By David Lifton / MLSnet.com Staff
WASHINGTON -- After failing to make the knockout stage in last year's SuperLiga tournament, CD Guadalajara served notice to the rest of their group that they would not go down as easily this time, beating D.C. United 2-1 in the Group A opener Saturday night at RFK Stadium.
"We face big teams we respect a lot like D.C. United, Houston and Atlante," said defender Hector Reynoso. "More than just being a preseason tournament, we're here to leave a mark."
Despite fielding a starting lineup with five players 22 years old or younger, CD Guadalajara looked like a veteran side for much of the first half, largely due to the crafty play of veterans Sergio Santana, Gonzalo Pineda, and, most of all, their 32-year old playmaker and captain, Ramon Morales.
"He's very important for us because the rest of the team plays very quickly," said coach Efrain Flores. "He has the ability to slow down and change the rhythm of the game. Ramon is a very intelligent player, and in this system, he is very important for me."
A first-half goal by Omar Arellano was the result of quick thinking by Morales. Picking up a loose ball inside the center circle, Morales, a veteran of the Mexican national team, played a perfectly weighted ball down the left that eluded the stretch of United defender Bryan Namoff. The pass met Arellano in full stride, and he rounded goalkeeper Zach Wells, and calmly tapped it into the empty net.
The goal came in the middle of a 20-minute stretch where Chivas dazzled the large crowd in attendance, many of whom were cheering for the visiting side, with Morales controlling everything from his central midfield position.
It was a match that featured all sorts of unusual occurrences, including an illegal throw-in, a handled backpass, a missed penalty kick by the usually reliable Jaime Moreno, and, most bizarrely, a 19-minute delay when the stadium's floodlights inexplicably cut out.
The delay came in the 59th minute with Chivas leading 1-0 and United pressing for the equalizer. The stoppage gave Chivas, currently preparing for the Apertura in the Primera División, the opportunity to catch their collective breath. Thirteen minutes after play resumed, a free kick goal by Gonzalo Pineda gave Chivas the lead that they never relinquished.
"When the lights went out, my team recovered a bit," said Flores. "It was our first game playing with this intensity. Just two weeks ago, I had the players come back from the national team."
But United didn't go down without a fight. Only six minutes after Pineda's goal, Luciano Emilio, continuing his remarkable run of form for United, burst through two Chivas defenders in the box and slid the ball underneath Luis Ernesto Michel to pull one back for the home side.
But minutes later, Michel would be the hero for Chivas, diving to his left to save a penalty kick by Jaime Moreno. United were awarded the penalty when Antonio Olvera brought down Luciano Emilio in the penalty area, for which the 22-year old defender also received a yellow card.
"[Michel] did well waiting for me," said Moreno, who hasn't missed a penalty kick in league play since 2004. "I picked that spot and he made a great save."
In addition to Michel's save on Moreno, Chivas were bailed out on two occasions by the goalkeeper's best friend, the woodwork. Emilio struck the left post in the eighth minute, and in the 56th minute, Devon McTavish, making a surging run from deep midfield, was denied a goal by the left post.
"We were lucky to win the game, but we had at least two or three chances to score some more goals," said Flores. "The game was good for both teams. We were lucky, but United were lucky, too."
