“Surprise or no surprise, Chivas USA exists” – Chelís.
Prior to the opening game of the season, and even after it, nobody would have predicted the month Chivas USA were about to have. The headlines were all doom and gloom and Chivas USA were quite rightly labeled as the team that would really struggle this year again. However in four short weeks, as surprising as it may sound, Chivas USA have overcome a convincing opening day loss and gone on a run of results that have dumbfounded their critics. Their madness in March ended on Saturday with another 3 points against the Vancouver Whitecaps and another injection of confidence.
Chivas now have ten points from five games in March. After defeat to the Crew on the first day of the season, they now have victories over FC Dallas, Chicago Fire and a draw from the LA Galaxy game. This culminated with a 2-1 victory over Vancouver at the weekend that left the Goats in 2nd place in the Western Conference and leading the MLS scoring chart with 10 goals.
It might only be a 2 game winning streak but it is a streak nonetheless and in just one month we have almost accrued half the points of our entire 2012 season. This has obviously led to widespread surprise and Chivas USA are now being touted as a serious contender for the playoffs already. But is it because Chelís has built a strong roster of committed players? Or is it just because the opposition has been poor and guilty of underestimating the Goats? Chelís answered the latter with the above quote. Chivas USA exists, whichever way you look at it, and they are picking up deserved points.
All eyes are now on the Goats and this makes every game a huge test for them now. Its uncharted territory after 2012 and it is important that, like Saturday against Vancouver, they pick up points at home and make the HDC not just a fortress but a fun place to go to again. The players have started to do this and Vancouver Whitecaps found this out at the weekend.
I often joke about how a first half at the Home Depot Center is pointless for home viewing as you are likely to witness forty-five minutes of cagey, scoreless football. It was to my surprise on Saturday then when 12mins in Chivas USA found the back of the net and took a surprise early lead. A Carlos Alvarez cross-turned-shot
deflected in off the covering Vancouver midfielder Davidson and left Goalkeeper Joe Cannon helpless.
Fans quite rightly were nervous. We all know what this team is capable of, but the Home Depot Center feels to have something of a curse about it. Luck on the side of Chivas USA is not common. Luck was not needed though, as Eric Avila gave Chivas USA another goal of the week contender with a stunning volley in the 55th
minute to make it 2-0.
Vancouver was not content with Chivas claiming a shutout however and Kenny Miller sent in a header from a rebound in the 64th minute to make it interesting. The ex-Rangers striker made it 2-1 with more than enough time for Chivas to blow a surprising 2-0 lead at home. Despite their dominance they failed to make it count and Chivas USA won their second straight game and gave their fans another value for money match at the HDC.
This was by no means straightforward for Chivas USA. Vancouver controlled the game with 52% possession and 22 attempts on goal, and for long periods of the game they were in danger of throwing away valuable points similar to 2012. But once again, this is the “New Era” Chivas USA and it was another hard fought victory. They showed strength in character to hold onto the lead when memories of last season were still rife among the stands.
At a similar stage of the season last year, post-game press conferences were all focused on the club having “a lot of work to do” and “room for improvement”. This is true for this season as well. However, the difference is that not only have results been improved upon but so has the atmosphere that surrounds the club.
Chelís and his class of 2013 are matching the passion in the stands and supplying us with the type of soccer we were promised: passionate, hard-fought and entertaining. This passion is evident on the field, on the sideline, in the stands and behind the scenes. There is a lot of work to be done of course, but they are at least living up to their promises. March was a terrific month for the club, and it will be hard to match that in April. However, no matter what the outcome, we at least know we will give a good account of ourselves and continue to keep the name Chivas USA in the headlines.
(image courtesy of Chivas Guadalajara)
