On May 3rd Chivas USA were thrashed at home 4-0 by the Houston Dynamo. It was a terrible result that broke the silence of some of the more optimistic supporters…including me. Chivas hadn’t won since opening day and the positivity of a new era under Cabrera was beginning to fade. There is certainly nothing like a heavy home defeat to inspire you to slate the team on social media.
All the optimism and “let’s just have some fun” comments were replaced by genuine frustration and anger because, even in our final season, we weren’t putting up much of a fight. A record of L-T-L-L-L with 3 goals scored was not what we expected in our final fling in MLS. We might still have a team to support next year, but not under this name and maybe not with these colors. The Rojiblancos have one last season to achieve what nobody expects and go out with a bang. But it was again becoming all too familiar for those of us actually left in the Stub Hub.
Then, in true Chivas USA fashion, they do something that surprises us all. From two road games, The Goats scored four goals and picked up four valuable points. An added bonus to this was the fact that Cubo Torres only had to score one of those goals. The downside to this turnaround in form was of course that they couldn’t do this in front of their own supporters.
Winning 3-1 at Colorado and tying 1-1 with FC Dallas was more than any Chivas fan could hope for after the Dynamo defeat. Those four points have lifted us above both the Timbers and Galaxy in the Western Conference and within 5 points of the playoffs. Nevertheless, there is always another downside. The Galaxy has two games in hand and the Timbers have not found their form yet, which they inevitably will. This is likely to leave us in our familiar spot in the Western Conference. There is no point in dwelling on that now though especially not after two great results.
Chivas USA have gone two road games undefeated and return to California to face Portland and Philadelphia. So what now? Are the Goats turning the corner? It’s hard to tell how this is all going to pan out to be honest. I started the year with so much optimism but I instead find myself looking to next season already. As much as I love Chivas USA and want to enjoy this last year, so far it has been disappointing. All I can think of is the impending sale and rebranding of the club. Who will be the new owners? What will the team be called?
It is a continuous nightmare as the list of unanswered questions goes on. It is deflecting my attention away from what brought me here in the first place, the soccer. However, simply put, when we go to the stadium we are not entertained. With not much chance of making the cross-country trip to see the road games, can Chivas bring this form home for the next two games? With attendance dwindling to embarrassing levels the next two games could shape our season and perhaps even dissuade potential owners. If Chivas can keep this run going they could boost attendance and climb the table. If they are punished at home again though, we will be asking why MLS didn’t give us more road games.
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