LA Galaxy vs. Chivas USA: 6 Things We Learned

Another night, another defeat marred by gong-show football comedy from Bruce Arena's Los Angeles Galaxy, who lost 1-0 to Robin Fraser's Chivas USA thanks to a 71st minute penalty kick by Jose Correa.

With the result, the Galaxy drop to 3-6-2 (11 points) and have an uphill battle to climb before they can get into the thick of the MLS Western Conference chase.

Here are six things We Learned from Saturday's 1-0 defeat to the Goats at the Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif.

1. David Lopes...the Goat That Helped the Goats

It's ironic that David Junior Lopes was a former Chivas USA player. But this former Goat became the goat (as in, scapegoat) for the Los Angeles Galaxy thanks to an unforgivable handball in the 70th minute that essentially sealed the fate of the Galaxy.

Lopes was given a red card and Los Angeles were forced to play a man down for the remainder of the game.

2. Lack of Star Power Affects LA Once Again

Los Angeles, to begin with, were coming into the match as an understrength side. Robbie Keane had Euro 2012 obligations, and David Beckham was in Europe to take part in a torch relay.

Without Keane and Beckham starting, Los Angeles were forced to rely heavily on Landon Donovan, but his chemistry with Mike Magee was lacking and it changed the dynamics of the match significantly.

3. The End of a Losing Streak for Chivas

For six straight matches, Chivas USA were unable to solve the Los Angeles Galaxy. On Saturday, however, that all changed.

With the acquisitions of Juan Agudelo and Danny Califf, the new-look Chivas USA took the first step towards becoming a contender for the Western Conference race with a victory over the defending league champions.

4. Goats Dominate the Stats vs. City Rivals

The all-LA matchup was all Chivas USA. The Goats earned more open-play crosses (22 to 14), and had better passing accuracy (81 percent to 74 percent) and possession (52.6 percent to 47.4 percent).

Despite conceding more duels (28 to 40), Chivas were able to utilize their defense and benefit from poor finishing from the Galaxy starting XI.

5. Beckham's Substitution Has Little Payoff, If Any

David Beckham's late entrance in the 74th minute of play did little to change the outcome of the contest. Not only were Los Angeles a man down, but they were a goal down.

Any set pieces Beckham had in store for the Chivas defense were either wasted or cleared. Ineffective substitution, although it was not his worst of the season (see New York).

6. San Jose Are on Track to Get Right Against LA, Too

The Galaxy's defeat to Chivas USA plays right into the hands of the high-flying San Jose Earthquakes.

In spite of drawing 1-1 with the Columbus Crew, they have performed much better this season and could potentially run over the Galaxy by the first half on Wednesday.

A preview of the contest will be posted later this week on Bleacher Report and the View from Victoria Street.