You wouldn’t think at first glance that Chivas USA and the New England Revolution have anything significant in common. Different coasts, different weather, different playing surface, different fan bases, different size of stadium. I could keep going if you want.
But if you dig a little bit below ground level, you see a pair of teams that have seem to have trouble in the modern MLS, the one where David Beckham, Landon Donovan, and Robbie Keane are all playing for your cross-town rivals, which won MLS Cup last season. The one where it seems like everyone is signing people that have at least played in Europe, some of whom have succeeded there.
Chivas USA was formed in 2004 and began MLS play in 2005 as a second team who would draw upon the power of their Mexican big brothers, and even then, they learned competing in MLS was not as easy as throwing second-rate players who couldn’t cut it in the Mexican League out there. For my money, the 2005 Chivas USA squad is still the worst in league history.
To their credit, though, Chivas hired some coach named Bradley, got some decent players and made the playoffs in four straight seasons. But with the league transforming itself again, can Chivas keep up with the times with the shadow of the Galaxy getting bigger and bigger at the Home Depot Center? I’m not putting it past Robin Fraser, but I’m saying not this year:
18) CHIVAS USA
2011 standing: 8-14-12 (36 pts., 8th in West, 15th of 18 overall)
Coach: Robin Fraser (2nd season)
Attendance: 14,380 (13th of 18)
Best new signing:
Oswaldo Minda – Hey, it’s another defensive midfielder. Chivas USA does need one, however, especially with Simon Elliott gone, and Minda – a 28-year-old Ecuadorian who has 15 caps – appears to be the answer. Signings like Ryan Smith make it appear as if Fraser will make width a big priority this season, and they’ll need someone like Minda to patrol the middle and allow Nick LaBrocca to do his thing going forward. So far, Minda has said all the right things, but we’ll reserve judgment until a couple of months into the season.
Biggest loss
Marcos Mondaini – Unfortunately, Mondaini’s tenure will be remembered for his tackle on Javier Morales, which was not only ill-timed because it was late and reckless, but ill-timed because it came on the heels of Brian Mullan’s much worse one on Steve Zakuani weeks earlier. Mondaini could play, though, and he gave Chivas a spark when he was on the field last season, one that will be missed in 2012.
Key player:
Nick LaBrocca – He was joint leader (with Justin Braun) in goals and led Chivas in assists last season, and probably would have been in the MVP discussion if his team was able to capture a few more points. LaBrocca, basically a journeyman before last season, was one of the more entertaining players in MLS last season for those that noticed. But can he repeat that performance in 2012? Fraser appears to be building a lot of what he wants to do around LaBrocca, and that will heap plenty of pressure on the 27-year-old.
Random fact (s):
Chivas only had a -2 goal differential last season, partly because they did have a few games where they scored plenty. Juan Pablo Angel was somewhat quietly very effective, scoring seven goals in just nine games with Chivas. Of course, he was offside 12 times in those games, good for second on the team. Ah, Juan Pablo. Injury plagued Heath Pearce also quietly wasn’t so injury plagued last season, starting 29 of the 34 league games.
Bad news:
To me, the biggest questions are still in the back, where Dan Kennedy broke out as one of the best goalkeepers in MLS last season. The catch is, though, that he broke out partly because of his defense stunk, like my man Ali Al-Habsi with Wigan. They somewhat strangely let Zarek Valentin go to Montreal, and if Fraser chooses to put Heath Pearce back outside, could end up with a central defense of David Junior Lopes and Ante Jazic, and – with all due respect – I don’t see that ending well. James Riley will help, as will Minda, but I’m not real confident in the back. Up top, Angel is 36, and if he’s paired with Alejandro Moreno, it’s going to be tough to stretch defenses, as neither one is fleet of foot these days.
Good news:
Angel was on fire at the end of last season, and – as I said – Kennedy took care of any goalkeeping worries with his play in 2011. Chivas quietly sneaked in Ryan Smith, who has shown all kinds of potential to torture defenses from a wide position, and if he can turn that potential into goals, it could make Chivas an offensive force. Draft pick Casey Townsend out of Maryland could also be an offensive surprise. I liked the way Ben Zemanski played in 2011, and it will be interesting how Fraser tries to use him this season. Young Ecuadorian Miller Bolanos is an unknown, but at least gives Fraser another option. I do like Fraser, he understands the league.
Outlook:
In the end, there are just too many question marks in a loaded Western Conference to see Chivas USA making a big push this season. But with that many question marks at least comes hope that the Magic 8-Ball may come up with a positive answer for a lot of them. There are rumors that Fraser wants to go to a 4-2-3-1 type set-up with Minda and Peter Vagenas holding the fort. That will help the defense, but put a lot of pressure on guys like LaBrocca and Angel.
It’s up to Fraser to find the proper mix, and obviously he’s with a guy like David Junior Lopes a lot more than I am, but he looked like a train wreck last season in the middle of their defense, and that scares me immensely when trying to make picks on where teams are going to finish. I did say the same about Danny Califf last season, and he did OK for himself, so there is precedent for me being completely wrong. If Fraser can find a combination that works, Chivas could be a playoff squad. But there is plenty of stiff competition standing in the way in the Western Conference.
