The Goat Parade - All Posts

Once a Goat: Brad Guzan and Sacha Kljestan finish European club seasons on a high note

2013-05-20T20:57:29Z

Former Chivas USA players Brad Guzan and Sacha Kljestan have both ended relatively successful campaigns in Europe over the weekend.

In his first season consistently starting between the sticks in the Premier League, Brad Guzan helped Aston Villa remain in the EPL after a very difficult season. Guzan was deemed the team's Player of the Year in their annual awards. He has been called up for the USMNT, and will likely be used as Tim Howard's backup. Guzan started for the USMNT in the team's March fixtures when Tim Howard was sidelined with a back injury, picking up two clean sheets, one in a blizzard in Colorado and one at Estadio Azteca. While Aston Villa's season was fairly disastrous, it would have been a lot worse without the skill and play of Guzan, who finally had a breakout year in England.

Meanwhile, Sacha Kljestan and RSCA Anderlecht won their second consecutive Belgian Jupiler League title this past weekend. In a 1-1 draw against Zulte Waregem, Kljestan missed a chance to score in the 77th minute, but the team's draw was enough to secure the title. This ensures that Kljestan and Anderlecht will make another appearance in the 2013-14 UEFA Champions League. Kljestan made 40 league appearances this season, making him a regular in Anderlecht's lineup. He scored 3 goals and had 8 assists across all competitions. He also scored a goal in the Champions League, where he featured in 9 matches for Anderlecht. He was also named to the USMNT roster for the May and June matches.

Congrats to both Brad and Sacha on their respective accomplishments this season!

What do you think? Leave a comment below!

MLS Reserve League: Chivas USA beats Real Salt Lake 3-2 in league opener

2013-05-20T20:33:27Z

Chivas USA opened their MLS Reserve League campaign Monday, two months after some teams, and with some teams in the league playing as many as six Reserve League games to this point. At any rate, Chivas played Real Salt Lake's reserves, and won 3-2 at the HDC complex.

Carlos Alvarez opened the scoring for the Goats with a tally in the 8th minute. Hopefully, the two-game suspension gave him some time to rest and refresh, and he'll be raring to go in the first team match Saturday. They followed that up with a goal by newest Goat Gabriel Farfan, in the 22nd minute, and Jose Manuel Rivera gave Chivas a commanding 3-0 lead in the 28th minute.

RSL tried to make their way back in the game in the second half, and nearly succeeded, as David Viana failed to convert a penalty in the 53rd minute, but followed up Patrick McLain's save with a tap-in.

Chivas then had a PK of their own, in the 76th minute, but Giovani Casillas' attempt was saved by Josh Saunders, keeping the score to 3-1. RSL then narrowed the margin, as Abdoulie Mansally notched a goal in the 91st minute, but it wasn't enough, as Chivas was able to hang on for the win.

Chivas USA starting lineup: Patrick McLain; Mario de Luna, Carlos Borja, Josue Soto, Cesar Zamora; Marvin Iraheta, Carlos Alvarez, Laurent Courtois, Gabriel Farfan; Adonis Amaya, Jose Manuel Rivera

~~I'm not sure who Zamora is, I'll have to wait and see if the club mentions him~~. Zamora is a former Chivas USA Academy player and will apparently be part of the U-23 team that's being organized. Amaya is a current member of the Chivas USA Academy, playing this season for the U-16 team, and set up Alvarez's goal in the game.

Former Chivas Academy player Omar Elmasri, who has bounced around in Mexico and MLS the past few years, replaced Farfan to start the second half. Former Chivas Academy player Eric Gonzalez, currently at UC Riverside, replaced Amaya in the 62nd minute. Casillas evidently entered the match ~~at some point, but no word of when and for whom. There may have been other subs as well, so we'll update this as we find out more~~. in the 69th minute, replacing Zamora.

It's nice to see a win for the Goats, although it's tempered with the very tough losses for the first team as of late. Hopefully, if nothing else, the reserves can get some traction, and get some confidence to take with them to the first team in competitive matches.

What do you think? Leave a comment below!

