Goalscorers Alecko Eskandarian and Atiba Harris, along with Coach Preki, defenders Bobby Burling and Jonathan Bornstein and midfielder Sacha Kljestan, react to Saturday’s last-minute 2-1 victory over Toronto FC.

After scoring his second goal of the season, Alecko was the last player in the locker room, still giving interviews, and Preki decided to give him a hard time (the reporter whose voice you hear is Luis Bueno)…

Forward Atiba Harris scored a game-winning goal in the last minute of injury time to give Chivas USA a 2-1 victory over Toronto FC in front of 12,561 fans on a warm, clear night at The Home Depot Center.
With the win, Chivas USA moves into sole possession of third place in the Western Conference, the final guaranteed playoff spot in the division. The Red-and-White now have a record of 7-9-6 (W-L-T) and 27 points, trailing Real Salt Lake by three points and the Houston Dynamo, who host Chicago on Sunday, by five in the division.
Chivas USA trailed 1-0 after Toronto’s Jim Brennan scored on a breakaway in the 19th minute on an assist from Rohan Ricketts. However, the Red-and-White struck back less than a minute later, when Alecko Eskandarian, making his first ever start for Chivas USA, took an Ante Razov pass and finished to knot the game at one.
Though Chivas USA outshot Toronto 20-5 over the course of the game, the winning goal did not come until after the 93rd minute, when the team finally broke through the Toronto defense. Sacha Kljestan, serving as the team’s captain, drove a corner kick on the ground into the box, where defender Bobby Burling let the ball run through his legs to Atiba Harris, whose left-footed shot was slowed by Toronto goalkeeper Greg Sutton before trickling over the line.
The win was the second come-from-behind victory in the history of the team, and also the second this season, after the team came back from a 1-0 deficit to beat D.C. United 3-1 on May 17, also at The Home Depot Center.
Chivas USA Head Coach Preki, on tonight’s match: “It was one of those crazy games. I thought, [a goal] is never coming, but then it finally came in the last minute of the game. I’m pleased with three points, we put ourselves now in a good spot, and hopefully we’ll build on this.” (For a full quote sheet, please visit http://www.cdchivasusa.com/.)
Chivas USA was without seven players due to injury and suspension: Maykel Galindo (sports hernia surgery), Jesse Marsch (fractured jaw), Claudio Suárez (R hip strain), Carey Talley (L thigh strain), Raphaël Wicky (R ankle surgery), and Alex Zotinca (R knee surgery). Also out was defender Shavar Thomas, who was suspended due to yellow card accumulation.
Both Atiba Harris and Sacha Kljestan will miss the team’s next league match after picking up a yellow card in tonight’s game.
Chivas USA faces Tauro F.C. on Tuesday night at The Home Depot Center in the crucial second leg of the CONCACAF Champions League Preliminary Round. Tauro, of Panama, won 2-0 last Tuesday in Panama City, and Chivas USA will look to overturn the deficit in the total-goals home-and-home series. Parking for that match is free, and tickets can be purchased by calling 1-877-CHIVAS-1 or 1-213-480-3232, or by visiting http://www.ticketmaster.com/ or http://www.cdchivasusa.com/.
Next Saturday’s game at Toronto FC will take place at 4:00 p.m. ET (1:00 p.m. PT) and will be broadcast live on TeleFutura and FSN Prime Ticket, as well as W Radio 690 AM. Chivas USA will be without Sacha Kljestan, who will be with the U.S. National Team, and Shavar Thomas, who will also miss Tuesday’s match against Tauro while with the Jamaican National Team, both for World Cup qualifiers, as well as Atiba Harris due to yellow-card accumulation.

Este sábado en El Home Depot Center, Chivas USA se volverá a ver las caras ante el capitán guatemalteco Carlos “El Pescado” Ruiz y el capitán hondureño y ex jugador de Chivas USA, Amado “El Lobo” Guevara, con el Toronto F.C. en un choque crucial, ya que Chivas USA está ascendiendo en la tabla de posiciones. Después de lograr un empate a cero contra San José y subir hasta el cuarto puesto de la Conferencia Oeste, el Rebaño recibirá a Toronto, actualmente en sexta posición en la Conferencia Este. Será la primera vez que Guevara enfrente a Chivas USA desde que salió del equipo en 2007 y será la primera vez que Ruiz regresa a Los Ángeles después de que el Galaxy lo transfirió de equipo la semana pasada. El partido será dedicado a la “Noche de Niños” y los aficionados recibirán toallas gratis, cortesía de Gatorade, y la oportunidad de participar en una serie de actividades especiales durante todo el partido. Para boletos, favor de llamar a 1-877-CHIVAS-1 o visitar www.cdchivasusa.com.

This Saturday night at The Home Depot Center, Chivas USA will square off against Guatemala captain Carlos ‘El Pescado’ Ruiz and Honduras captain and former Chivas USA player Amado ‘El Lobo’ Guevara of Toronto FC in a crucial match, as the Red-and-White look to start moving up in the standings. After earning a 0-0 draw against San Jose this past Saturday, Chivas USA sits tied for fourth place in the Western Conference with a record of 6-9-6 (W-L-T) and 24 points, just three behind second-place Real Salt Lake. Toronto FC, meanwhile, has a 7-9-5 record, and is tied for sixth place in the Eastern Conference. Should they appear, it would be Guevara’s first game against Chivas USA after leaving the team in 2007, and Ruiz’s first since joining Toronto in a trade from the LA Galaxy last week. The game is also Chivas USA’s ‘Kids Day Out’, with fans receiving free Rally Towels courtesy of Gatorade, and chances to participate in a number of special activities throughout the game (information below). For tickets to the match, please call 1-877-CHIVAS-1, or visit www.cdchivasusa.com.

Chivas USA hará hoy su debut oficial fuera del país en una competencia internacional cuando se enfrente al Tauro F.C. en la Ronda Preliminar de la primera edición de la CONCACAF Liga de Campeones. El pitazo inicial será a las 7:00 p.m. hora local (5:00 p.m. Hora del Pacífico) y el encuentro será televisado en vivo por Galavisión (Diferido por Fox Soccer Channel a las 7:00 p.m. Hora del Pacífico). La CONCACAF Liga de Campeones figura a los mejores equipos de Norte, Centroamérica y el Caribe en busca de un cupo al Mundial de Clubes de la FIFA 2009. El ganador avanzará a la Fase de Grupos permitirá al ganador avanzar al Grupo D. Los otros equipos en ese grupo incluyen al Santos Laguna, Municipal de Guatemala, el ganador de la eliminatoria entre el Alajuelense de Costa Rica y los Islanders de Puerto Rico de la Primera División de la USL.

No ha parado de llover desde la noche del martes en la Ciudad de Panamá. Sin embargo, eso no ha detenido la fiebre que se vive por el encuentro. Los medios de comunicación han realizado una amplia cobertura desde la llegada de Chivas USA a Panamá.

El juego decisivo de la serie de ida y vuelta será el martes, 2 de septiembre, a las 7:00 p.m. Hora del Pacífico en El Home Depot Center. Los boletos comienzan a $15 y el estacionamiento es gratuito. Para boletos o más información, favor de llamar a 1-877-CHIVAS-1 o visitar www.cdchivasusa.com , el sitio oficial de Chivas USA.