• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers

Chivas USA salvage 1-1 draw with Wizards in chippy game

May 24, 2009 - 4:10 AM KANSAS CITY, Kan. (STATS) - When an already tight match turned confrontational, the Kansas City Wizards found themselves hanging on short-handed against the team with the best record in MLS.

Kansas City finished with nine men after the ejections of forward Josh Wolff in the 68th minute and midfielder Santiago Hirsig in the 83rd, but managed to preserve a 1-1 draw against Chivas USA on Saturday night.

"I have a disciplined team. I've always had a disciplined team," Wizards coach Curt Onalfo said. "If you'd have told me before this game that we'd have two red cards, I'd have told you you were crazy."

The controversy overshadowed the goals - Claudio Lopez's long free kick for Kansas City in the 56th minute and second-half sub Eduardo Lillingston's 64th-minute equalizer.

Chivas USA (7-1-3) couldn't pick up its first win in five trips to Kansas City (4-4-3) but broke a string of four straight losses here.

"You're disappointed you didn't get the victory, but coming back and making sure you get a point on the road is always important," said midfielder Sasha Victorine, a halftime sub who assisted on Lillingston's goal.

Onalfo acknowledged his own team's effort in preserving the tie, but added: "We'll take the point, but we're not happy about it."

Onalfo stopped short of criticizing referee Jasen Anno, who issued Wolff a straight red card for lowering his head into the head of Mariano Trujillo after being fouled hard from behind by the Chivas USA defender.

"I'm not going to get into that," Onalfo said. "I can't afford to, in every sense of the word."

Wolff, the Wizards' leading scorer with six goals this season, was less diplomatic, sarcastically calling the red card "another outstanding job by the officials."

He said Trujillo "came through the back of my knee. I didn't like it, and I let him know about it. We both had something to say about it. ? In my heart of hearts, I didn't go and head-butt him."

Wolff will serve at least a one-match suspension for the ejection.

Trujillo, who drew a yellow card for the foul on Wolff, said there was definite head-to-head contact.

"It's just part of the game," Trujillo said. "He didn't handle it well."

Kansas City's Jack Jewsbury was also cautioned for dissent after Wolff's ejection. Hirsig was sent off after drawing his second yellow for a foul on Victorine.There were eight cards issued Saturday night, six of them against the Wizards.

Lopez's goal came after a foul charged to Paulo Nagamura. Jewsbury started a run at the ball, but Lopez stepped in ahead of Jewsbury and fired a left-footed blast over keeper Zach Thornton from 28 yards.

Lillingston replaced Chukwudi Chijindu in the 58th minute and got the tying goal 6 minutes later, taking a pass from Victorine another sub and beating Wizards goalkeeper Kevin Hartman from 6 yards.

Victorine was a halftime sub for Chivas USA, replacing Sacha Kljestan. Kljestan has a mild left ankle strain, the team said.

---=

Story from: STATS LLC, http://www.stats.com.