Chivas USA defender Steve Purdy selected by El Salvador ahead of Venezuela friendly

2013-05-20T19:39:07Z

Chivas USA have announced that defender Steve Purdy has been called up to El Salvador's national team ahead of a friendly against Venezuela this week. The friendly, to be held in Venezuela on Wednesday, is being touted as a prep match for the upcoming Gold Cup tournament, scheduled to take place in July in the United States.

El Salvador are no longer involved in CONCACAF World Cup qualifying this cycle, as they failed to reach the hexagonal, but with the Gold Cup ahead, they will have meaningful games this summer. Purdy played in the 2011 Gold Cup for la selecta, featuring in the quarterfinal against Panama. He currently sits on 11 caps, and may get more, not only in this friendly but during the tournament.

Purdy started for Chivas last night in their 4-1 loss to Real Salt Lake. He has made three appearances for the Goats so far, all starts, including starting the last two matches. With this friendly, he won't miss extended time for his club, as he is scheduled to be back with Chivas in time for Saturday's game against the Colorado Rapids.

Congrats to Steve on the call-up!

What do you think? Leave a comment below!

Juan Agudelo says he was traded because of Chivas USA's "money troubles"

2013-05-20T16:23:13Z

I listen to a lot of podcasts, and nearly all of them are soccer podcasts (thus revealing the depths of my soccer nerddom), and sometimes I get a backlog and have to listen to shows late. I bring this up because I was getting around to listening to the MLSsoccer.com's ExtraTime Radio episodes, and heard a pretty interesting interview with former Chivas USA forward Juan Agudelo from last Monday's episode.

Agudelo discusses his time at Chivas and the situation surrounding the trade, fairly candidly. Among other points, he gushes about Chelís, not in the standard "enthusiasm" most athletes express towards their coach regardless of their feelings, but in a way that appears to be quite genuine. He also says at one point that he was happy at Chivas.

But the key quote to me is the one concerning the circumstances of the trade itself. Although Agudelo had previously stated the likely cause of his trade to the New England Revolution was because he was not willing to re-sign with Chivas USA, he adds an additional detail (and quite a kicker):

I think it was mainly due to the fact that they realized my lack of interest to re-sign with Chivas a few weeks before the trade went down. And I just thought a business decision, and I think it was a decision they needed to make because they were having money troubles (emphasis added).

Hmm...more evidence that Chivas USA is being run on the cheap, seemingly because of "money troubles." By now, it is pretty obvious that the team is not receiving a competitive amount of investment from the owners, and the stasis that the team appeared to be in prior to Jorge Vergara and Angelica Fuentes taking over has only gotten worse. What a great feeling.

To add a new wrinkle to the story, we have a pretty good sense of just how much Allocation money Chivas got in the trade. Last night, during the broadcast of the Chivas USA-Real Salt Lake match, RSL color commentator Brian Dunseth noted during the broadcast that Chivas got the absolute minimum in Allocation money permitted by MLS in the deal, which Zac Rigg notes in his article on Goal.com today to be $75,000. So Chivas dumped Agudelo's guaranteed compensation of $175,000, and got a not-so-cool $75,000 back, which they likely then moved on straight away.

Of course, Chivas USA did finally trade for a player last week, and arguably gave up way too much (a 1st round SuperDraft pick and Allocation money) for him, but one trade does not erase the growing perception, aided by the words of a recently departed player, that this team simply does not have enough money being put into it.

The interview (available on the website and on iTunes) begins at about the 29:00 mark, and concludes at about the 39:45 point, if you are interested in listening to the whole thing.

What do you think? Leave a comment below!

Deja vu again and again: Chivas USA 1, Real Salt Lake 4

2013-05-20T06:07:47Z

Hey, remember that one month when Chivas USA were good in the last nine or so? That one month is long gone by now, as the Goats crashed and burned once more, this time 4-1 to Real Salt Lake at home. Although RSL took the lead by the 4th minute and never relinquished it, Chivas remained in the match until the 78th minute, when the visitors capped the win with a pair of late goals.

