It feels longer than it was but, finally, the MLS season is back! The lengthy and fairly disappointing preseason is now over for Chivas USA and the first game of the season is finally upon us. The Goats start the new campaign this Sunday against last year’s MLS Cup Finalists Houston Dynamo in what will be a tough game at The Home Depot Center. As ‘FirstKick’ draws near then it’s time to look at Chivas USA’s chances of starting 2012 with a win.
A busy and hugely important preseason schedule unfortunately saw The Goats struggle to obtain victories in almost a dozen scrimmages and exhibition games. It was, however, the beginning of what is only Robin Fraser’s second year in charge and one that would signal an array of changes to the side we saw last year. It was a chance to bring in some new faces and new ideas in order to strengthen a team which missed out on the 2011 playoffs. Thankfully, the side has been improved and is now better equipped to make another attempt at finally reaching the playoffs again.
To begin the season against a team like Houston Dynamo is always going to be difficult. The disappointment among the players and fans of losing to LA Galaxy in last year’s final will only whet their appetite for more success this year. Undoubtedly, they will strive for the top spot in the Eastern Conference once again. Chivas USA, on the other hand, may not be as likely to finish the year as Western Conference Champions but they will definitely feel that a playoff place is an attainable prize.
Admittedly, I haven’t seen many other teams in preseason other than the ones causing Chivas USA problems but Houston look to have done well to begin with. With that in mind, Chivas USA’s defense will have to be switched on this coming Sunday. Players such as Brian Ching, Brad Davis and Will Bruin give the Dynamo a strong attacking force and the new back four for The Goats will have a good test for their first competitive game together. Last year saw an inability to focus and lapses in concentration cost Chivas dearly and this was addressed in preseason. The defense has had some more muscle and experience added to it in the form of John Valencia and cover from midfield has also been improved. It will be interesting therefore, and no doubt nervy, to see how they cope.
Switching to the attack of Chivas USA, the focus is definitely on that of striker Juan Pablo Angel. After a short spell in 2011 which saw him score 7 goals in 9 games, he is now in his first full season with the Rojiblancos. The veteran Colombian at 36 years old still has a lot to offer in front of goal and Chivas USA will be hoping he can carry last year’s from into the opening game. However, the Dynamo defense has a lot of quality and experience and will be confident they can deal with whatever Chivas USA throw at them.
The midfield battle between the two sides will be interesting as I feel this is where The Rojiblancos are strongest. Fraser has made some quality additions to the midfield such as Balonos, Vagenas and Minda and I am looking forward to seeing how they perform. He certainly has a lot of options in this department and it will be interesting to see how the team lines up.
Chivas USA will hopefully benefit from having home advantage in this tie and a good turn out from the fans might inspire them to a good start. I am glad that after the results in preseason the players start at The Home Depot Center. A home win (or draw) could be invaluable for the rest of the season and build confidence within the team and the supporters. Houston Dynamo, on the other hand, has a challenging start to the season. Not because they face Chivas USA in their opening game but because they have a 7 match road trip to start their season. Every team prefers to play at home but Houston will be looking to set the standard for this road trip and also their entire season. As a result, I would imagine they will be fired up for this game.
There are no easy games this year in the MLS so, to be honest, it wouldn’t have mattered to me too much who Chivas USA faced first this season. I am actually kind of glad that it happens to be against one of the stronger sides in the league. (They are the defending Eastern Conference Champions after all). It gives Robin Fraser’s men the opportunity to start the season on a high and give the supporters something to be excited about and also a chance to redeem themselves after the 5-0 drubbing from San Jose. Of course you have to do the usual and consider things like…it’s only the first game of the season, it’s against last year’s finalists and the team has undergone a lot of changes. These, however, were excuses for last year and now is the time for Chivas USA to start making the Home Depot Center a difficult place to go to for opposing teams.
FEAR THE GOAT!
(image courtesy of cdchivasusa.com)
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