Match Day 5 - At Chivas USA - Sounder At Heart

Match Day 5 - At Chivas USA

by Dave Clark on Apr 17, 2009 4:31 PM PDT in Major League Soccer Comment 6 comments

CD Chivas USA
Founded: 2004
Home Stadium: The Home Depot Center, Carson, CA
Record Since 2000: 41-49-34
All Time Scorer in MLS: Ante Razov (30)
All Time Cups/Shields: 0
2008 Record: 12-11-7, 43 pts, 2nd in Western Conference
2008 Leading Scorer: Sacha Kljestan, Alecko Eskandarian, Ante Razov (5)
2008 Keeper: Brad Guzan (1.33 GAA, 4 Clean Sheets)
Key Player: Sacha Kljestan, the National Team winger won’t be in MLS long

Capsule: Chivas USA once tried to maintain its parent brand and be a team full of players of Mexican descent, but now just focuses on winning over fans by winning games. This has lead to a rather deeply talented team that played without former USL Sounder Maykel Galindo for most of their games in 2008. 2007 saw Galindo with 12 goals. The Goats are in transition as they have lost their Keeper to Aston Villa as a back-up and Sacha Kljestan looks to transfer to Europe as soon as he can. The goalkeeping duo is the aging Zach Thornton and younger Dan Kennedy. Can Keeper by committee work? Chivas USA is the most successful of the modern expansion clubs. Watch this one on KING5 with the dulcet tones of Kevin Calabro calling the game from the HDC at 7:30PM on April 18th.

Further Depth: I am going to get a little statistical on you guys with this one, specifically because Kasey Keller being out for the match. Obviously this is the biggest story of the match, well out side of the two best teams in the league meeting for the first of three times this year.

Follow along a little bit. Seattle (and most teams) are 4 matches into the season. In those four matches, Seattle has allowed 4.25 Shots on Goal per match, but in each of those matches how did their opponents do compared to their team averages?

Red Bull has played four matches, and in their non-Sounder matches have a 3 SoG average vs 2 in the game here that opened the 2009 season.
RSL is only 3 games into their young season. Against the Rave Green Salt Lake took 5 Shots on Goal, but in their other two matches they averaged 8 per game.
Toronto FC has average 4.67 SoG in their non-Sounder matches, but only had 3 against Seattle.
The Wizards of Kansas City were a man up for two-thirds of the match and managed four SoG, but in their other three matches had an even 5 SoG per match.

How much of Sounders FC's league leading GAA is due to Kasey Keller? How much is due to the backline, or maybe even the midfield? I can't say for certain, but the five-some of Scott, Marshall, Hurtado, Riley and Alonso have to be given significant credit for controlling the Shots on Goal that the opponents have allowed. So while Eylander is likely to start in the pipes, he will still have the defense in front of him that has stifled the opposition at this point in the season.

The historically injured Chivas will be missing several name players; check out this injury report.

CHIVAS USA -- OUT: DF Bobby Burling (sports hernia surgery); DF Ante Jazic (concussion); GK Dan Kennedy (R knee sprain); FW Ante Razov (R ankle surgery); DF Claudio Suárez (L calf strain); DF Lawson Vaughn (L ankle surgery); MF Sasha Victorine (L knee surgery); DOUBTFUL: FW Justin Braun (R knee sprain); FW Maykel Galindo (sports hernia surgery). In addition they lose Paulo Nagamura to a Red Card suspension. That's four starting quality players that are out/still out.

Now, don't start getting cocky Sounders fans. Chivas has been without most of those players in their league leading 10 points in 4 match start.

Seattle though has a some players and an assistant coach that are quite familiar with the Goats squad from past US Open Cup play. Le Toux, Scott and Eylander were lead by Brian Schmetzer in their 2 wins over Chivas in the last two years. Last year in 3rd round play Seattle won 2-nil over Chivas. Seba had one of those goals. In 2007 Seattle beat Preki's Chivas club 3-1 with two goals from Seba and one from Sounders FC sub Levesque.

Seattle now has more talent, and though I normally don't like to use the Open Cup as a guide, these two clubs have a bit of history and due to the injuries Chivas is starting similar lineups to those that lost to the USL Sounders.

Lastly, Coachella is down in the desert SoCal, and one of the 214 is down there sporting the Rave Green.

214 in SoCl

What are your thoughts on this match? How do you think that Freddyayn (faux Arabic for 2 Freddies) will play in their first Full 90 together? Should Brad Evans still get the start at Left Mid? Or would you prefer that Zakuani get more playtime?

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Sounders opponents in non-Sounders matches have taken 51 shots in 11 matches for 4.63 v 4.25 for the Sounders. Seattle’s defense is better than the league average.

by Dave Clark on Apr 17, 2009 4:46 PM PDT reply actions

Just found out that there are somewhere around 60 traveling supporters that will be at HDC in a group. Outstading job.

by Dave Clark on Apr 17, 2009 7:20 PM PDT reply actions

Great work Dave. I always see statistics thrown out to make a point, but a lot of time they are always without context.

For example, there is a statistic going around the league that teams that play on home turf had a 11-29-9 record last year when they played on natural grass. Sounds dire for a home turf team playing on the road throughout the season and making the playoffs, doesn’t it?

Honestly, I don’t know. How do those other teams play on the road? How do teams that play on grass do on road turf? For all I know, all teams are bad on the road no matter if they play on home turf, grass or on a field of cheetos. Again, statistics don’t mean anything unless you put it into proper context.

Dave, that is what I love about your site, you always put statistics in their proper context.

by Coug1990 on Apr 18, 2009 1:21 PM PDT reply actions

47-105-59 for all MLS teams on the road last year

or if playing 49 matches (artificial surface @ grass as above)11-24-14. That doesn’t look too different does it?

by Dave Clark on Apr 18, 2009 2:03 PM PDT reply actions

That’s exactly what I thought when I saw that stat. Don’t all teams have trouble on the road?

by Cornchops on Apr 18, 2009 4:18 PM PDT reply actions

Thanks Dave. I thought the argument was weak and it was. All MSL teams have trouble on the road. We may have a tough time winning tonight in Carson, but it won’t be because we are a home turf team playing on grass. It will because Chivas is good and home teams usually win in the MSL.

However, if we lose, you will hear some so-called “expert” use that as a reason we lost.

by Coug1990 on Apr 18, 2009 4:42 PM PDT reply actions