As I said, Chivas gave up an early lead, an unfortunate problem that haunted them during their sustained slide at the end of last season. To me, it looked like Bobby Burling could have intercepted a through ball, but he watched it go by and Ned Grabavoy latched onto it while making a run through the Goats' high line, and slotted past Dan Kennedy easily to make it 1-0 four minutes in. The game went to halftime with that score, with RSL in control, although Chivas did get some decent chances in the first half, most notably from Miller Bolanos (making his first start in far too long) and Jose Correa.

RSL doubled their lead in the 48th minute, when Joao Plata made a quick counter on a deflected header from Kyle Beckerman and raced down to beat Kennedy. Despite the 2-0 scoreline, Chivas woke up for a stretch, and were rewarded for their attacking intent with their first goal since they were last at home April 27, when a nice cross by Edgar Mejia was somewhat luckily headed in by Jorge Villafana, who was at least in the right place at the right time, in the 55th minute. Correa almost evened up the score a minute later, but Nick Rimando was up to the task and made the save.

Chivas continued to battle, but they were pulled apart twice more. The first came in the 78th minute, when Robbie Findley, who had been remarkably wasteful prior to that point after coming off the bench, poked in a cross from Yordany Alvarez to stretch the lead to 3-1, followed up by Grabavoy getting his second of the game in the 91st minute on a run remarkably similar to that of his first goal on the night, to finish the score at 4-1.

With that, let's go through some of the talking points of the match:

Talent or tactics? Even as the game was still happening, fans and neutrals were arguing about whether the bigger problem with Chivas now is their talent on the field or the tactics used by Chelís. Clearly, this is territory that needs to be mined in greater detail, but word coming out of the press conference following the game was that the coach even made some admissions that the players aren't good enough:

Chelis: "We don't have the weapons to win."
— Zac Lee Rigg (@zacrigg) May 20, 2013

Incredible Chelis press conference. Spent most of it misty eyed admitting the players at Chivas USA aren't good enough.
— Zac Lee Rigg (@zacrigg) May 20, 2013

I'm sure we'll be hearing more about this press conference tonight and over the next couple days, and I think I'll be writing more about this separately during the week. But judging from immediate responses, the recent results, plus Chelís' most recent comments, indicate the honeymoon is over for the Puebla man and many of the team's fans.

Attack was substantially better: Chivas had six shots on goal, to RSL's eight, and while the visitors were far more efficient in converting their chances, the renewed intent was a good sign on what ended up being a bad night. In particular, Miller Bolaños wasn't quite at his best, but he looked as good as he has all season during the competitive matches, and getting him more minutes should be a priority. In addition, Correa looked at his best all season, and while he forced two saves from Rimando, he looks like he's getting closer to getting that first goal this season. Eric Avila was dynamic in the first half, and while he was quiet in the second, Villafaña and sub Giovani Casillas looked very good in the second half on the left. In a strange way, this was their best performance in a losing effort, perhaps all season, despite the scoreline. I can't tell if Chivas just matches up (relatively) well against RSL, before of course falling apart in the end, or if they can only bother to even halfway get up for a match once a month or so. Either way, that's not great, but in a strange way, I feel better about this team, especially on the offensive side.

Admit it, we're back in 2012: Last season, Robin Fraser insisted on a possession-based game, with variations of 4-4-2 or 4-2-3-1. Although the defense started out well, they became a sieve late in the season, and that coupled with the inability to score anything close to a goal a game meant that the team hit the skids the final three months of the season. This season, the defense started out well enough, but Chelís dropped the possession game, has played a 3-5-2 most of the time, and scored often in the season. Now, the team can't score, and the defense is leaking goals. They are winless in their last six, earning just one point in that span. Like last season, they have dropped like a rock to the bottom of the standings. What's worse, last season, Chivas had 13 points through their first 11 games. Through the first 11 games this year? Just 11 points (h/t to ELAC for that stat). That ain't good.

We've seen in MLS that even very good teams can go through bad stretches in a season and come out the other side fine. That's not assured in this situation. The coach may be different, the majority of the players may be different, the tactics and formation may be different, but that early fight that served the Goats so well in March looks to be flickering away every week. At least in 2012, they saved the atrocious for the very end. Is it possible that we could be facing another five months of putrid results?

