When Chivas USA return home to face the Los Angeles Galaxy on May 20, the Red-and-White could be in fifth place in the Western Conference table. Or the club could vault to the top spot in the West.
Such are the fortunes the season's early months hold for Chivas USA.
On Saturday, Chivas USA will play at Columbus and will try to shake a two-match losing streak.
"It's an important game for us. There is a difference between being 2-4, 3-3 and 2-3-1," Chivas USA midfielder Jesse Marsch said. "We're not taking Columbus lightly. They are much better than they were a year ago."
Chivas USA have had plenty of success against Columbus in the past. In 2005, Chivas USA won their first-ever road game against Columbus, beating the Crew 1-0 on Oct. 1. A year ago, Chivas USA beat the Crew 2-0 at The Home Depot Center and tied 1-1 at Columbus Crew Stadium.
In 2006, the Crew missed the postseason but have had a strong start to their 2007 campaign. The Crew have lost just one of their five games this year and have allowed a league-low three goals.
Boca Juniors legend Guillermo Barros Schelotto and former Houston Dynamo forward Alejandro Moreno, both recent additions, have bolstered the Crew's attack.
"They are a hard-working team," Marsch said. "We're going to be in for a tough game and we're going to have to play really good soccer. That's all we're focusing on right now."
Though a draw in Ohio would change the club's recent fortunes, Chivas USA midfielder Sacha Kljestan said players were not thinking about walking away with just one point.
"We're going in there for three points. We're going straightforward. We are going into Columbus thinking that we want to take three points," Kljestan said. "The team is not down on itself but we're definitely going into Columbus wanting three points."
Kljestan missed the last two games as he served a suspension for a rough challenge on Real Salt Lake's Andy Williams on April 21. Watching from afar was difficult for Kljestan.
"I'm pretty excited to be back on the field with the team," Kljestan said. "It was really tough for me sit on the bench and watch two losses for our team and for our club."
More important than who plays and who doesn't, though, is the result. Chivas USA have two wins under their belt but they came against the last place team in the Eastern Conference (Toronto FC) and the Western Conference bottom-dwellers (Real Salt Lake).
In their other three contests, Chivas USA faced their two biggest rivals in Houston and the Galaxy, as well as a team that has now beaten Chivas USA five times out of five all-time meetings in D.C. United.
"Those are our three toughest games of the year," Marsch said. "We lost all three so we're not happy about that but I think we've been tested early. We're better for it."
Still, the team that takes the field against the Crew on Saturday will be better than the team that faced the Galaxy on April 28, Marsch said.
"We've won the games that I felt like we were supposed to win. Now we're going to have to figure out how to get better in the tough games," he said. "We've grown a lot in the past month here and we're going to go forward and keep improving every day."
Luis Bueno is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
