When Chivas USA take the field against Columbus on Saturday, the club will receive a much-needed jolt in the arm.
After playing with a depleted lineup for the past several matches, Chivas USA's returning international trio of Jonathan Bornstein, Sacha Kljestan and Brad Guzan will all be available for selection for the first time since late May.
Bornstein has not played with the Red-and-White since a 2-0 win over FC Dallas on May 26 and played for the U.S. in the Gold Cup and Copa America. Kljestan and Guzan have each missed the last three games because of Copa America.
After having missed so much time, Bornstein said he would have to re-establish himself a little but also acknowledged that his time gone was relatively brief.
"It's not like I was gone for years. It was only a couple of games," Bornstein said. "Hopefully the transition will be smooth and I'll be able to fit right in with the team again."
Bornstein was a key player on both Gold Cup and Copa America squads. He filled the left back role valiantly and did so with the same fervor he has shown throughout his time with Chivas USA.
One particularly special treat for Bornstein in Copa America was the chance to mark one of the top players in the world. In the tournament opener against Argentina, Bornstein was mostly responsible for marking Barcelona stalwart Lionel Messi.
"If you would have told me that I was going to play against Messi a month and a half ago, I would have said 'No way I'm doing that.' It actually happened," Bornstein said. "I learned a lot from it and figured out what it takes to play at that level with those kinds of players. It was just an amazing time getting to guard someone of that caliber and learning so much in so little time."
Kljestan and Guzan, meanwhile, were a part of the United States' doomed Copa America squad. Kljestan started in both the 3-1 loss to Paraguay and the 1-0 loss to Colombia, a match that featured Guzan in goal.
For Kljestan, the chance to play in Copa America was good on several levels.
"You get to show yourself against the best players in South America, which are some of the best players in the world. I played quite all right. Hopefully I showed I can hang with those dudes down there," Kljestan said. "Not only do you just want to show the world you are a good player but I want to show Bob Bradley that I can play at that level and in a tournament like Copa America, which could translate into qualifiers or games later this year."
Though he's been at right midfield for most of this season with Chivas USA, Kljestan appeared in his more familiar role in the center of the midfield with the United States. Chivas USA coach Preki said that he understands where Kljestan's best spot is but the second-year man has been filling a hole on the right side of the midfield.
"We always knew Sacha's best spot is in the middle of the field but given the fact that we are limited in the options in the wide spaces we felt he could give us a little bit of help there," Preki said.
Even though their Copa America effort came up short, Kljestan said the experience gave him more confidence in himself.
"The best players in the world are the ones that play with the most confidence," Kljestan said. "When you go down there and say 'Hey, I had a good game against Colombia,' I should have a good game every game in MLS if I can do that, right?"
Luis Bueno is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
