It was just one game, one solid performance against an expansion team, but Chivas USA's game plan worked.
Against Toronto FC on Saturday, solid goalkeeping was buoyed by a neat and tidy backline that settled down after a shaky start while the attack stretched the field and combined for a pair of nifty goals as Chivas eased home 2-0 winners.
"They worked very good," Chivas USA coach Preki said. "They combined very good and I think it's only going to get better and better."
The first goal was a combination between Sacha Kljestan, Maykel Galindo and Ante Razov. Kljestan knocked a ball from the middle of the field over the TFC defense and into Galindo's path. The Cuban used his impressive speed to beat his counterparts to the ball and then fed Razov, who had no problem finishing off the play.
Overall, Galindo won over his teammates with his blazing speed as the team has once and for all put former stars Juan Pablo Garcia and Francisco Palencia in the past.
"As good as those guys were, the one thing that we lacked a little bit last year was team speed, that guy who could really get behind them and stretch the field a little bit longer," Chivas USA midfielder Jesse Marsch said.
Instead, Galindo offers skills well suited for a 400-meter relay team. The talent is there. His potential remains high and should be realized with this club once he settles in, Marsch said.
"Certainly you see with Galindo that his speed is no joke. He's still working on some of the timing with his runs and how to fit in with how we're trying to play," Marsch said. "He's a constant threat to get behind teams and it's a nice option to have and maybe not depend on Johnny Bornstein coming down the left but to have some other options going forward."
Meanwhile, Preki said what Galindo displayed was what he expected from the former USL player.
"That's why we brought him here, to see that speed," Preki said. "We knew that when we brought him in here that he had something in him. He can get better too."
Galindo and Razov left the match together as Preki replaced the starting forward duo with Matt Taylor and John Cunliffe in the 85th minute. Three minutes later, rookie forward Cunliffe slipped a pass to Kljestan who then found space and ripped a 20-yard blast into the back of the net.
Even before his 88th minute goal, though, Kljestan played a key role in the midfield.
"Overall he had quite a good game in terms of finding gaps and making plays and covering my right side a bit when he needed to be," Marsch said. "Take away the goal and he had a good game."
Still, players said that despite the victory there were areas that needed improvement. One match set the club off to a good start but it's up to the players to pick up the effort and level with each passing game.
"Obviously it wasn't perfect [Saturday] and we need to improve little things as well as a couple of big things," Chivas USA goalkeeper Brad Guzan said. "We need to clean it up a bit and take it forward. We need to get better. We just have to take it week by week and game by game and have the right mentality and the right attitude."
Luis Bueno is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
