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Chivas USA Look to Deliver Win in Road Finale

October 22, 2013 - Major League Soccer (MLS)
Club Deportivo Chivas USA News Release


When Chivas USA square off against Western Conference foe Real Salt Lake in the third and final leg of the season series, they will look to come away with three points at Rio Tinto Stadium - one of the toughest venues to secure a road win - for the second consecutive year.

The Rojiblancos dropped the first two meetings of the series to RSL, including a 1-0 loss back in April in the first leg played in Sandy, Utah. Chivas was able to secure a 1-0 shutout in March of 2012 and had opportunities to make it two in a row in their April meeting. After the home side was whistled for a handball in the box, Chivas were granted a penalty kick in the first half, but could not capitalize on the golden look, allowing RSL to claim the lead and eventual victory.

A month later, the sides met at the then-called Home Depot Center in the rematch, which was not nearly as contested as the previous. The Claret-and-Cobalt took a two-goal lead before midfielder Jorge Villafaña's goal cut the lead in half. But Head Coach Jason Kreis' club would pull away with two additional scores en route to a convincing 4-1 win.

The Red-and-White now come into their final road match of the season having not played in league action since Oct. 6. On the flipside, RSL has already clinched a playoff spot as one of the top clubs in the West and are in the race for the prestigious Supporters' Shield, which the Goats would like to play spoiler to.

Buoyed by a pair of Reserve League competitions and a friendly against the New Zealand Men's National Team to maintain soccer rhythm and sharpness, the Rebaño Angelino will also be aided with the return of Oswaldo Minda. The Ecuadorian midfielder sat out the club's last match due to yellow card accumulation and will likely take his customary place in the starting 11 in the Red-and-White midfield. Minda's return will also bolster the defense by possibly allowing the versatile Carlos Borja to return to his natural position on the back line.

Yet another factor working in Chivas' favor could be the element of unfamiliarity. While RSL's team has remained relatively intact from the previous two meetings, the Rojiblancos have not only revamped their roster since their rematch, but their strategy on the pitch. Since their meeting in May, Head Coach Jose Luis Real took over at the helm for the Rebaño, while the team was bolstered by the arrivals of striker Erick Torres with his seven goals and center back Carlos Bocanegra.

Wednesday's match will kick off a busy week for the Rojiblancos, as they will have a short turnaround to prepare for their season finale three days later against the Portland Timbers, who are also in the mix to win the Shield. The mid-week action will be televised live beginning at 6 p.m. PT in Spanish on Super 22.2 and can be followed in Spanish on W Radio 690 AM.

Red-and-White to finish season the best way possible

The last week of Major League Soccer's regular season is on the horizon for Chivas USA. After a challenging season, the Red-and-White will be looking to earn their first victory in their last two games as they visit Real Salt Lake this Wednesday at Rio Tinto Stadium. The match, which will mark Chivas USA Head Coach Jose Luis Real's first against RSL, could shake things up in the Western Conference standings, as a Red-and-White victory could give the Portland Timbers the top seed in the conference.

With that knowledge, "G-ero" Real knows that the match-up against the Utah side will not be easy, but he knows that the team has accepted the idea of giving it their all in what remains of the season.

"What we're truly looking to do is to have a good performance, close the season the best way possible. We have two games left, this one against Salt Lake is very important, the most important one of the season because it's our next game. We're not truly looking to play spoiler, we simply want to have a great performance and do things the best way possible in order to win the game," Real commented to cdchivasusa.com .

With two weeks out of MLS action, Real and his coaching staff have had more than enough time to prepare the Red-and-White for their mid-week match.

"We've had a week and a half ahead of these two last games, and that has helped us a lot in terms of being able to retake some things that we had stopped doing," Real said. "We have a good opportunity to do things a lot better and close the best way possible, in front of our people in these last two games."

Chivas USA traveled on Tuesday to Salt Lake City ahead of their match-up against the Claret-and-Cobalt programmed for 6 p.m. (PT). The game will be televised live in Spanish on Super 22.2 and Spanish commentary will be available on W Radio 690 AM. For all the latest news and updates on the club, follow us on Twitter: @cdchivasusa .

Chivas USA arrive in Salt Lake City

Points, a trophy and who plays who in the playoffs, everything is at stake this week and it could be up to Chivas USA to have the final word as they visit Real Salt Lake on Wednesday and host the Portland Timbers three day later as they close the 2013 Major League Soccer regular season.

