CARSON, Calif. -- The Houston Dynamo and Chivas USA exchanged second-half goals before the teams settled for a regular season-ending 1-1 draw Saturday at The Home Depot Center.
Houston's Dwayne De Rosario scored on a penalty kick in the 52nd minute, just after Chivas goalkeeper Dan Kennedy was sent off, while Chivas USA's Jim Curtin knocked in a rebound in the 90th minute to help a 10-man Chivas USA squad salvage a point.
Although three points were on the line, not much else was. Houston entered the game having already clinched the Western Conference regular season title while Chivas USA was locked in second place well before the start of the match as well.
The game stood in stark contrast to last year's season finale when Chivas USA held Houston to a scoreless draw to clinch the 2007 Western Conference regular season title.
Still, despite the playoff positioning having been set, neither side fielded a reserve-laden squad. Houston coach Dominic Kinnear sent out Dwayne De Rosario, Brian Ching and Nate Jaqua while counterpart Preki started Ante Razov, Jesse Marsch and Sacha Kljestan.
And the players didn't exactly take it easy on each other either. Ching picked up a yellow card in the 14th minute after a rough challenge on Razov while Brian Mullan drew Marsch's ire after Mullan appeared to have clipped Atiba Harris after fouling him.
Alecko Eskandarian nearly put the hosts ahead in the 19th minute when Razov sent a through ball to Eskandarian, who ran onto it some 30 yards out and carried the ball inside the penalty area. However, Pat Onstad did well to dive and stop Eskandarian's attempt.
Chivas USA continued putting pressure on Houston's backline and nearly broke through in the 23rd minute. After a great bit of buildup, Kljestan found Talley inside the penalty area. Talley fired a shot on goal that might have given Onstad a tough time had Houston's Wade Barrett not blocked Talley's attempt with his own sliding effort.
Kennedy took his turn turning away a forward on a clear breakaway. In the 41st minute, Ching beat Chivas USA's offside trap and walked toward the penalty area alone. He tried his luck from the top of the penalty spot but Kennedy was in good position and kicked the ball clear.
The ball eventually went out for a Dynamo corner kick and Ricardo Clark knocked a header on goal that Kennedy turned away as well.
Still, Chivas USA was dealt a blow in the 50th minute. Jaqua broke into the penalty area alone. Kennedy charged off his line in an attempt to stop Jaqua. The two players made contact and Jaqua nearly fell but collected himself before hitting the ground.
Defender Jim Curtin cleared the ball away but referee Terry Vaughn pointed to the spot and awarded Houston a penalty kick. Then, he gave the hosts a double whammy as he sent Kennedy off. Kennedy will now miss Chivas USA's road playoff match at Real Salt Lake as he must serve an automatic one-match ban.
De Rosario stepped up and slammed the ball past Zach Thornton, who replaced Eskandarian after Kennedy's red card. The goal was De Rosario's seventh of the season.
With a man advantage, Houston quickly settled into a rhythm. Whereas Chivas USA were the aggressors in the first half, Houston regained their swagger with the hosts reduced to 10 men.
But Thornton did well to quell any fears of Kennedy's playoff absence. Thornton made several solid plays as Houston peppered Chivas USA's goal with an array of shots. Thornton turned away Jaqua in the 76th minute as he tested Chivas USA's goal from point-blank range.
It wasnt until stoppage time that Chivas USA struck. Onstad made a reaction save in the 90th minute but the ball fell to the goal line and Curtin raced onto it and bundled it over the line into the back of the net.
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