Can Chivas Get Result Against ‘Quakes?

Chivas USA have quietly racked up a three-game unbeaten streak, and their scoreless draw in Vancouver last week demonstrated a consistently good defense so far this season. That streak and plaudits for the defense will be put to the test on Saturday against the Earthquakes in San Jose (4 pm ET, TeleFutura). The Earthquakes have been an inconsistent team of late, as they lost to the suddenly hot New York Red Bulls last weekend 3-0, but feature a dangerous attack headlined by Chris Wondolowski. While Wondo was the focal point of the team’s offense last season and into the beginning of this season, Bobby Convey has distributed the ball well and Tottenham loanee Simon Dawkins has also gotten on the scoresheet for the Earthquakes.

As has been the case for most games this season, Chivas fans have to ask: is this the week the goals start coming? While the defense has clicked for the Goats despite the injury troubles on the backline, a consistent attack is the biggest hole for the team. Chivas cannot hope to exist on scoreless draws forever, and now is the time for players to step up and really establish themselves on the offensive end. In particular, longtime MLS veteran Alejandro Moreno, who scored the last Chivas goal (which by my calculations was 268 minutes ago), needs to provide a steadying presence on the pitch. Additionally, the duo of Marcos Mondaini and Nick LaBrocca played much better on the attack against the Whitecaps, but they will need to step up those efforts as San Jose has a stronger defense than Vancouver. It is unclear if Justin Braun will feature in San Jose, as he was an unused substitute last week, but some reports noted he was dealing with a groin problem. He was not listed on the early week injury report, so his status is currently up in the air.

Chivas are still missing forward Tristan Bowen with an ankle problem, midfielder Blair Gavin with a bad hamstring, and midfielder Paulo Nagamura, who returned last week off the bench, may have re-aggravated the calf injury that kept him out at the beginning of the season. He is currently listed as probable on the early week report, so he may get a substitute run-out again this week. Defender Jimmy Conrad is making progress after suffering a concussion in Week 2 against Colorado and hopes to be back in the lineup next week against New England, while defender Michael Lahoud suffered a concussion in Vancouver and is going through the MLS protocol for concussions and it is unclear when he will return. For San Jose, midfielder Joey Gjertsen is out, and new addition Steven Lenhart is listed as questionable after knee surgery, so he may be close to making his team debut.

Although it is a road game for Chivas, they need to take heart from the fact that they are only 2 points behind the Earthquakes in the Western Conference standings, and a win would see them leapfrog San Jose and move off the bottom of the table. With a steady defensive performance and a well-timed goal or two, Chivas can finally get the elusive win to restart their season, and perhaps even surprise a few people. It will not be easy, but it is possible.

(image courtesy of Getty Images)