishing -- and good fortune -- for a 2-1 Chivas victory in front of a passionate throng at RFK Stadium.
Omar Arellano and Gonzalo Pineda scored on either side of halftime before Luciano Emilio snatched a goal back -- as United missed a potential equalizing penalty kick and also hit the post twice.
The home side, missing injured Argentineans Marcelo Gallardo and Gonzalo Peralta, ran out a hybrid starting lineup featuring erstwhile reserves Rod Dyachenko and Craig Thompson in midfield, while Marc Burch took over Peralta's center back spot after performing well there during U.S. Open Cup action.
After chesting the ball down to his feet at the top of the D.C. penalty box, Chivas frontrunner Sergio Santana tested Zach Wells with a low right-footed drive in the fourth minute, but the United goalkeeper dropped to his right to make the save. Seconds later, a nice passing combination allowed Dyachenko to play Jaime Moreno into the Chivas box, only for the Bolivian to be denied by a last-ditch slide tackle. Eight minutes in, Moreno's gorgeous pass into space set up Emilio with a one-on-one against Jonny Magallon and the Brazilian made space with a hesitation move before lashing a left-footed shot past netminder Luis Ernesto Michel at the near post, only to watch the drive clang off the woodwork.
With their attacking-minded 3-4-3 alignment, the Mexicans were surging forward at every opportunity, even when it left space behind them -- and United looked willing to play their game, though it before long it got them into trouble, as Chivas caught them on a quick counterattack to grab a 1-0 lead in the 24th minute.
United had pushed well into their attacking end when the ball popped loose near the center circle, and Devon McTavish's premature slide tackle on Arellano allowed the Chivas forward to combine with Ramon Morales, leaving Clyde Simms behind the play as Arellano sprinted forward to latch on to his captain's return pass.
Another D.C. defender made a questionable decision as Bryan Namoff left his feet too early in his attempt to cut out the pass, leaving Arellano to walk in alone on Wells -- and the former CF Pachuca man coolly finished the chance, cutting past the United 'keeper and stroking home from a tight angle to give his team an early advantage.
The Guadalajara club's system thrives on the turnovers created by constant pressure on the opponent's rearguard, and on this occasion that approach had created something out of virtually nothing thanks to quick passing and intelligent movement off the ball.
Though the visitors continued to threaten as the half wore on, D.C. boss Tom Soehn decided to move McTavish alongside Simms in an effort to win more of the midfield battles, leaving Burch at the center of a three-man back line. Meanwhile, up top, Dyachenko had effectively ceded the playmaking duties to Moreno and pushed into a striker's role.
But the Russian-born 24-year-old would not get much of a chance to prove himself there as Soehn pulled him off at halftime in favor of the fleet-footed Francis Doe. On the other side, Chivas sat back in a surprisingly defensive posture for the second half, perhaps in recognizance of their MLS counterparts' superior fitness at this stage of the season.
Fred's gesticulating along the D.C. left hinted at United's growing urgency, and in the 56th minute the creative Brazilian combined with Moreno to begin a long string of passes that led to another great chance for the Black-and-Red.
A switch of play to the right side saw Emilio receiving the ball at the top of the Chivas box with his back to goal, and his flick to McTavish took a fortuitous deflection behind Magallon and sat up ideally for the West Virginia University graduate. But he, too, was denied by the post as his shot beat Michel but clipped off the inside of the upright, leaving a stunned McTavish holding his head.
Barely a minute later, Santana took an outlet pass at midfield and, seeing a moment of confusion between Burch and McTavish, surged past them with a burst of pace and aimed a shot for the top corner. Wells was ready with a sharp reaction save, though, parrying the effort away with his right paw.
The crowd's cheers turned to jeers just shy of the hour mark, however, as most of RFK's floodlights suddenly shut off, leaving the field in semi-darkness and forcing a 19-minute delay as the old stadium's lighting system powered back up again.
The match took on a more cagey tone when play resumed, though Chivas were too cagey for Costa Rican referee Walter Quesada's liking in the 67th minute. Santana looked to have picked Martinez's pocket at the top of the box, nipping in to steal possession and rip a thunderous finish past Wells -- but the 28-year-old had used his hand to win the ball and was swiftly carded by the man in the middle.
More controversy erupted in the 69th minute when the Mexican giants doubled their lead after a questionable foul was called on Simms when Arellano toppled over his leg some 25 yards out from the United goal. On the ensuing set piece, Gonzalo Pineda stepped up to whip a curling, dipping left-footed blast over the wall and into the net, with Wells unable to fling his right hand up to get a touch in time.
The Red-and-White fans in attendance went wild, but their MLS hosts responded with a superb solo effort from Emilio in the 76th minute. With his side probing around the Chivas box, the Brazilian muscled his way into position on Jose Antonio Olvera and took a pass from Namoff, then adeptly spun past his mark and stroked a shot between Michel's legs to cut the deficit to 2-1.
The contest took another intriguing turn within moments as Emilio used his strength to get the better of Olvera again, prompting the Chivas defender to tug him down as he ran onto Moreno's angled pass into the box. Quesada immediately pointed to the spot as the United fans took their turn to cheer, confident in the knowledge that all-time MLS scoring leader Jaime Moreno would step up to bury the penalty kick as usual.
But Michel guessed correctly, shuffling to his left to palm Moreno's bid away from the net and shock the RFK faithful, preserving Chivas' precarious lead and sparking chants of "portero!" from his team's partisans.
United would dominate possession in the final minutes, throwing everything they had at Michel's goal, but his Chivas teammates persevered despite tired legs and escaped with a 2-1 victory to maintain their advantage in the cross-border rivalry.
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