In the offseason, Chivas USA tried to bolster the attack corps partly for what happened at the end of the 2007 season.
But it wasn't the only part of the squad that received a boost.
Even with one of the league's top central defense pairings coming back intact, Chivas USA brought in veteran defender Jim Curtin to bolster what was a club strength from a year ago. And after three games, the move has paid off.
Curtin has played every minute of Chivas USA's regular season thus far and has filled in for veteran Claudio Suarez, who dealt with the loss of his father Vicente in the first part of the season.
Despite Suarez's availability in the last match -- Suarez was on the bench during Chivas USA's match in Columbus -- Curtin said the plan from the start has been for him to add depth to the central defense.
"The idea was that there are going to be a lot of games this year. [Suarez is] a living legend and I'm eager to learn a lot from him but the wear and tear during the long season hopefully I can give him a couple of breaks here and there," Curtin said.
A longtime member of the Chicago Fire, Curtin said some familiar faces within the Red-and-White helped his move out west. Ante Razov and Jesse Marsch played alongside Curtin with the Fire as well and all three now find themselves on Chivas USA.
"That's eased the transition," Curtin said. "I've played with those guys from when I was first in the league. They were good pros that I learned a lot from and it's good to reunite with those guys because they are great players."
Marsch and Curtin were close friends in Chicago. A year ago, Marsch exchanged jerseys with Curtin following Chivas USA's match in Toyota Park.
But Marsch insisted he did not play a role in bringing his former rideshare partner to southern California.
"We carpooled for four years together in Chicago. We're friends," Marsch said. "I actually didn't have a lot of input in terms of him coming here but I give Preki a lot of credit for recognizing that he's a good player and a good guy to have on our team."
Curtin played in 151 games for the Fire from 2001 to the end of last season. His last two years in Chicago, though, were marred by injury as he played in only 22 games in that span.
This year, Curtin will likely continue to add depth to the backline. With Chivas competing in tournaments such as U.S. Open Cup and SuperLiga aside from the MLS regular season, the club's depth will be counted on more than it has already.
Injuries have hit the club in the early going and the backline is still a bit unsettled as Chris Pozniak was thrust into the mix despite little time with the club but the central part of the defense has been stable overall this season, despite the club's four goals allowed in Columbus.
Ultimately, Curtin has been through the rigors of an MLS campaign many times over, and that sort of dimension is significant to bring to the team.
"Anytime you can bring in a good player who is experienced, who has played in big games, who can help carry a mentality that is always an important quality to have in a team," Marsch said.
Luis Bueno is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
