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Chivas USA beats Earthquakes

Apr 25, 2010 - 5:30 AM CARSON, Calif.(AP) -- Justin Braun and Chukwudi Chijindu scored in the second half to give Chivas USA a 3-2 victory over the San Jose Earthquakes on Saturday night.

Sacha Kljestan also scored for Chivas USA (2-3). Chris Wondolowski and Steven Beitashour scored for the Earthquakes (2-2).

Braun broke a 1-1 tie in the 54th minute. Mariano Trujillo crossed the ball from the right edge of the penalty area to Braun, who headed it in from 7 yards.

"It gave us life," Chivas USA coach Martin Vasquez said. "It gave us reassurance. We just have to be patient. If we panic, it's not a good sign."

Chivas USA goalkeeper Zach Thornton kept the Earthquakes from tying the score in the 72nd minute with a diving one-handed save on Ryan Johnson's 13-yard header.

Chijindu used a 21-yard shot to make it 3-1 in the 87th minute. Beitashour's sliding 23-yard shot ended the scoring in second-half stoppage time.

"We're a young team," Earthquakes defender Jason Hernandez said. "We got spread out a lot during the second half, which opened up a lot of space for Sacha and different guys in the midfield to make plays."

Kljestan gave Chivas USA a 1-0 lead in the 25th minute with a 24-yard shot inside the right post. Wondolowski tied it on a penalty kick in the 41st minute.