Making his professional debut, Chivas USA midfielder Carlos Alvarez knocked in the equalizing goal in the 89th minute to secure a 1-1 tie for the Red-and-White against the LA Galaxy in the first leg of the SuperClásico. Playing a man down and before a crowd of 19,117 Sunday afternoon at The Home Depot Center, Alvarez was assisted by Carlos Borja and Eric Avila on the sequence. Galaxy forward Jack McBean recorded the game’s first score. With the result, the Rebaño Angelino (1-1-1) currently sits in fourth place in the Western Conference with four points.
- The first half featured plenty of physical play and 50-50 challenges from both sides. Three yellow cards were shown in the first half, while Chivas USA center back Joaquin Velazquez was initially shown a yellow card and then a second later, a red card that put the Rojiblancos a man down in the 40th minute.
- In the 24th minute midfielder Josue Soto – making his MLS debut – worked a give-and-go with Julio Morales on the left wing, but the threat was broken up as Soto tried to possess the ball inside the left side of the box. Six minutes later, Avila worked the ball on the right wing around the Galaxy defense and into the box, but was not given the space to get off a clean strike as both defenses did not concede a score and the 26th installment of the SuperClásico went into half time locked in a scoreless tie.
- Red-and-White goalkeeper and captain Dan Kennedy denied the Galaxy offense on back-to-back shots in the same sequence in the 50th minute. Kennedy again was stellar in goal in the 72nd on a cross from the left side of the box. Kennedy came off his line and made a one-handed grab to keep the game scoreless.
- The Galaxy broke the scoreless tie in the 83rd minute when Mike Magee’s chip shot inside the box deflected off a Chivas defender and floated near the short area, where an unmarked McBean was able to head in the score just over the fingertips of a leaping Kennedy for the 1-0 advantage.
- As the final minutes of regulation ticked away, Chivas USA continued to move the ball into its attacking third. With his back to the net just outside the 18-yard box, Avila chipped a pass to the right side of the box to Borja – who came on as a first half sub in his season debut – who sent a low cross across the box to the cutting Alvarez, who placed the ball to the back of the net with a left-footed shot for the 1-1 result.
