MLS Weekend Review by Mark Flannery - July 29, 2007 |
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| ▪ USWNT Move Win Streak to 11 | |
| Chicago overwhelmed Toronto on the road, while ▪ Real Salt Lake, newly without Freddy Adu, were unable to overcome the East-leading Revolution. | ▪ Califf Scores, AaB Advance |
| ▪ MLSU Power Rankings | |
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Chicago were dangerous from the get go and forced Monsalve, who was making his MLS debut on the night, into making three saves in the first 15 minute.
Mexico international Cuauhtémoc Blanco was making his MLS regular season debut for the fire, and played a part in the visitor's first goal of the day.
The visitors finally notched the first goal 10 minutes before the halftime whistle when Ivan Guerro took a nice pass from his team's newest weapon, Cuauhtémoc Blanco, into the left side of the penalty area.
Slipping in behind Chris Pozniak, the diminutive winger moved in alone on the Toronto keeper and fired over Monsalve into the top of the net for his first strike of the '07 season.
Chad Barrett thought that he had doubled the Fire lead in the 44th but instead was shown a yellow for deliberate handling when he stopped Blanco's chip with an outstretched hand an fired into the net.
Chicago would double their lead in the 58th when Calen Carr saw his shot take a fortuitous deflection off of the knee of off the knee of Toronto captain Jim Brennan and past the outstretched and leaping Monsalve
Carr was denied in the 74th when Monsalve made a diving save that sent Carr's shot off the cross bar and the left hand post and back into the goalkeeper's control.
Carr added an assist in the 75th to the benefit of Floyd Franks who easily put home a cross that passed untouched four yards in front of the goal.
Despite the rude welcome to the big leagues, Monsalve still managed seven saves, a few highlight reel worthy and could be credited for keeping the game as close as it was.
Scoring
CHI - Matt Pickens, C.J. Brown, Diego Gutierrez (Brian Plotkin 87), Gonzalo Segares, Calen Carr, Chris Armas, Logan Pause, Dasan Robinson, Ivan Guerrero, Cuauhtémoc Blanco (Thiago 82'), Chad Barrett (Floyd Franks 66')
KC OUTGUNS CHIVAS USA
The shootout saw Chivas sandwich two goals around a pair of Wizards scores, with each side scoring twice in each half before Movsisyan put the decider past Brad Guzan in the 89th minute.
Jonathan Bornstein opened the scoring when he ran onto a deep ball from Ante Razov that was somewhat broken up in the penalty area. A second effort saw the US international somehow got a foot to the ball as he was falling down and put it on net for the score.
Bornstein almost helped to give one back in the 22nd when his poorly timed tackle on midfielder Carlos Marinelli resulted in a penalty for the Argentine. Guzan came up big for Chivas when he and Marinelli both went left to maintain the slim 1-0 margin.
In the 38th, Eddie Johnson created some space down the right sideline but his cross attempt was blocked out to Kerry Zavagnin, who for the second time this season dialed in from long-distance. From 28 yards out, the midfielder fired high and right, his shot hitting right where the cross bar and the right post meet and in for what's sure to be the MLS Goal of the Week.
Jimmy Conrad appeared to have scored the 2nd of the night for the Wizards off of Davy Arnaud free kick in the 55th but it was later ruled to have gone straight in for Arnaud's fourth of the year.
Just two minutes later, John Cunliffe equalized for the visitors when he ran onto a pass from Sacha Kljestan from just atop the center circle to deep in the left part of the area. One great left footed take later and the score was knotted at two.
Nick Garcia then found Movsisyan down the left side and the forward cut back, beating two Chivas defenders back across the post for a golazo of his own and a game-winner for the Wizards.
Scoring
CHV- Brad Guzan, Alex Zotinca, Claudio Suarez, Shavar Thomas, Jonathan Bornstein, Sacha Kljestan, Jesse Marsch, Lawson Vaughn (Rodrigo Lopez 83'), Francisco Mendoza, Laurent Merlin (John Cunliffe 46), Ante Razov
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