Vergara sighting? No. I thought Chivas USA owner Jorge Vergara would show up to the game since he was in town promoting Omnilife, but Zac Rigg tweeted the following:

Correction: Jorge Vergara was scheduled to attend the RSL game but had not arrived at the final whistle.
— Zac Lee Rigg (@zacrigg) May 20, 2013

Whoops. Man, this owner just gives off the impression he really cares, huh? /sarcasm

Looking ahead: Chivas travel again for a Saturday game against the Colorado Rapids. They lost to them last time out, and Colorado looks to be doing what Chivas cannot: have sufficient depth to surprise just about everybody for a sustained period. Should be interesting.

What do you think? Leave a comment below!

Gamethread: Chivas USA Vs. Real Salt Lake, 5/19/13

2013-05-20T01:59:03Z

It's game time! Chivas USA host Real Salt Lake at the HDC this evening (7:30 pm PT, MLS Live/You can get tickets still, trust me). Chivas is coming off yet another tough loss, while RSL is coming off a tough loss of their own, although they were thoroughly in the game they dropped, a thrilling 3-2 last-second win for the Montreal Impact. Chivas last game? Eh, no need to rehash what happened there.

If you missed it, be sure to check out the match preview from this morning.

I'll be on here doing my typical basic play-by-play and commentary in the comments section. Feel free to jump in the discussion as well - truly, the more people, the better.

Without further ado, here are the lineups...

Chivas USA starting lineup: Dan Kennedy; Steve Purdy, Joaquin Velazquez, Bobby Burling; Martin Ponce, Edgar Mejia, Eric Avila, Jorge Villafana, Walter Vilchez; Miller Bolanos, Jose Correa

Chivas bench: Patrick McLain, Jose Manuel Rivera, Josue Soto, Gabriel Farfan, Giovani Casillas, Carlos Borja, Marvin Iraheta

Real Salt Lake starting lineup: Nick Rimando; Chris Wingert, Nat Borchers, Carlos Salcedo, Tony Beltran; Ned Grabavoy, Kyle Beckerman, Javier Morales, Luis Gil; Joao Plata, Devon Sandoval

RSL bench: Josh Saunders, Chris Schuler, Yordany Alvarez, Lovel Palmer, Robbie Findley, Khari Stephenson, Sebastian Velasquez

Arriba las Chivas!

Return Trip: Chivas USA hosts Real Salt Lake

2013-05-20T00:56:42Z

Your source for coverage of Chivas USA's match against RSL.

So you may have heard about some news that was supposed to drop this week, and that didn't happen, and besides that and a trade this week, you may have forgotten that Chivas USA actually has a game to play! The Goats are facing their first repeat opponent of the season in Real Salt Lake on Sunday (7:30 pm PT, MLS Live/tickets unquestionably available), who they lost to 1-0 on the road April 20. That loss came during a rough stretch for Chivas that hasn't yet subsided, as they have only earned one point since that loss. In contrast, RSL has two wins and two losses, so they haven't been flying, but obviously six points is better than one.

Chivas USA owner Jorge Vergara is in LA, as he's making an appearance on behalf of Omnilife Sunday. Will he be at the HDC for the match? Possibly, although I bet he probably won't be mingling with the fans for this one.

Let's preview this game!

Tale of the Tape:

Chivas USA: 11 points (3-5-2), 9th in Western Conference, 16th place overall; Goal Difference: -6 (12/18); Last five matches: L-L-D-L-L

Real Salt Lake: 17 points (5-5-2), 4th in Western Conference, 9th place overall; Goal Difference: 0 (13/13); Last five matches: L-W-W-L-W

Key Match-up: Chivas offense vs. the world

Will the defense have a tough game? Most likely. Does RSL have a more talented and deeper team than Chivas? Certainly looks like it. But I remain convinced that until the Chivas attack can get going with any proficiency, this team has little chance of stopping the winless slide. Oswaldo Minda is currently listed as "questionable" on the injury report, and although he isn't known for his attacking chops, if he can actually get back in the lineup, then he may take pressure off the defense and allow central midfield partner Edgar Mejia to play more of a distributive role. And while Carlos Alvarez will be out once again after getting a regular place in the starting lineup and that could hurt the attack, there should be plenty of reason to see other guys step up.

