Chivas USA travel to Philadelphia to take on the Union on Saturday (8 pm ET, Direct Kick/Matchday Live). The Goats are coming off a second consecutive loss, and their play of late has been rather uninspired. In the general trajectory of the season, Chivas have improved and look like they could challenge for the playoffs this season, but they seem to have come back to earth in recent weeks. Going to Philadelphia represents a chance to pick up vital points.
There are a couple of factors that may work in Chivas’ favor on Saturday. While their home and road splits are nearly identical, Chivas are playing marginally better on the road (only lost two road matches) and the team seems to feed off of the underdog status on the road. Furthermore, the Union are coming off a short break, as they played Wednesday at home and notched a 0-0 draw against Sporting Kansas City. Obviously, Union coach Piotr Nowak will rotate some of the squad for the match, but a short week may mean the Union are unable to prepare for the Chivas match as much as they would like to. Remember, New York complained about playing a midweek friendly against Montreal the week they played Chivas and blamed their loss on a lack of preparation. Perhaps a similar stroke of luck will be in store for Chivas?
Chivas will need to make defense a priority in this match. Although the Union attack is rather anemic and may not provide much pressure, it should be all the more reason for Chivas to prevent goals from Philadelphia. This is especially true if the Goats are able to take the lead. Conceding goals after building a lead has been a major problem for Chivas lately, so their ability to defend will be the cornerstone for a positive result.
Even though Chivas should focus on defense, it will likely be a challenge for them to score, and they need to work hard to create chances against a good Philadelphia defense. They have only conceded 12 goals on the season, which is second-best in the league, and is a rate of 0.8 a game. Needless to say, this is a defense that is difficult to unlock, and Chivas’ attack itself can be nonexistent at times. Clearly, Chivas cannot expect to waltz into PPL Park and lay 3 goals down on the Union. But the key to gaining points in this match will be to maintain a strong defense, and offense will have to be a secondary concern.
On the injury front, Chivas defender Jimmy Conrad is listed as doubtful and there is no indication he will return. Midfielder Ben Zemanski is listed as probable with a quad injury. For Philadelphia, midfielder Amobi Okugo and midfielder Gabriel Farfan are listed as questionable and Danny Mwanga is listed as probable. What is interesting this season has been how sparingly Mwanga has played. He has scored four goals and two assists, and started only about half of the games he has played in this season. For a player who seems to be one of the only offensive sparks for the Union, it is a bit curious as to why he is not an automatic selection to the starting line-up.
This match has the potential to be a bore 0-0 draw. While I don’t want to watch a dull match, and would not wish it upon anybody, frankly it would be very much preferable to another loss. Chivas is not a perfect team, but neither is Philadelphia, and the Goats have another good opportunity to right the ship with this match.
Image courtesy of Juan Miranda / Chivas USA
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