Chivas USA experienced some success at home in recent weeks, but their road woes continued Saturday night in a blowout 5-1 loss to the Houston Dynamo.
The Goats have not won a match away from the StubHub Center since a March 24 win over the Chicago Fire, which adds up to a winless streak of 13 games. By contrast, the Rojiblancos have grabbed 11 points from their previous six matches at home.
They were momentarily revitalized Saturday early in the second half when Eric Avila scored the equalizer, but the Dynamo answered with four of their own to complete the rout.
"The game was tough," Avila told reporters afterward. "It's always hard to play here. The thing is, we held our own in the first half. Obviously, they're very good at set pieces, but we didn't come in here expecting it to be like this."
The five goals were the most Chivas USA have surrendered in a game this season. They allowed four twice in a three-game span in May.
"For me, this is the worst game in all my games at Chivas USA," head coach José Luis "Guero" Real told reporters. "But only the second half. The first half, in my opinion, Chivas did a good game."
Houston held a 10-2 advantage in on-target shots and a 16-7 edge in attempts on goal. Chivas USA were overwhelmed in their defensive third for much of the second half as the Dynamo ambushed a beleaguered backline that saw Bobby Burling depart at halftime.
"It seemed like we were a bit outnumbered," goalkeeper Dan Kennedy told reporters. "They just continued to threaten us and that just can't happen.
"Obviously, in those games when some subs are made and you're chasing the game a bit, spaces open up more. In this league, particularly in away matches, this is what could happen. It never feels like a 5-1 deficit. It feels like we were in that game for 65 minutes. We're disappointed, but you've got to give Houston a little bit of credit."
