Chivas should do everything in their power to win this tournament. At least if they won the Open Cup they would salvage something from this year. A lot of MLS teams haven't won it so it's not like it's an easy tournament to win. First up is the Charlotte Eagles, a club which I know nothing about. July 13 - CD Chivas USA (MLS) at Charlotte Eagles (USL 2) Davidson College; Davidson, N.C. - 7:30 p.m. ET I'll do some research on the good old Charlotte Eagles and post some info on here about them. Don't want to look ahead BUT if Chivas wins, they get the Galaxy next!! But we can't look ahead just yet. Let's take care of business against Charlotte before making plans for the next game.
Hehe, is this thread some kind of a joke? Talk about a must-win for Cheeevas ... they can flush the whole year down the crapper if they don't beat Charlotte. Geez, all that pressure, away from home... how do you think they'll play under such pressure ... with a new coach ...? Bye bye Cheevas......
Has anyone seen Chivas play this year? It's not like they're getting killed in the MLS. Ok, in thier results they are getting killed in the MLS, but on the field they have shown steady improvement through out the season. All this with a rookie GK. Chivas, play on the field is full of effort, you can tell they hate losing and fight for every game. I do think that both Chivas and RSL can't afford to play a second team like so many other MLS clubs.
Hopefully the shine of the win over RSL won't wear off. Chivas need to go into this game with something to prove. As always, the lower division teams are going to be hyped up to pull the upsets, especially the ones playing on their home fields.
I fully expect for Chivas to play with most of their regulars and I think Chivas will win this one. Had they not won on Saturday, I might have thought differently but they are in a good rhythm right now, even going back to the Chicago game which they should have done better in. I'm guessing CDCU 3, Aguilas 0.
Sorry, but this will be a short thread. I am afraid that Chivas will be the MLS defeat in the opening round that happens once in a while. I, for one, was really hoping to pull Chivas for our third round game. I think it will be tougher to defeat the Silverbacks than Chivas USA. Sorry, not trying to upset anyone... just the facts.
Why the hell do you think Chivas has a chance to win the tourney? Sure, many MLS teams will field reserves, but the ones that care will not. That is when Chivas will hit the end of the road. In fact, I think Charlotte will win this game. Fvck the Chivas Regals.
Matt Taylor showed what he is capable of against RSL on Saturday. I'm guessing Charlotte has defenders of lesser caliber than RSL's, so I feel he will be able to create as much tomorrow than he did on Saturday.
Don't count on the lesser defenders. The USL has some lights out players that are only there because no one has given them a shot at MLS yet. I am willing to go out on a limb and say that there are USL teams that can take MLS teams. Plus, I have to admit that I have a personal axe to grind that stems back to the Sangre Nueva "trials" and would like to see the goats sucked dry!
The real question is whether Charlotte has defenders of lesser caliber than RSL's second string, the whole of which you saw on Saturday. Pierce, Dunseth, Broome, Pope...that's an entire back line missing there. Now Charlotte's defenders could easily be worse; I personally don't know. But what you saw over the weekend was not RSL's starting squad, so it would be a folly to pretend that you did and then walk into this match expecting something even lower than benchmates thrown together for the first time as starters. I'm just saying I don't know how much different/better/worse a USL1 team's first string that's used to playing together would be compared to an MLS expansion team's second string that's playing together in that lineup for the first time ever.
In August 2000, my wife & I went to the Charlotte Eagles - Utah Blitzz USL D3 national semifinal in North Carolina. After an opening prayer (off topic, but you'd figure that a team owned by Missionary Athletes International would know about Matthew 6:5-6), the Eagles beat the Blitzz 4-2. The field was about 55 yards wide and in the 2nd half, it was covered with what to people from the 3rd driest state in the union seemed like a hurricane. The Blitzz returned the favor last year in the PSL final. But then RSL did in the Blitzz. He who laughs last, yadda, yadda, yadda. Goats Lite should win. But then again, Goats Lite should have won several other games this season.
Chivas was missing Juan Pablo Garcia and they still scored five and should have had a couple more at least. The only other times I've seen RSL play, Nelson Akwari played so he at least has gotten some playing time before. Probably not a whole lot different. If any team's got a unit that plays well together and understands each other, it'll be difficult to beat that.
Akwari plays when others are injured, which is often, except for when he's suspended, which is often.
Charlotte gave CDCU more trouble than I expected, but with the way the season's been going, I guess I should have expected as much. Romo is the man!! Thiago is the man!! Two guys who haven't done as well as they should have been doing all along finally came through in the clutch. CDCU 3, Charlotte 2 Now, bring on the Galaxy.
To all Chivas fans-- I am officially eating crow on behalf of my comments. Great job by the Goats, I still personally don't like them but respect given to you all.
I didn't understand this when you first posted it, I sure as hell don't understand it now. Chivas did not field reserves because they care about this tournament. They put their best team out there and won. How do you figure Chivas would ht the end of the road with their starting lineup? Why the rage toward chivas? What do you have against CDCU?
Relax, take it easy. I think if we take the original sentance: "That is when Chivas will hit the end of the road." Then change one key word: "That is where Chivas will hit the end of the road." which means ... i dunno just pulling your leg. think the paragraph was dealing with how this is Chivas last chance to get something out of a tough season. Because after the US Open tourney - its the end of the season. No chance to qualify for the Concacaf championship. Unless of course, they win the US Open cup. I for one would like to see a match btw Chivas USA - Chivas G. hehehe. In which case i'll be cheering against Chivas and for Chivas.
Yeah, basically in his ultra-negativo way he was trying to say that at this point the only way chivas stands a chance of advancing in the tournament is if MLS teams put out reserve sides against them, but then once you get an MLS side who fields their "top" players then you'll see Chivas go down. It will get tougher as the tournament enters its more important stages, but I don't think any of the other MLS teams are that far above Chivas that they couldn't possibly pull out a result.
I think Chivas will beat the Galaxy and move on to the quarterfinals. Even if JPG doesn't play, I think Chivas will control the tempo of the game. Landon will be a non-factor. He'll have one of his off-games. I think the Galaxy will go in overconfident and will be focused on their road games coming up and how they won't be getting a point the whole month. I predict either a 1-0 or 2-0 Chivas win. 1-0 most likely; an Antonio Martinez goal in the first half. It'll be 2-0 if the Galaxy pushes up too much late in the game like CDCU did in the last classico. If Hercules Gomez doesnt knock in that shot from way outside the last time these teams played, that game ends 0-0. Yeah, they didn't have Landon but CDCU didn't have Ramon Ramirez and Douglas Sequeira. And we were the ones who just beat New England; the Gals could only tie.