CARSON, Calif. - Chivas USA made history in the U.S. Open Cup last year, but for all the wrong reasons.
Faced with what seemed like a relative lightweight in their first U.S. Open Cup match last year, Chivas USA instead became the first MLS team to lose to an amateur side as Roma FC of Dallas knocked the Red-and-White out of the tournament in a penalty kick shootout.
"It still bothers us a little bit," defender Lawson Vaughn said. "We try not to think about it because it's in the past and we can't do anything about it."
This year, Chivas USA faces another lower-division side in the third round. Chivas USA will play at USL First Division side Seattle Sounders on Wednesday. What matters most to the club is not just avoiding last year's fate but bucking a USL vs. MLS trend from this year.
Chicago fell to USL-1 side Carolina on Sunday and became the fourth MLS side to fall in the third round.
"We are fully aware of that," Chivas USA coach Preki said. "I'm going to talk to the guys and let them know that this is what can happen. We can't go up there thinking that just because it's a (USL) team it's going to be easy."
Midfielder Jesse Marsch has been a part of four Open Cup winning sides and said his team would do its best not to repeat the fate of the Galaxy, D.C. United and Houston, each of whom lost to a USL side a week ago, as well as his former side Chicago.
"It's a tournament you take one game at a time, but then you look and you see all these teams who lost last week," Marsch said. "A lot of those teams I felt take the game a little lightly and don't come ready to play. We have to make sure our mentality is the same and that we put a good team on the field and that we're ready to give it what we've got before the All-Star break."
Chivas USA will be shorthanded for the match. Paulo Nagamura is out with a sprained knee while Jonathan Bornstein will miss the game due to the MLS All-Star match, slated for Thursday in Colorado.
Additionally, Shavar Thomas is cup-tied to the Galaxy after he appeared in an Open Cup play-in match against Columbus in April, his only appearance in a Galaxy jersey. Ante Razov is suspended for the match; Razov picked up a red card in the loss to Roma FC a year ago.
"I'm going to have to hope the guys pull it out for me and get a chance to play in the next round," Razov said.
Aside from its unavailable quartet, the club will probably trot out its best players.
"We're going to put the best team we can and try to get a result. Obviously we'll be missing half of our lineup again but we'll do whatever we can to go out there and get a result," Preki said. "It's not going to be easy but that's how these games are."
Against the Sounders, Chivas USA has an opportunity to right the wrongs from last year's third round. Perhaps more importantly, it could boost the club's mentality on the road. Chivas USA has a spotless 6-0-1 mark at home but has just one victory away from Home Depot Center this season.
"We're going to take this very seriously because we don't want to get knocked out like we did in the first game last year," Vaughn said. "We really want to win as many trophies as possible so we take this tournament very seriously."
A Chivas USA victory would ensure that half of the remaining field is MLS clubs and that at least one top-flight side would reach the semifinals.
Beyond that, the significance of the tournament is not lost on the club's players.
"That's a big trophy. I try and make sure our team is going to have a mentality to be able to play in a big game," Marsch said. "It's only four or five games but you've got to make sure you handle them the right way because you can be holding a trophy at the end of them."
