On the heels of the 1-1 midweek draw against Vancouver, Chivas USA host the Portland Timbers at the Home Depot Center on Saturday (10:30 ET, Direct Kick/Matchday Live). This will be the first ever meeting between the two clubs in MLS play, although they met in March in U.S. Open Cup play in Portland and the Timbers won. Chivas will be hoping the Timbers are haunted by their last visit to the HDC, as they lost 3-0 to the Galaxy. They have struggled on the road overall this season, and have not won yet away from home. Chivas will try to not become their first victim in that respect.
Chivas have had two consecutive draws, and are seeking to return to the run in April when they won three out of four matches. Their bad habit in the last two games has been to take a lead and then give up an equalizer, and it is something that has happened four times in the last 180 minutes. Following each match, Coach Robin Fraser and the players have emphasized the necessity of maintaining a lead for the Goats, and if they are to win matches, they need to be able to hold on. I think Chivas should still feel confident in facing Portland, but I also think most observers would have considered Vancouver to be the weaker of the two expansion sides and considering Chivas couldn’t put the Whitecaps away must demonstrate some apprehension looking ahead for Saturday’s match.
Although he will be back from international duty with New Zealand, midfielder Simon Elliott will be a welcome return to the squad. Considering his age it isn’t certain he will start, but I think the lack of composure in midfield in keeping possession against Vancouver in Elliott’s absence demonstrates his importance for Chivas, and I think if it is at possible, Elliott should be playing. On the offensive end, it seems like the key is midfielder Nick LaBrocca. At this point in the season it seems like when LaBrocca is on form, the team is on form. Besides LaBrocca, I would expect Jorge Flores will be back in the starting lineup for this match after serving a one-game suspension following his red card in Columbus. On the backline, it is unclear if Michael Umaña will start his second consecutive match or if Michael Lahoud will get the start, after playing 30 minutes on Wednesday. Other question marks for Chivas will be if youngsters Gerson Mayen and Chris Cortez and veteran Francisco Mendoza start again, and if Paulo Nagamura is fit enough to play again this week and perhaps start the match. Forward Tristan Bowen may also see some time off the bench as he is coming back from a long-term ankle injury. For Portland, the injury report lists notable midfielder Jack Jewsbury and rookie midfielder Darlington Nagbe as probable with groin problems. My guess is that Jewsbury will play if he is fit enough as he has been key to the Timbers’ success, while Nagbe may be held out unless he is close to full fitness.
Above all, Chivas need to really push for a victory against Portland. If they win, they will catch up with the Timbers in the Western Conference standings and exorcise some of the demons they have acquired recently. Their midfield needs to keep possession, they need to link up with the forward line, to hold their composure in defense and new players and established starters need to gel as a unit on the fly. It may not exactly be a must-win game, but it will sure be close for the Rojiblancos.
(image courtesy of Juan Miranda/Chivas USA)
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