With International duty calling players from leagues around the world, my boys from Newcastle, Celtic, and Chivas de Guadalajara all took the weekend off from their domestic battles. Fear not, though, dear soccer fans. One brave top flight soccer league decided to rage on. The MLS saw their teams battling second week tests with many players off to represent their native lands, and that is part of the reason Chivas looked somwhat lost in their 0-1 defeat at the hands of the champs from Colorado.
We've spoken at length about how Umaña, Valentin, Moreno, and Boyens were all off for International play. This led Robin Fraser to plug holes by shifting Ben Zemanski to the back line and slot Michael Lahoud into the midfield. He also had to shift Victor Estupiñán into the starting eleven, at forward, with Alejandro Moreno gone as well. The result? Well, the back line looked like they didn't have good communication going, again. The midfield looked to have met their match against the Rapids middies, and the forwards failed to make any big advances when given space. Chivas had just 2 shots on goal in the match, and only one had a serious chance of crossing the goal line.
And despite all the communication problems and all the passivity on offense, I feel encouraged. We played the champs in week two of a rebuilding year (if the front office will admit it, or not), and we only lost 0-1. And, the goal came when we were shorthanded. Blair Gavin stretched for a ball, re-injured his hamstring, and fell to the pitch in the 28th. It's really bad news for Gavin, who showed so much promise prior to this injury when it occurred last year. Before Mariano Trujillo could get onto the pitch to replace Gavin, the ten man Chivas side gave up the golden goal to the Rapids.
I don't know how you can fault them on the goal. Zach Thornton charged Amarikwa, and the Rapids' attacker chipped it over Thornton to make for an easy netter. I guess you can say that ZTB should have held his ground and stayed back between the pipes, but he made his choice and it just didn't work out. We were down a man, end of story. The real issue with this game is the lack of offensive aggression. At times, Colorado gave Chivas all kind of room. We had multiple free kick and set piece chances. And yet, we never connected. Every set piece ended with a kick that was too short, sent right to the maroon shirted defenders. We've got to get better at those kicks, my goodness.
We dominated possession, looked flashy at times while getting into the right side of the field, but we just couldn't make it happen when it mattered most. Marcos Mondaini, who showed tons of promise in the opener against Sporting, was like a ghost out there. He was marked all night, and failed to make a difference. SLC native Justin Braun had the best chance of the night, as his shot was deflected into the crossbar by the Rapids' keeper. Estupiñán had moments where he looked like something special, but the 23 year old Ecuadorian didn't show that killer instinct that we're looking for. He talked a big game in the preseason, and now he's going to need to back it up.
Let's look at how Robin Fraser used his men, and how it worked out. I know he uses that wacky formation of his, but I'm going to group the 11 as I see fit:
G- Zach Thornton: The former student of Tony Meola did a serviceable job stopping three shots on goal. Even though it's not his fault, you'd have to wonder if Fraser is considering a switch to get this team going.
D- Jimmy Conrad, Ante Jaziç (Tristan Bowen 76), Heath Pearce, and Ben Zemanski: The back line looked lost again, and it's kind of a joke to say that it's because of International duty, really. Three of our four backline guys were in there, and Zemanski is a really good player (isn't everyone who went to Akron?). But, like I said, I think the defense actually did well. Well enough to get a win, if the offense would have scored, at least. We're all waiting for Van Nuys homeschooler Tristan Bowen to make his mark on this team. Will his offensive abilities help us find our "team image?" We'll have to wait and see.
M- Nick LaBrocca, Francisco Mendoza, Blair Gavin (Mariano Trujillo 32), and Marcos Mondaini: If Blair Gavin wouldn't have pulled up lame with the hammy, we may be telling a totally different tale today. Out of this group, LaBrocca definitely did the most to make me think more of him. After he came over via the Alex Gordon deal, I started off on the wrong foot in my relationsip with him as a fan. I really grew to like Flash, but the way Nick played in this game showed me that I'm probably going to like the Rutgers alumn a lot as well.
F- Justin Braun and Victor Estupiñán: VE was playing the main forward role, while Braunie played sort of a forward playing middie position. After seeing the first two weeks of the season, I'm starting to question this whole 4-1-4-1 formation that Fraser has brought to town. Wouldn't it have made more sense to send Braun and Estupiñán up together, making it clear which player should be rushing up from the midfield, and who should be hanging back? I'm not sure the players are even too sure at this point.
According to my "FIFA Standings" app on my cell phone, Chivas USA are 0-2-0 with a -2 goal differential. We are one of just two teams without a single point through two weeks of MLS play, the other being the Timbers, who sit at -4 in the goal differential category. Robin Fraser keeps saying that this team needs to find their image, find what kind of team they are going to be like. Fraser is a defensive minded coach, and he's always been of the mindset that good positioning and good formation can help a team overcome a superior team. Well, the defense may need more time, and the Rojiblancos may require a little more time getting used to his formation, but time is running out. It's early, but we're running out of time to "find our image."
If we are ever going to find our image, our best chance to do so may be tonight. We open US Open Cup qualifying play against the aforementioned Portland Timbers, and this non-league game is more important than most people realize. With the Timbers' home field still being worked on, the game is going to be played at the University of Portland, which is Heath Pearce's alma mater. Hopefully he can make a big impact for his homecoming. Super Kiwi Andrew Boyens will also be back with the squad to help out the backline. Just remember, neither of these teams have a result this season, and even though this match isn't a league match, the result tonight will go a long way to lead the winning team to greater success in MLS play. And, if we happen to b the team that gets the win, it'll put us on a nice roll heading into Saturday morning's task against the iffy Toronto FC.
Time to get to roster guessing for tonight's game in Portlandia:
G- Zach Thornton: Although, this could be a time when Dan Kennedy or Sergio Arias may see action since ZTB played just three days ago.
D- Jimmy Conrad, Ante Jaziç, Heath Pearce, and Andrew Boyens: Big game for Pearce, but the defense is still not the "normal" crew, with Valentin still off. Boyens' addition needs to solidify this back line, and Conrad needs to take control and bolster this squad like the captain he is.
M- Ben Zemanski, Nick LaBrocca, Francisco Mendoza, and Marcos Mondaini: I wish Gavin was feeling alright, but since he's still hampered by his hammy, Panchito will try and provide the help. This midline is the key to the win against Portland tonight. Zemanski, LaBrocca, and Mondaini are going to be huge. I don't think the Timbers have the stuff to stop Marcos, and that has me excited.
F- Justin Braun and Victor Estupiñán: I really believe that if Braun and #99 get sloted up front together, and get some time to gel, they could do big things. We've also got Tristan Bowen waiting to come in later in the game. With the young talent that we have at the forward slot on this squad, we have to get aggressive, and take some risks.
Tonight's game against Portland is being streamed live on Chivas' website, so I hope you can all find time to put it on alongside the Freeway Series clash tonight.
-- Sent from my Palm Prē
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