There’s this sense of deja vu falling over Chivas USA’s season. At least, for those that remember the brief period when the team was competitive under José Luis Sánchez Sola, the Goats’ descent is starting to mimic last year’s fall, with this year’s brief period of intrigue all but extinguished after tonight’s 4-1 loss to visiting Houston.
With two goals from Gilles Barnes and single scores from Will Bruin and Brad Davis, the Dynamo claimed its first victory since mid-March, curing the scoring woes that came with Davis’s April injury in the process. With Davis’s 12th minute goal, Houston scored from open play for the first time since March 16 - a 512-minute drought that ended in spectacular fashion in Carson, Calif.
Slotting home Houston’s opener, Davis also made amends for the early penalty he conceded while taking down Carlos Alvarez in the box. Twenty minutes later, Barnes was given room to cut onto his right foot in transition, with his subsequent blast into the right of goal from beyond the 18-yard box giving Houston the lead. Just before halftime, Will Bruin turned Carlos Bocanegra on a cross from the left, eventually beating Tim Meila to send the Dynamo into half up two.
Meila, in for the suspended Dan Kennedy, would follow the Chivas number one’s example in the 67th minute. Taking down Bruin as the Dynamo forward went in on goal, Meila became the second Goats keeper to see red in as many games, paving the way for Barnes to beat Trevor Spangenberg for the game’s final score.
Regardless of Chivas USA’s quality, Houston can now put its six-match winless run behind it, giving the team a much-needed change of pace. Instead of having to explain their failures, the Dynamo will be asked to explain Chivas USA’s. How much should we read into that kind of result?
Until Chivas USA improves, the answer will be ‘not much.’ On Saturday, they looked every bit as inept as they did during that aimless period at the end of El Chelis’s tenure.
With none of Dan Kennedy, Mauro Rosales, or Thomas McNamara in the team, Wilmer Cabrera just didn’t have the quality to compete. The question is, with bad results starting to replace early season momentum, can Chivas USA restore the mentality that threatened to make it relevant six weeks ago?