Regardless of whatever results Chivas USA gain from home matches, players and coaches said that road success will make the difference this season.
After Saturday's gritty 1-0 victory at Chicago, the club is moving in the right direction.
"Every time you win on the road, it's important," Chivas USA coach Preki said. "In the past, we can't say we've been really successful on the road. That's something we've been looking from day one, that we've got to get better and pick up points on the road. If you want to win something, you've got to find ways to win on the road. We got that win and now hopefully we can build on that."
Chivas USA won just two games away from The Home Depot Center last season. Though both victories at Chicago and Dallas were crucial, the victories came after the All-Star break. Early in the season, the club was not gaining consistent results on the road.
This year, though, Chivas USA's effort has been solid in each of their four road games, and while Saturday's is the first victory the club has gained away from home, players feel it is their just reward.
"The past month, we've made a lot of progress. We haven't gotten a result on the road but in all those games we've played pretty well but just hadn't come away with a result," Chivas USA midfielder Jesse Marsch said. "I hope that this team is turning a little bit of a corner. I wish we could take our advantages a little bit better and score a few more goals but right now I feel good about our group."
Each unit seems to be coming along, players said. The defense shut out an opponent for the second consecutive match and had allowed one goal apiece in two games prior. The offense has now scored in all but one game, but aside from the chance they finished the attack generated multiple scoring chances.
"The team played pretty well and probably could have had a couple more goals," Chivas USA forward Ante Razov said. "We dominated throughout for sure and the timing of the goal was great right at the end. We kind of just took over. They fatigued because they defended the whole game."
While the units are coming along, Marsch said the one of the most vital area of the club is the center of the field. Now that Paulo Nagamura and Shavar Thomas have played in five and four games with the club respectively, the duo is showing its worth and helping contribute.
Nagamura scored his first career goal on Saturday and has impressed coaches and players with his overall play. Thomas has complemented Claudio Suarez well and gives the club a physical presence on the backline.
"The core of our team is starting to really gel well," Marsch said. "The two center backs and the whole midfield line is kind of the like the core and the foundation of what we're building ... I feel like that group is coming along well. Shavar [Thomas] has fit in well. Paulo [Nagamura] has fit in well. I think we just need to keep building on that foundation and keep getting better."
For his part, Preki said the club did well to keep Chicago from scoring but said the credit was due to more than just the back four.
"We defended as a unit pretty good," Preki said. "We'll see if we can go for a third one or fourth one. I don't see why not. As of late I felt the mentality of the whole team has been good. Hopefully that will continue."
Entering Saturday's matchup against Colorado, Chivas USA has built up a string of solid results and has the club moving in the right direction. But it's up to the players to keep the club headed in the right direction, and previous results can certainly help.
"The team is feeling OK," Razov said. "We've won two in a row. We're not going to get crazy because the job is still not done but it's definitely a big boost."
Luis Bueno is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
