CARSON, Calif. - For most of this short season, much of the focus on Chivas USA has been centered on the attack.
Ante Razov scored goal numbers 99 and 100 in his storied MLS career while Cuban Maykel Galindo scored his first two goals for the club. Amado Guevara has yet to find the back of the net for his new club but the attack seems poised to improve on a season ago.
However, the defense has been nearly as sparkling as the offense. Chivas USA have two home shutouts and have not surrendered a goal in the run of play this season. The club has translated the solid defensive efforts into a 2-1 record.
"Teams aren't getting too many chances," Chivas USA goalkeeper Brad Guzan said. "That's a very good sign, to see the four guys in front of you busting their butt for 90 minutes and making sure you don't have to work too hard. They're playing well. They're making my job easy."
Save for the opening half hour of the season, Guzan has not been tested much thus far this season as the back line has been neat and tidy throughout the remaining time. Toronto FC had four shots on goal in the first 30 minutes of their existence but Guzan stood firm and made four acrobatic saves.
Since then, he has stopped four of the five shots on goal that he's faced. The lone blemish was a goal Brian Ching scored off a set piece in Houston's 1-0 win on April 14.
Boosted by the presence of captain Claudio Suarez, Chivas USA have thus far made a smooth defensive transition into 2007. Suarez and Bornstein returned as starters while Alex Zotinca won the job at right back after he arrived from Kansas City in March.
Lawson Vaughn, a second-year player who spent most of his time last season on the right flank, won the job at central defense.
"They had a tough decision to make between all of our players and Lawson and Claudio is what they came up with in the middle," Bornstein said. "Then when I came back they stuck me back at left fullback again and Alex at right. ... We've been doing really well this year, giving up only one goal."
Vaughn beat out returning defender Jason Hernandez for the center back job. Hernandez started 24 of the 29 games he played in a year ago. Still, Preki said he likes the flexibility Vaughn provides.
"Lawson is a very versatile player. He can play in the middle. He can play on the right. He can also play in the middle of the midfield. He's a player that can give us different looks if we need to move people around if they get in trouble with cards and things like that," Preki said. "He's stepped up and he's growing on the job and I feel that he's just going to get better and better."
Defending, though, is not the only part of the game Preki demands from his backline.
"He has very high standards for us. He wants us constantly on the ball and (to) stop the attackers from coming in," Bornstein said. "He wants us to play forward a lot faster, get the ball and find our midfielders and find the forwards and get the ball to their feet."
Zotinca has done well in that aspect. The Romanian-born player can carve up a defense with his precise passes from the right flank. Already, he has a pair of assists and both have led to game-winning goals.
"He's a good guy on the ball. He's good going forward. I felt that was something we needed to improve from last year, especially in the right side," Preki said of his former Kansas City teammate. "Hopefully as the season goes along he'll get more comfortable with the guys and the way of playing out here that he'll give us even more."
Still, two shutouts have been a product of more than just steady play from the back four, Preki said.
"It's not just defense. It's the whole unit," Preki said. "The guys in the back played good but the guys up front played solidly too. We give the credit to the whole team when the team doesn't concede goals."
Luis Bueno is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
