Justin Braun

KANSAS CITY, Kan. — Chivas USA ended its MLS winless streak at seven games by defeating the Kansas City Wizards, 2-0, on Saturday night. Justin Braun scored twice in the second half, his fifth and sixth goals of the season, as Kansas City gave up two more soft goals in a season that has been defined by defensive mistakes. Chivas improved to 3-9-3 with the victory, and the Wizards dropped to 3-8-3 and are 1-8-3 since starting the season with two consecutive victories. Braun gave Chivas the lead after a botched clearance from Jimmy Conrad.

Goalkeeper Dan Kennedy of Chivas USA was named Major League Soccer's player of the week after shutting out Toronto FC on Saturday in a 1-0 win. Kennedy made four saves, including a crucial stop in the 89th minute when he frustrated Danny Koevermans from close range, giving Chivas its second consecutive road victory. Kennedy also leads the league with 23 saves on the season, and Saturday's shutout was his second of the year. The player of the week award was the first for Kennedy and the first by a Chivas USA player since Justin Braun won in May 2011.

Chivas USA forward Justin Braun made it look so easy Saturday night. With a touch here, a tap there, and a slide to finish it all off, the striker snapped his team's five-game losing streak to the Houston Dynamo with casual grace and a grin. Behind his three goals, Chivas picked up three critical points with a 3-0 victory over the Dynamo to send the team confidently into a five-game road trip after the All-Star break. "We're excited about not only the result, but the way we were able to play tonight," Coach Robin Fraser said.

Juan Pablo Angel scored twice as Chivas USA defeated Toronto FC, 3-0, Saturday night. Justin Braun also scored for Chivas (8-12-11), which moved four points behind New York for the final spot in the MLS playoffs. Angel put Chivas ahead in the 12th minute and Braun made it 2-0 in the 71st. Angel then sealed the win with his second score, in the 77th minute. Angel has scored five goals in three games and has six since moving to Chivas USA from the Galaxy in a trade Aug. 17. Chivas notched its first win in seven matches and snapped a two-game Toronto streak.

. -- Justin Braun's first goal of the season was all the help Zach Thornton needed for his league-leading fifth shutout, and Chivas USA beat the San Jose Earthquakes, 1-0, Saturday night. Thornton made six saves and Chivas (6-1-1) took a six-point lead in the Western Conference. With Thornton in net for all of the games, Chivas has given up only three goals. Braun scored in the 53rd minute after Jonathan Bornstein sent a high cross from the left sideline into the Earthquakes' penalty area.

The prospect of spending a Sunday evening watching the two worst teams in Major League Soccer was not an enticing one. As luck would have it, though, the fans who showed up at the Home Depot Center — including U.S. national team Coach Bob Bradley and assistants Zak Abdel and Jesse Marsch — were in for a surprise. Playing in a much brighter and livelier manner than the Galaxy had in a 2-0 loss to Kansas City the night before, Chivas USA edged D.C. United, 1-0, on a first-half goal by forward Justin Braun.

Chivas USA Coach Martin Vasquez, chatting before Saturday night's game, mentioned how his young players were beginning to come through for the team. A couple of hours later, his faith in them turned out to be fully justified. First-half goals by 23-year-old Justin Braun and 21-year-old Blair Gavin and a second-half strike by 22-year-old Carlos Borja earned Chivas USA only its fifth victory of the Major League Soccer season, 3-1 over the Columbus Crew at the Home Depot Center.

Promoting a "push for the playoffs" would seem to be a far-fetched notion with few games left in the regular season and still fewer victories in the bank. Not for Chivas USA, though. Major League Soccer's fifth-worst team in terms of wins and losses still fancies itself as a playoff contender, and after its 2-0 shutout of the New England Revolution in Carson on Friday night, who is to argue? The victory, on first-half goals by Justin Braun and Paulo Nagamura, improved Chivas to 7-12-4 in 2010, good enough to escape last place in the Western Conference by leapfrogging the idle Houston Dynamo and sufficient to keep the team's playoff hopes flickering faintly.

