Chivas Look to Regroup Against Red Bulls

After a nightmare 1-0 loss to Real Salt Lake last week, Chivas USA will try and rebound against New York Red Bulls (Sunday, 7 pm ET, Galavision). Ideally, it would have been better to not have to play the three best teams in the league three consecutive weeks (they play the LA Galaxy next week), but these are, as they say, the cards Chivas was dealt. In addition, it will be interesting to see how the Goats bounce back from the double-red card performance last week and the events surrounding Marcos Mondaini’s tackle on Real Salt Lake’s Javier Morales. If you haven’t heard, Mondaini’s tackle broke Morales’ ankle, and Morales underwent surgery this week and will likely not feature for the rest of the season. Meanwhile, the league’s disciplinary committee leveled a four-game suspension to Mondaini (1 game standard for red card offenses plus 3 additional games), which led to a great deal of debate among pundits and fans around the league. Admittedly, I expected the suspension to be longer, but the matter is essentially closed for now, and most importantly, Chivas need to move on and give this game against New York their undivided attention.

After a slow start, the Red Bulls have clicked over the past several weeks, and played a terrific game last week in Los Angeles against the Galaxy, where the teams deadlocked in a 1-1 draw. Thierry Henry now has four goals this season, and scored a beautiful goal against the Galaxy, followed by a celebration full of swagger. He is really playing up to his level and Chivas will need to keep an eye on him at all times. But if Henry is not firing, New York have Luke Rodgers and Juan Agudelo to step in the breach, not to mention midfielders Dwayne de Rosario, Joel Lindpere and Jan Gunnar Solli to feature in the attack. Meanwhile in the back, Tim Ream has really come into his own, as he singlehandedly preserved the point last week by clearing Landon Donovan’s shot off the line.

Needless to say, NYRB is stacked from top to bottom. Chivas will need to have a game plan for this match similar to the one I outlined last week for RSL: keep a strong defensive front, pick their spots and counter-attack when they can. There are a couple of weak spots for New York, mostly confined to the back. Roy Miller can be overcome by energy on the wing, which can be an attack point for Chivas if they have an opportunity. Goalkeeper Bouna Coundoul has been playing pretty well of late, but he is the kind of ‘keeper who is prone to making mistakes, so Chivas would be wise to take a couple of long shots to see if he has fallen asleep or drifted off his line.

Above all, Chivas need to take a lesson from the last game and not get caught on the back foot. Defender Andrew Boyens looked to be out of place, and only lasted 25 minutes after two clumsy challenges, and Chivas looked to lack composure until Mondaini’s tackle cast a shadow over the rest of the match. In addition to Mondaini’s absence, Boyens will be out on Sunday, and Michael Lahoud, out since the match against Vancouver with a concussion, has been cleared to return and will probably play right back. Meanwhile, I would expect Justin Braun, who has played a substitute’s role for the past several games, to start with Mondaini out. Academy product Gerson Mayen may also get a nod, either starting or replacing Braun as the first attacker off the bench. Defender Jimmy Conrad is still out with post-concussion symptoms, and news on his progress has stopped entirely, so he may not be back for quite a long time. Meanwhile, Midfielders Blair Gavin and Paulo Nagamura and Forward Tristan Bowen are still out. NYRB have no reported injuries or suspensions for this match. For the Goats, a result will be a challenge, but they need to regroup and return to the play that made them effective in April.

(image courtesy of Juan Miranda/Chivas USA)