With the remaining forwards still struggling to score, the key may be for the midfield (and perhaps the defense, if Mejia can be on point in his set piece distribution) to step up. We know that Eric Avila and Jorge Villafana have at times been the best attacking players in certain games, and if they can mix up the crosses and taking on defenders, that could provide a spark. Will new Goat Gabriel Farfan see time? I think it's probably a guarantee, and I think he'll probably play in midfield, especially with Chivas' 3-man defense. Does he really have attacking chops, or is he more of a destroyer? I'd really hope the move has unshackled him to get in on the attack, but we'll have to see. And there's newcomer Martin Ponce, who basically had Chivas' best chance of the game last week in the Portland loss after he came off the bench. Can he really do the different things Chelís was talking about when Chivas introduced him?

That's a lot of questions, and if Chivas go down 3-0 early, the attacking component may be moot. But still, the attack has been in shambles lately, and this team needs to get that going immediately. Let's hope this game begins that turnaround.

Why Chivas will win this match: I'm not going to lie, this latest stretch, plus the trades and uncertainty surrounding the entire club doesn't give me much optimism for this game. That said, I still don't think RSL are as powerful as they have been the last few seasons, and if (a big if) Chivas are able to get their act together, they can take their opponents. And despite the loss to Salt Lake earlier this season, Chivas played quite well through a long stretch of that match, they just couldn't get any good chances. Again, if the defense can remain strong, but more importantly, if the attack can take some of the pressure off the defense and score, then a win is certainly possible. And this is MLS - any team has a chance any given matchday.

Why RSL will win this match: They've been killing Chivas in the HDC the last few years, so I'm sure they're feeling pretty confident. And I'm sure they don't want Chelís to steal the spotlight, and Jason Kreis and company want to continue putting the new guy in MLS in his place. Besides that, even though key forward Alvaro Saborio will be out, their young strikers Olmes Garcia and Devon Sandoval have played quite well in recent weeks and have to be considered legitimate goal threats. Javier Morales played very well against Chivas last month, and I'm sure he always has extra motivation against Chivas after his career was sidetracked so long following his injury in 2011. They are the favorites, even on the road, and if they can outplay Chivas, they should have no issue getting a win.

Why this match will end in a draw: These teams can battle, and they occasionally play to grinding stalemates. Add in the fact that these teams do seem to rack up red cards on a fairly frequent basis, and if the referee gets card-happy, then we could certainly see some ejections. Besides that, Chivas could dig deep and really put in a (figuratively) fighting performance, especially to refocus the discussion following all the rumors dogging the club. I'm not sure I think a draw is a likely result, so that means call up your (fictional) MLS bookie and put your cash down for that result.

Notable absences:

Chivas: Mario de Luna (suspended), Carlos Alvarez (suspended), Daniel Antunez (knee), Tim Melia (back), Tristan Bowen (hamstring - listed as questionable), Jose Correa (quad - listed as questionable), Oswaldo Minda (quad - listed as questionable)

RSL: Kwame Watson-Siriboe (suspended), Alvaro Saborio (quad), Olmes Garcia (adductor - listed as questionable), Robbie Findley (knee - listed as questionable), Nat Borchers (flu - listed as questionable)

Preview: Chivas USA vs. Real Salt Lake, May 19, 2013

2013-05-19T13:00:08Z

Let's preview this game!

Tale of the Tape:

Chivas USA: 11 points (3-5-2), 9th in Western Conference, 16th place overall; Goal Difference: -6 (12/18); Last five matches: L-L-D-L-L

Real Salt Lake: 17 points (5-5-2), 4th in Western Conference, 9th place overall; Goal Difference: 0 (13/13); Last five matches: L-W-W-L-W

Key Match-up: Chivas offense vs. the world

Notable absences: