"Two days after the heartbreaking defeat to the visiting Charlotte Eagles courtesy of a late penalty kick, the Los Angeles Blues had already transformed their utter disappointment into a fierce determination to strike back. Head Coach Charlie Naimo attested to his players’ confidence heading into a two-game road trip that will include matches against the Dayton Dutch Lions and the Pittsburgh Riverhounds..." More: http://www.labluesprosoccer.com/home/527880.html Any thoughts and/or predictions for the matches at Dayton and Pittsburgh?
They are winning 2-0 right now vs Pittsburgh. Finally Salvadoran Edwin Miranda does something of true note with a goal.
In my opinion, a draw on the road is not indicative of major struggles, especially considering we were without two of our most important attacking players in Cesar Rivera and Walter Gaitán. 4 points from this road trip puts us at 5-2-2 on the season. I'd say we're okay.
Wow, you seem pretty hard to please I think all the players and coaches are really happy with the result. Mind you, it was on the road and Pittsburgh had an okay record of 2-3-2 going into the match. I like your skepticism, though. A team with great aspirations should be held to a high standard.
Here's the match report for the draw at Dayton: "The Los Angeles Blues secured a draw on the road Friday night, as they played hosts Dayton Dutch Lions to a 1-1 final score at Miami Valley South Stadium. Jhonathan Bravo struck early for the Blues, who started the match without banged up star playmaker Walter Gaitán, but an equalizer by Dayton’s Kolby Lacrone at the hour mark saw the Dutch Lions pick up their first point of the 2011 USL PRO season..." More: http://www.labluesprosoccer.com/home/528254.html ...and the postgame analysis: "In most cases, a point on the road will leave the players and coaching staff of the visiting side happy. However, the Los Angeles Blues found it hard to crack a smile following Friday night’s 1-1 draw with hosts Dayton Dutch Lions, as Head Coach Charlie Naimo’s men failed to come away with a win despite taking the lead in only the 6th minute of play..." More: http://www.labluesprosoccer.com/home/528511.html Finally, the match report for the win at Pittsburgh: "The Los Angeles Blues ended their two-game winless streak in impressive fashion Sunday night by beating hosts Pittsburgh Riverhounds 3-0. Starting their unpredictable attacking trio of Walter Gaitán, Cesar Rivera and Chukwudi Chijindu in the match, the Blues rode two goals and an assist from Chijindu to victory and improved to 5-2-2 on the season." More: http://www.labluesprosoccer.com/home/528798.html
One thing you should realize about me is that I have high expectations for the teams I follow. The important thing now is for the club to gain some consistency.
Bravo's goal is really worth it. An absolute stunner on a volley from about 25 yards out. Upper ninety, just beautiful.
Here's the postgame analysis for the 3-0 win at Pittsburgh: "While offering their analyses of the most recent match following Tuesday’s practice session in Downtown Los Angeles, the Blues players and coaching staff were all smiles for the first time in about a month. There was a simple reason for the good mood. For the first time in four weeks, the Blues had reason to be satisfied with both their performance and the final score, as they beat hosts Pittsburgh Riverhounds 3-0 on Sunday..." More: http://www.labluesprosoccer.com/home/529760.html
LA_Blues, you seem like an insider. Can you tell USL fans what might be going on behind the scenes for USL western expansion in 2012? Are they close to bringing in any other west coast teams? I can't imagine its good for the long term survival of the Blues or the league to have one team by its lonesome, 2000 miles away from the next closest team (Dayton?). Thoughts?
Unfortunately, I have just as much information as you. I think everyone agrees that expansion teams on the West Coast and in the mid-West would be desirable, and I would imagine that includes the league. However, I don't have any knowledge about specific plans, let alone a time frame, at this point. As an organization, our mindset is that we can't be worried about that. We have to do the best possible job on and off the field regardless of who our opponents may be and where we may have to travel. Sorry that's probably not the kind of insightful answer you were hoping for!