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Kljestan's two goals lift Chivas past Toronto

Aug 23, 2009 - 3:23 PM By LUIS BUENO STATS MLS Writer

CARSON, Calif. (STATS) ??? Sacha Kljestan broke out of a season-long slump in impressive fashion.

Kljestan scored goals in each half and Chivas USA beat Toronto FC 2-0 on Saturday.

"I felt confident. I felt like the game was moving at my speed," he said. "I was dictating the game when I had the ball."

Despite missing goalkeeper Zach Thornton due to a right quadriceps injury, Chivas (10-7-3) moved within two points of rival Los Angeles for second place in the Western Conference. Those clubs square off next Saturday.

Kljestan, a regular with the U.S. national team before the MLS season began, has seen his playing time with the U.S. drop dramatically due to his poor club performance. He had scored a combined nine goals in the last two seasons but entered Saturday without one this year.

That changed in the 32nd minute. Following a Chivas corner kick, Jesse Marsch found the ball on the left side of the penalty area and crossed to Maykel Galindo, who headed a shot on goal. The ball bounced toward Kljestan, who easily knocked it across the goal line.

In the 51st minute, Kljestan took a pass from Maicon Santos and dribbled into the penalty area before beating Toronto goalkeeper Stefan Frei to the far post.

Kljestan admitted he had been in short supply of confidence heading into this game, and feels he still has plenty of work to do to completely turn around his season.

"I feel good, but I'm not satisfied yet. We have a long way to go," Kljestan said. "I hope to get on a good streak here with not only myself but with the team as well. Two wins in a row is good for us so we hope to build on this."

Santos and Jesus Padilla made their Chivas USA debuts, having joined the club earlier in the week on loan from Latin American clubs. Padilla, a native of San Jose, Calif., joined the team from sister club Chivas Guadalajara while Santos came from Brazilian club Bonsucesso.

Toronto (8-8-6) fell to 1-5-3 on the road since winning its season opener at Kansas City.

"It just felt like we really didn't have anything anywhere," forward Chad Barrett said.

Toronto FC finished with 13 shots but had none on goal. That made for an easy night for Chivas backup goalkeeper Lance Parker, who had played one regular-season match entering the weekend until getting the start in place of Thornton.

"None of them were efficient shots. None of them were on target," said Toronto defender Marvell Wynne, who pushed a 77th-minute opportunity well over the goal. "I don't know what to say to that."

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