CHIVAS USA TONIGHT AT CHICAGO When: 5:30 PDT. Where: Toyota Park, Bridgeview, Ill. On the air: TV: Ch. 56, 22; Radio: 690. Records: Chivas USA 2-3-0, Fire 2-2-1. Record vs. Fire (2009): 0-2-0. Update: A close but comprehensive 3-2 victory over the San Jose Earthquakes in which Chivas USA played attractive attacking soccer has lifted Chivas USA player spirits. "Guys stuck together and we played as a team out there," forward Justin Braun said. Coach Martin Vasquez has raised the team's quota of Costa Rican players to three with the acquisition of midfielder/forward Jose Macotelo, 24, from Puntarenas of the Costa Rican league.

Update: Chivas faces Puebla F.C. in its first of three games in the yearly SuperLiga tournament that brings together four Major League Soccer teams and four Mexican First Division soccer clubs. Chivas signed playmaking Mexican midfielder Rodolfo Espinoza, who is eligible to play tonight. Chivas striker Justin Braun, who scored twice in the team's 2-0 win over Kansas City on Saturday, was named MLS player of the week. CHIVAS USA TONIGHT VS. Puebla F.C. When: 7:30 p.m. Where: Home Depot Center.

CHIVAS USA TONIGHT at Dallas When: 4 PDT. Where: Pizza Hut Park, Frisco, Texas. On the air: TV: Galavision; Radio: 690. Records: Chivas USA 6-7-8; FC Dallas 11-5-6. Record vs. Dallas: 0-1-0. Update: A five-match unbeaten streak has launched Chivas USA into the playoff discussion. Currently, Chivas sits 10th in the league, good for the final postseason slot. Facing Dallas to begin a five-game road stretch, every point Chivas can find will be crucial.

Chivas USA forward Justin Braun made it look so easy Saturday night. With a touch here, a tap there, and a slide to finish it all off, the striker snapped his team's five-game losing streak to the Houston Dynamo with casual grace and a grin. Behind his three goals, Chivas picked up three critical points with a 3-0 victory over the Dynamo to send the team confidently into a five-game road trip after the All-Star break. "We're excited about not only the result, but the way we were able to play tonight," Coach Robin Fraser said.

"Carmageddon" did nothing to stop Chivas USA fans from descending on Carson on Saturday night. By the time the teams hit the field at 7:30 p.m., most of the hysterical buildup had given way to the reality of mostly empty roads. Add free vuvuzelas and a special early entrance time to Chivas Town, and a sizeable crowd of around 14,000 showed up at the Home Depot Center eager to see the east's top team. So it was too bad the game provided so little excitement. Though both teams got their chances, Chivas and the New York Red Bulls mustered a 0-0 tie and only four total shots on goal, failing to reward fans who traveled against all recommendations.

After more than an hour of eyelid-closing soccer, Chivas USA woke up a Wednesday night crowd with two goals in 20 minutes. Chivas midfielder Ben Zemanski provided the first alarm, and before the 9,425 at the Home Depot Center could hit the snooze button too many times, midfielder Nick LaBrocca added another goal to seal a 2-0 victory over the San Jose Earthquakes. "There have been times when we've played better than we did tonight and come away with nothing to show for it," Chivas Coach Robin Fraser said.

The team with the heftier payroll got the victory. The team with the star names got the goal. But to say that the Galaxy's 1-0 win over Chivas USA at a sold-out Home Depot Center on Saturday night proved that it is clearly the superior soccer team in Los Angeles would be a bit of an exaggeration. Yes, Chad Barrett's headed goal off a David Beckham free kick was the difference, and the Galaxy did maintain possession a little better and carve out a few more scoring opportunities, but Chivas was neither outplayed nor outclassed.

When it comes to midfielders who make a difference, Chivas USA Coach Robin Fraser could only wish he had a player such as the New England Revolution's Shalrie Joseph. Fortunately, Fraser does have a midfielder who recently made a very big difference, scoring the goal that gave Chivas its first victory of the Major League Soccer season and Fraser his first win as an MLS head coach. That would be Mariano Trujillo, the Mexican midfielder who last weekend bundled home the rebound of a shot by teammate Justin Braun as Chivas upended the San Jose Earthquakes, 2-1. It wasn't the prettiest of goals, as Fraser admitted ahead of Saturday night's match against New England in Carson.

Up in the Home Depot Center press box Saturday night, someone from the stadium's catering staff was intently watching the Ducks and the Kings on television. Why? Because down on the field, Chivas USA and the Columbus Crew were playing a game of such crashing boredom that even hockey seemed preferable to the soccer on offer. For 45 agonizing minutes, absolutely nothing happened. The ball and 22 players moved around the field, but even the patterns they created were dull.