In front of just over 5,000 fans at Robertson Stadium, a mix of regulars and reserves had Houston in the lead 6 minutes in when Lovel Palmer scored. Chivas USA needed 65 minutes to get that goal back, with Jesus Padilla equalizing in the 71st. Though Houston outshot Chivas USA 16 to 6, they only put 4 of those on frame to Chivas USA's 3. Both teams started backup keepers, with Tally Hall in goal for Houston and Dan Kennedy replacing Zach Thornton for Chivas USA.
In the second game of the doubleheader, Puebla beat Pachuca 3-1. Gabriel Pereyra opened the scoring for Puebla in the 25th. With Pachuca playing a man down after Dario Cvitanich was sent off, Puebla's Mario Ortiz took advantage scoring in the 67th and 75th minutes. Pachuca got a shorthanded goal from Franco Arizala in the 80th. Jose Francisco Torres and Herculez Gomez started for Pachuca.
The loss means Pachuca's SuperLiga campaign is over with a game left to play. Puebla are now top of Group A with six points and have advanced to the semifinal round. Houston are in second with 4 points and Chivas USA are 3rd with 1. Houston plays Puebla on Wednesday at Robertson Stadium with Chivas USA hosting Pachuca at the Home Depot Center. Chivas USA would need a win and a Houston loss that overcomes a goal differential that currently stands at -1 for Chivas USA and +1 for Houston.
"It's not a bad result for us tonight," Chivas USA midfielder Rodolfo Espinoza said. "We would have liked to get a victory, but a win against Pachuca on Wednesday will give us a decent chance of going through to the knockout stages of the tournament. The team moved the ball well and I think a draw is a fair result."
