By Clemente Lisi – NEW YORK, NY (May 16, 2011) US Soccer Players – Rebuilding a team is no easy task. Just ask Chivas USA coach Robin Fraser. A former National Team defender, Fraser is in his first year as a head coach and learning the hard way that trying to turn a team around takes more than just a few months.
“I think the guys are starting to show that they can play with some of the best teams in this League,” said the always-smiling Fraser. “It takes awhile for players to see where they fit on a team and what their roles are.”
Fraser sounds like a broken record of optimism every time a tape recorder or microphone is shoved in front of him. Over the past two months, Fraser has tried to instill a winning attitude in his players. The outcome has worked so far. Although the team has shown glimpses of greatness, it still remains a work-in-progress.
After starting April with the worst record in Major League Soccer, the Goats ended the month on a high note with a 3-0 victory over the New England Revolution. That win was key as Chivas USA entered this month with a tough stretch of games that included MLS Cup contenders Real Salt Lake, the Red Bulls, Los Angeles Galaxy and Columbus Crew. After losing to RSL 1-0 and defeating the New York Red Bulls 3-2 following a Justin Braun hat trick, Chivas USA are 3-3-3 after getting off to a 0-2-3 start. The Goats play the Galaxy this coming Saturday in the much-anticipated SuperClasico.
There was a time when Chivas was also an MLS Cup contender. When Chivas USA played in its first-ever MLS season back in 2005, expectations were high. The club – owned by Jorge Vergara of Mexican club CD Guadalajara – failed to make the playoffs that year, but was able to reach the postseason every fall between 2006 and 2009. In 2007, Chivas won the Supporters Shield thanks to striker Maykel Galindo’s 12 goals, only to lose to the Kansas City Wizards in the first round of the playoffs.
Last year, the Goats finished last in the Western Conference under coach Martin Vazquez, who was dumped at the end of the season after the team went 8-18-4. In January, Fraser, who had worked as an assistant under Jason Kreis at Real Salt Lake, replaced Vazquez. During the offseason, Chivas USA also added defenders Andrew Boyens (from the Red Bulls) and Jimmy Conrad (from Sporting Kansas City) to its lineup in a bid to tighten a backline that had conceded 45 goals in 2010. Boyens missed the game against New York following a red card the previous week against RSL and Conrad, who had suffered a concussion against the Colorado Rapids in March, has been sidelined for much of the season.
Despite the excitement surrounding Fraser’s hiring, the Rojiblancos went 0-2-3 in its first five games, putting them in the Western Conference cellar as the only team in the League that had failed to win a game. The team did finally win its first game during a Week 6 encounter with the San Jose Earthquakes, rallying from a 1-0 deficit to grab a 2-1 road win. Although the victory ended a drought that stretched back eight matches (including the last three games of last season), goals have been scarce. Statistics tell part of the story. Offensively, not one player is on the leader board in any offensive categories, including assists and shots taken. Chivas had only scored eight goals all season going into the New York game.
“It is something we have been working on,” Fraser said of being more aggressive in the attacking third.
A setback that didn’t appear to hurt them this weekend came after the May 7th game against RSL when attacking midfielder Marcos Mondaini was suspended for four games after he had recklessly fouled RSL’s Javier Morales from behind. Mondaini had scored one goal this season and was key in helping generate offense.
Last month, Chivas USA passed up on the chance to sign US midfielder Benny Feilhaber because of the team’s salary cap constraints. Feilhaber would have been a welcome addition to the Chivas lineup. A creative midfielder, Feilhaber, who ultimately signed with the Revolution, would have energized an attack that had only scored eight goals in its first nine games.
For Chivas USA, the few bright spots have included goalkeeper Dan Kennedy and a stingy defense anchored by Heath Pearce. The team remains very much a work-in-progress, but the fans are still there. Chivas USA has averaged nearly 15,000 at The Home Depot Center this season despite its poor record and remains one of the most-popular teams in the League.
Midfielder Francisco Mendoza, who is currently on loan to Chivas USA from parent club CD Guadalajara, said the team has the talent to succeed. He had originally played for Chivas USA from 2005 to 2008.
“We have to remain focused,” he said following the game against New York “We have to stay disciplined and increase our ball possession. If we do that, the results will come.”
Despite its bad start, Chivas USA could be on the path to success. There is a comparison to be made between Chivas USA’s struggles this season and how RSL was the League’s laughingstock just a few years ago. In just a few short years, Real Salt Lake became an MLS Cup champion in 2009 and CONCACAF Champions League finalist this year. Fraser was key in helping to build the Utah-based club into a contender. For now, Fraser said he doesn’t like comparisons. Instead, he has remained positive.
“I think we’re a better team than some of the results have shown lately,” he said. “I really think we’re headed in the right direction.”
Clemente Lisi is a New York-based writer. Contact him at: CAL4477@yahoo.com. Follow him on Twitter at: http://twitter.com/ClementeLisi
