Newly healthy Chivas USA takes on FC Dallas

An own goal ended Chivas USA’s three-match unbeaten streak against the Houston Dynamo on June 11. FC Dallas’ eight-match unbeaten streak disappeared with a 4-1 loss to Sporting Kansas City last Sunday.

The two teams looked to return to form Saturday night at the Home Depot Center.

The time for Chivas to play well has reached now-or-never status. For the first week in a long while, the injury report listed only one name — defender Jimmy Conrad, who is working his way back from a concussion.

“We’re definitely getting to be the healthiest we’ve been,” Coach Robin Fraser said.

Two players returning to the lineup — midfielder Paulo Nagamura (calf injury) and forward Marcos Mondaini (four-game suspension) — have sparked Chivas’ offense in the last two weeks. The two returned to the starting lineup June 4 against Portland, and Nagamura assisted on Mondaini’s game-winning goal. Still not back to peak fitness, Nagamura played 82 minutes against the Timbers and tired in the waning moments against the Dynamo.

“I struggled a bit in the last minutes, but it felt good,” Nagamura said. “Hopefully this weekend I’ll be better than last weekend.”

Meanwhile, Mondaini returned from his suspension with two goals in two games, adding Chivas’ sole score against Houston.

“He’s a great professional,” Fraser said. “He obviously sat for a long time, and you have to give him credit. He kept himself focused, and he kept himself in great shape and made sure that when he had an opportunity, he’d take advantage of it.”

With the returns to the lineup, Fraser has a chance to tinker with his rotation, looking for the perfect balance that could lead to another unbeaten streak.

“There are times when we’ve seen a number of guys play a number of different positions here,” Fraser said. “It’s just a luxury we have, having decent players who can move around.

“It’s really the optimum environment to bring out the best in the team.”

Fraser has used this week to tinker with more than the Chivas lineup, using an unorthodox training technique Wednesday: the beach.

“Certain times of the year, you need to do things where you get away from the game,” he said. “We have the luxury of being in L.A., so when we want to get away from the game, we have a great avenue to do so.”

douglas.farmer@latimes.com

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