Kicking off this week's duties, Chivas USA landed in Salt Lake City's International Airport at 5:30 p.m. (MT) on Tuesday and immediately headed to the team's hotel where they will stay in their last road trip of the season.

Coming into the game, the Goats will look to improving themselves as they aim to implement their style and the development of their style of play ahead of the 2014 season. However, although Chivas comes into the match to simply defend their pride, the team led by Jose Luis Real could be key in deciding who wins the Supporters' Shield Trophy.

Real Salt Lake receive this challenge sitting in second place in the Western Conference, just one point behind the Goats' next opponent, Portland. The two clubs in the West, along with Sporting KC and the New York Red Bulls from the East, are among the teams with the best options to win the shield.

However, even the Red-and-White's biggest rival, the LA Galaxy, could still have a shot in the hunt for the trophy, should Chivas come out victorious from Rio Tinto Stadium and against the Timbers at the StubHub Center on Saturday. The Galaxy will also need help from the NYRB and KC, who must both earn negative results.

With all at stake, Wednesday's match will kick off at 6 p.m. (PT) and will be broadcast in Spanish on Super 22.2 and on W 690 AM Radio. You can also follow your Goats in their last trip of the season on the club's social networks by visiting Twitter, Facebook and Instagram .

Supporters Shield Spoilers

With the final two dates of the season ahead, Chivas USA will be looking to finish off 2013 on the right foot. After having two bye weeks, the Goats will test the work put in as they go into their final away match of the season, set against Real Salt Lake on Wednesday, Oct. 23 at Rio Tinto Stadium.

Having played all 180 minutes of the Red-and-White's previous two meetings against RSL, midfielder Eric Avila knows what to expect from Wednesday's game and feels excited to be jumping onto the field again.

"We had two weeks off and we're anxious to get a game going," Avila said ahead of Wednesday game. "It's one of those things where we just want to get on the field and continue to work. Playing in Salt Lake is going to be hard; it's hard playing down there."

Chivas USA's final two rivals have one thing in common: they are both looking to be the top seed in the Western Conference. With both Real Salt Lake and the Portland Timbers fighting to earn three valuable points in the last games of the season, the Red-and-White will have to jump on the field, give their all, and look to finish off the season on a high note.

"We know the points that they need. It's never bad to play the spoiler, to get that going," Avila added. "It's going to be two tough teams that are trying to compete for a spot up top and I think, just to ruin the table a little bit, to shake things up, it would be nice. We just have to work hard, worry about ourselves and come out there and show up."

Chivas USA will travel on Tuesday to Salt Lake City, Utah ahead of their match-up against the Claret-and-Cobalt programmed for 6 p.m. (PT). The game will be televised live in Spanish on Super 22.2 and Spanish commentary will be available on W Radio 690 AM. For all the latest news and updates on the club, follow us on Twitter: @cdchivasusa.

Chivas USA complete morning session before heading to Utah

Chivas USA completed final preparations on Tuesday for their mid-week match against conference foe Real Salt Lake. The Red-and-White underwent a light workout of slightly over an hour before traveling to Salt Lake City this afternoon for their road finale.

Players took the pitch at 9:30 a.m. and kicked off their work with a team jog around the StubHub Center's Field 6 and stretches for initial warm-ups. The group then linked up in pairs to incorporate the ball into their duties by sending short first-time passes to one another and afterwards completed runs of about ten yards while their partner shadowed along the way to lay off passes.

The morning then culminated with an 11-on-11 tactical drill in reduced space under the instructions of Head Coach Jose Luis Real. The pitch was segmented in three sections and Real took advantage of the time to instruct the squad in terms of positioning and organization. After about 30 minutes of tactical work, players broke out into activity of their choice. Several players worked on strikes from beyond the arc or gathered for group passes, while others participated in games of soccer tennis instead.

After finishing up with supplementary stretches, the players made their way off the pitch. The Rojiblancos will arrive in Utah at local evening time and battle RSL on Wednesday at Rio Tinto Stadium in the third and final leg of the series beginning at 6 p.m. (PT). The mid-week match will mark the beginning of a busy week for the Goats, as they will return on Thursday and have a short turnaround time before their season finale at home on Saturday against the Portland Timbers.

Wednesday's showdown will be televised in Spanish on Super 22.2 and can also be followed in Spanish on W Radio 690 AM.

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