Chivas USA's season is quickly becoming a broken record. A makeshift lineup concedes an early goal and Chivas USA chases the match, but comes away with a loss.
Sunday's tune was played out by the New England Revolution as Chivas USA dropped a 2-1 result at The Home Depot Center.
The match was the fifth time Chivas USA has allowed the first goal in a match this season, and the club is 0-4-1 in those games.
"Lately we give up the first goal all the time and our history has proven that we're not good at getting ourselves back in the game," Chivas USA midfielder Jesse Marsch said.
Overall, Chivas USA slumped to 1-4-2 and will try to correct things on Saturday against D.C. United at The Home Depot Center.
The trick for the Red-and-White is to keep plugging along despite the negative results, Chivas USA coach Preki said.
"It's one of those times where the ball is not rolling your way," he said. "On the other side, you can't feel sorry for yourself. You've got to pick yourself up and get ready for the next game and be sure you're ready."
Chivas USA was forced to make do without starting defenders Lawson Vaughn and Jonathan Bornstein. Vaughn broke his nose in last week's match in Houston while Bornstein sprained his knee in training on Thursday. Each player will miss more than one month and possibly up to two. A third was missing as Claudio Suarez was suspended after being sent off last weekend in Houston.
Bobby Burling and Eric Ebert started on the left and right sides of the defense respectively.
"We scrambled to put the backline together but I thought we did a decent job," Preki said. "We didn't give too many things away but once again we had a couple of breakdowns and we paid for them. At the moment, it looks like at the moment we make a mistake, we get punished."
With yet another makeshift lineup, the club allowed the first goal of the match. This time it was Kenny Mansally who did the damage, as he sprinted down the middle of the field and slotted home a left-footed shot in the 18th minute.
New England, though, yielded a bulk of the possession in the first quarter hour.
"Up until the first goal I felt like things were going okay," Marsch said. "I feel like it's a little bit of a broken record because in some ways we do OK but either us playing in ways to get the upper hand or us getting a couple of breaks here or there, right now it's not working."
The club pieced together some possession in New England's third of the field but could not put a dangerous opportunity on the Revolution goal. Preki said the goal was a bit of punishment for lack of finishing in the first quarter-hour.
"It was a very, very strange game especially in the first half," Preki said. "We had two or three really good chances and we don't put the ball into the net. Next thing you know, one ball over the top and we are 1-0 down. After that, I think that kind of took the wind out of us and we had a tough time for the next 25 minutes."
In the second half, New England's Taylor Twellman scored his first goal of the season in his first game of the season. The goal also came against the run of play as the Revs opened the second half in a defensive posture.
"Once again, they make one play going forward and we're 2-0 down," Preki said. "In a lot of ways I feel it was a little bit of a lopsided score but ... sometimes that's the way the games go. Fortunately enough we're still only four points out of first place."
Chivas USA cut the Revs lead in half when Galindo found Justin Braun in front of the goal in second-half stoppage time. However, the goal came too late to make a difference in the result.
For now, the club will lick its wounds and try to find the formula for success in training this week. Players remain optimistic in the club's chances this season.
"Right now we're a little frustrated," Marsch said. "I still think it's a good group and we're going to stick together and figure this thing out. There is no answer right now but we all just have to believe in each other, trust each other and keep moving forward."
Luis Bueno is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
