Summary Bayern beat Chivas in a friendly match at Red Bulll arena to launch Bundesliga champions' US tour.
NEW YORK (AFP) - Claudio Pizarro scored the only goal as Bayern Munich beat Chivas Guadalajara 1-0 on Thursday in a friendly match at Red Bull arena to launch the Bundesliga champions US tour.
Pep Guardiola s men controlled the majority of possession and took the lead in the 10th minute when Pizarro slotted home Franck Ribery s corner.
Pizarro nearly had two more goals in the first half, with Carlos Fierro getting Chivas best chance to equalize in the 81st minute, only for Bayern goalkeeper Tom Starke s save to preserve the winning margin.
A crowd of 25,073 fans turned out for the match at the home of Major League Soccer s New York Red Bulls in Harrison, New Jersey.
Bayern, who hadn t played a pre-season match in the United States since 2004, next heads across the country to Portland, Oregon, where they will take on a team of MLS All-Stars in the North American league s annual mid-season showcase on Wednesday.
It s all part of Bayern s bid to raise their profile in the United States, a move that other European clubs -- notably such English Premier League outfits as Manchester United, Manchester City and Liverpool -- have already made.
The club has opened a US office in Manhattan, and is launching a US website.
A majority of Bayern s German internationals -- including goalkeeper Manuel Neuer, Thomas Mueller and World Cup-winning goal-scorer Mario Goetze -- are still resting after their triumphant campaign in Brazil.
Nor did the sell-out crowd get to see 19-year-old German-American Julian Green, who scored as a substitute for the US in their 2-1 World Cup loss to Belgium.
Green only recently returned to training after picking up a minor knee injury and Guardiola opted to play it safe with the youngster.
But France s Ribery -- who missed the World Cup with a back injury -- looked sharp as he ably exploited Guadalajara s defense.
The Mexican side finally resorted to fouling him repeatedly, with both Jair Pereira and Jesus Sanchez Garcia receiving yellow cards after tangling with him.
After Guadalajara s Fernando Arce pulled a shot wide in the eighth minute, Bayern went ahead.
Ribery curled a corner toward the near post where Pizarro headed it home.
Ribery set up Pizarro again in the 24th, but the Peruvian s shot was wide.
Guadalajara s best chance to level the score came in the 81st when Fierro controlled a cross on his chest before slamming a shot from six yards out straight at Starke.
Bayern put the ball in the net once more in injury time, but Lucas Scholl s effort was ruled out for offside.
