·         Jonathan Bornstein played his final match with Chivas USA on Saturday night at The Home Depot Center in Carson as the Red-and-White fell to the Chicago Fire by a 4-1 score. Bornstein, a Los Alamitos native and UCLA alum, started and played 85 minutes in his final match before he joins Tigres of the Mexican First Division in January.

·         Bornstein left the match to a huge ovation in the 85th minute, and immediately after the game addressed the stadium from midfield. “It’s been an up-and-down year,” he told the fans. “I just wanted to say thank you very much for all your support throughout the year, and throughout my career at Chivas USA.”

·         Entering the game for Bornstein was Bryan de la Fuente, a 19-year-old midfielder from Bell, Calif., who developed in the Chivas USA youth system. The Homegrown Player made his MLS debut in the game, saying afterward: “I’m very happy. In truth, there are no words to describe what I felt in the moment, but, thank God, Martín gave me the opportunity to make my debut.”

·         Chicago Fire forward Brian McBride played his final match on Saturday, and opened the game’s scoring with a beautiful goal in the 40th minute. A low cross from Freddie Ljungberg came to McBride, who flicked the ball with his heel past Zach Thornton in the Chivas USA net.

·         The Fire took a 2-0 lead after Ljungberg scored in minute 47, but Chivas USA forward Giancarlo Maldonado pulled a goal back in minute 57, floating a header into the net off a cross from Sal Zizzo. As Chivas USA pushed forward to tie the game, the Red-and-White gave up two more goals, from Calen Carr in minute 68 and Baggio Husidic in minute 93.

·         The season ends for Chivas USA with a record of 8-18-4 and no playoff berth for the first time since the club’s inaugural season in 2005. “This season, our fans, our ownership, our players have been tested and challenged,” said Head Coach Martín Vásquez after the game, “but we also think that we have to continue to work…. We need to take a deep breath and regroup.”

·         Midfielder Sal Zizzo’s assist to Maldonado was his first point for Chivas USA after joining the team in midseason. The goal was Maldonado’s second in MLS action.

·         Before the game, Chivas USA honored its 2010 team award winners, with Michael Umaña earning Defender of the Year, Justin Braun earning Golden Boot and Most Valuable Player, Michael Lahoud receiving Humanitarian of the Year, and Jonathan Bornstein taking the Claudio Suárez Award, given to the player who best represents the spirit of Chivas USA.

·         For audio and video from Vásquez, as well as Jonathan Bornstein and Bryan de la Fuente, please visit Dentro del Rebaño, the official bilingual blog of Chivas USA. More post-game coverage including videos can be found at cdchivasusa.com.

·         A schedule of post-season events, including training sessions at The Home Depot Center, will be released next week.

 

Chivas USA (8-18-4) 1:4 Chicago Fire (9-12-9)

October 23, 2010 – The Home Depot Center

 

Scoring Summary:

CHI – Brian McBride (Freddie Ljungberg) 40

CHI – Freddie Ljungberg (Marco Pappa) 47

CHV – Giancarlo Maldonado (Sal Zizzo) 57

CHI – Calen Carr (Logan Pause, Freddie Ljungberg) 68

CHI – Baggio Husidic (unassisted) 93+

 

Chivas USA – Zach Thornton, Mariano Trujillo, Carlos Borja, Ante Jazic, Jonathan Bornstein (Bryan de la Fuente 85), Ben Zemanski, Paulo Nagamura, Rodolfo Espinoza, Jorge Flores (Sal Zizzo 46), Justin Braun, Jesús Padilla (Giancarlo Maldonado 51)

 

Substitutes Not Used: Kevin Guppy, Marcelo Saragosa, Michael Lahoud, Osael Romero

 

TOTAL SHOTS: 12 (Braun 3); SHOTS ON GOAL: 6 (Bornstein 2); FOULS: 9 (Zemanski 2); OFFSIDE: 3 (Padilla 2); CORNER KICKS: 1 (Maldonado 1); SAVES: Thornton 4

 

Chicago Fire – Sean Johnson, C.J. Brown, Wilman Conde, Steven Kinney (Patrick Nyarko 58), Deris Umanzor, Peter Lowry, Marco Pappa, Logan Pause, Bratislav Ristic, Freddie Ljungberg (Baggio Husidic  87), Brian McBride (Calen Carr 51)

 

Substitutes Not Used: Andrew Dykstra, Corben Bone, Nery Castillo, Kwame Watson-Siriboe

 

TOTAL SHOTS: 15 (Pappa 4, Ljungberg 4); SHOTS ON GOAL: 8 (Pappa 3); FOULS: 8 (Conde 3); OFFSIDE: 4 (Pappa 3); CORNER KICKS: 6 (Ljungberg 6); SAVES: Johnson 5

 

Misconduct Summary:

CHV – Jorge Flores (caution; Tactical Foul) 5

CHV – Carlos Borja (caution; Reckless Foul) 44

CHI – Wilman Conde (caution, Reckless Tackle) 47+

CHV – Giancarlo Maldonado (caution; Unsporting Behavior) 59

CHV – Ben Zemanski (caution; Tactical Foul) 64

CHV – Rodolfo Espinoza (caution, Reckless Tackle) 71

CHI – Freddie Ljungberg (caution; Verbal Distraction) 72

CHV – Ante Jazic (caution; Reckless Tackle) 89

 

Referee: Paul Ward

Referee’s Assistants: Eric Boria, Peter Manikowski

4th Official: David Gantar

Attendance: 14,825

Time of Game: 1:52

Weather: Cloudy, 64 degrees

 

cdchivasusa.com