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COMMERCE CITY, Colo. – On a snowy Mother’s Day afternoon at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park, Chivas USA maintained a tight defensive shape and emerged from a scoreless first half to spark a 3-1 stunner over the Colorado Rapids.
Recently released Rapids players contributed to all three goals for the visitors. Following a strong 2012 and injury-riddled 2013, Martin Rivero watched his loan to Colorado expire in early December without a new contract with the Rapids. MLS re-signed him in early April, sending him to Chivas USA.
Rivero started Sunday’s game in midfield for the Goats, and when he received the ball with minimal pressure on the right wing in the 56th minute, he had time to serve a silver-platter cross to Erick Torres. Torres dove between two defenders to head the ball past Clint Irwin for the opening goal.
A minute later, former Rapids attacker Marvin Chavez entered the game and reminded everyone why he’s part of the 23-man Honduran roster preparing for the World Cup next month. Chavez wore Colorado’s colors less than 72 hours before kickoff on Sunday. But after helping his country qualify for Brazil and playing sharp during the MLS preseason, Chavez had played only 39 minutes in the first nine games.
So Chavez requested a trade, and three days later he returned to Commerce City with no bitterness but strong motivation.
“I really liked my teammates here,” Chavez said. “I have respect for this team and its players. I’m a professional, and I’m happy to take the opportunity that Wilmer [Cabrera] is giving me.”
Chivas USA head coach Wilmer Cabrera was Colorado’s top assistant for Oscar Pareja in 2012 and 2013. Cabrera had a few words for Chavez before he stepped on the field. “Go enjoy, enjoy, enjoy,” Cabrera told Chavez. “This is your time. This is your moment. Have fun. If you have a chance to score, you will score.”
Ten minutes after he entered the game, Chavez picked up a clearance near midfield, headed the ball past Marvell Wynne, and raced past Nick LaBrocca before lifting the ball over an onrushing Irwin at the top of the box.
The crowd of 10,086 shivered silently in the snow while the home side substituted attacking players and pushed forward to claw out of the two-goal deficit. This exposed more holes in the Rapids defense. In the 76th minute, Chavez struck again. Defender Marc Burch tried to head the ball back to Irwin. Chavez read the play and used his speed to slip into the space and lift another shot into the net.
With Chivas USA up 3-0 during stoppage time, Colorado had to rely on two deflections to score. Chris Klute fed the ball to Charles Eloundou in the attacking third. Chivas USA midfielder Mauro Rosales got a foot on a pass from Eloundou, sending the ball in the path of Rapids attacker Deshorn Brown. Brown raced into the box and fired a left-footed shot that skipped off the sliding leg of Bobby Burling. Burling stopped three clear goal-scoring chances earlier in the game, but this shot caroomed past goalkeeper Dan Kennedy.
After registering 12 goals and 20 assists in 96 matches for Dallas and San Jose, Chavez came to Colorado from the Earthquakes on January 7 in exchange for Atiba Harris. He looked sharp in training, but all the players train sharp. Head coach Pablo Mastroeni does not show favorites. Rather, he spreads his favoritism across the entire roster. Although this strategy should help the team build for the MLS playoffs five months in the future, Chavez had a shorter timeline in mind. Chavez was selected to fly to Miami on May 12 for the Honduran camp, but he needed evidence to show Honduran head coach Luis Fernando Suárez what he can do for his country next month. Notching a brace in nine minutes should help his cause.
