Mind games, overshadowed the fluid and physical display from Chivas USA in their match against the Colorado Rapids. Both teams played with an exemplary amount of fluidity in their play, going back and forth, box to box. Not one team found itself exempt on any plausible infractions on the night, as referee Chris Penso officiated the night. The pitch played host to all forms of the beautiful game as one can observe in Europe. The three expulsions, intelligent penalty save, and the two beautiful goals are only the obvious talking points to the night.

The first half started brightly for Chivas USA, as Jose Luis Real’s “red and whites” pressured the rapids high up the pitch. After 5 minutes from kick-off the pressure produced a goal as the ball was played up the field. Pressure from both Erick Torres and Marco Delgado forced a poor clearance from German Mera, where Torres picked out the open Alvarez, who placed the ball on the sweet spot on his left foot and into the corner of the goal. After some high probing efforts from the rapids and pressure on the young Chivas defense, their attempts were rewarded with a penalty in the 27^th minute. With the defender’s best efforts Steven Purdy could not keep his hand at his sides and as a result the ball did in fact come into contact with hand to justify referee Penso to point to the spot. When all looked longingly at Brown to bury the penalty, it was Dan Kennedy who came up on top; Kennedy read the spot kick perfectly and made a comfortable save. As the game began to open up more on the night, a very reckless and atrocious challenge made by Gabriel Farfan on Shane O’Neill gave Penso no choice but to show Farfan red in the 32^nd minute. With the extra man advantage gave the Rapids more effort with the extra possession gained, and they looked threatening with LaBrocca’s long ranged effort being pushed off target by Kennedy.

At the start of the 2^nd half, Pareja the coach of the Rapids decided to capitalize on the man advantage. Oscar Pareja decided take off German Mera for Vincente Sanchez to add on an extra attacking option on the field for the Rapids. Three minutes into the 2^nd half produced our next sending off of the night. Tony Cascio picked up his second yellow of the night for a high boot on Marco Delgado, granted it appeared that Delgado embellished the action a tad to sell the sending off to the referee. When both sides were at 10 men the game began to balance itself out with Chivas regaining some ground with their possession. But was short lived when Tristan Bowen was sent off for spitting on Chris Klute in the 63^rd minute. When seeing the act on replay, everyone knew it justified the expulsion from the game for Bowen. Chivas were, again, punished to play a man short on the field and, with the lack of two players the open space, it was easy to find for the Rapids. Finally Colorado’s break through came in the 80^th minute, a beautiful cross from Chris Klute from the right of the box found Martin Rivero and his unmarked header hit the back of the net. With all things square heading into the final ten minutes of the game, plus extra time, the situation appeared hard for Chivas. At the end of the game, it finished off level at 1-1, with Chivas USA holding onto a point after particularly “shooting themselves in the foot” with the two reckless red cards.

With the game ending 1-1, Chivas USA should be fairly grateful for coming out of this match with a point. Coming to the expulsions Chivas USA had only itself to blame, when the group had a full, strength squad their game was on tip top, pressuring high up the field, forcing mistakes and capitalizing on-said mistakes. Due to a lapse of concentration and discipline, Chivas USA made it hard for itself to get a foothold into the game after the first 30 minutes. The Rapids, although looked slow after the start of the game slowly, found their identity in the game and were able to exploit the open space on the field. In all a fair result for both teams, Jose Luis would be diligent to stamp out the lack of discipline in his squad. In light of certain events of the game, one could of assumed that Chivas USA could of walked away with all three points, if cooler heads would have prevailed. Instead coach Jose Luis has to settle for a point and hopefully will be able to instill a mental fortitude within his team.