Chivas has a goal: win MLS Cup
When Chivas USA made the playoffs last year, it was excited just to be there.
Its season ended at the hands of Houston in the first round a year ago, but the team took solace in the fact it had made it to the postseason.
That won’t be the case this year.
It’s the MLS Cup or bust for Chivas players.
“This whole group learned a lot from [last year’s] experience,” midfielder Jesse Marsch said. “The biggest reason we lost that series, I think, was because our . . . commitment to each other wasn’t right. And it wasn’t as much about soccer.
“This year’s different. There’s different personalities and there is a stronger commitment to each other. So I don’t expect to see major letdowns throughout the playoffs.”
Chivas opens its home-and-home, aggregate-goal series against the Kansas City Wizards tonight at Arrowhead Stadium. The second leg of the series will be next Saturday at the Home Depot Center.
“Last year the attitude was let’s make the playoffs and everyone will be happy,” said goalkeeper Brad Guzan. “Now it’s, we have to do something while we’re in it.”
There have been reports that English Premier League powerhouse Arsenal has been scouting Guzan. And he’s a big reason Chivas finds itself in the position it’s in. Guzan, the second overall pick in the 2005 draft, finished the season with 13 shutouts, second-most in MLS history behind Tony Meola’s 16 in 2000, when the Wizards won the MLS Cup.
One leader of that Wizards team was Chivas Coach Preki. The first-year coach, who won two league most-valuable-player awards with Kansas City, says it means very little that his first playoff game as a coach is against his former team.
“You have to be ready no matter who you are playing,” he said. “Old team, new team, it’s just a playoff series now.”
Of bigger concern for Preki is the team’s medical report: Marsch (groin), midfielder Francisco Mendoza (groin) and forwards Maykel Galindo (abdominal strain) and Ante Razov (knee) are injured.
Since Razov’s injury, Chivas has scored only one goal in the last three games. It had scored 45 in the team’s previous 27 games.
Chivas will also be without right back/defensive midfielder Lawson Vaughn, who was ejected in its season finale against Houston for a hard tackle from behind.
Marsch and Mendoza practiced Wednesday, and Galindo stretched from the sidelines.
“I’ll be OK, Maykel will wind up ready to play. You know, at this point of the year it takes something very significant to keep you out of these games,” Marsh said. “You want to make sure that you are on the field to help out in every way possible.”
TONIGHT
at Kansas City, 5 PDT, FSN Prime Ticket
Site -- Arrowhead Stadium.
Radio -- 1020 (Spanish).
Records -- Chivas 15-7-8, Kansas City 11-12-7.
Record vs. Wizards -- 1-1-0.
Update -- The teams split the season series with one win apiece at home. Chivas lost, 3-2, at Kansas City on June 29, although it was beaten on a goal in the 89th minute. In each game, Eddie Johnson, who had 15 goals this season and was the Wizards’ top scorer, was held scoreless.
