CARSON, Calif. - With Jonathan Bornstein away on national team duty, Chivas USA turned to a familiar face to fill the hole at left back. Orlando Perez started his first game of the season in a 1-0 win at Chicago and, barring injury, Perez is likely to continue there until Bornstein rejoins the club.
"I look at it as an opportunity. In talking to Preki and the coaching staff, this is a chance for me that if I do well, I stay on the field whatever that means, if I'm pushing Jonny into the attack," Perez said. "I've just got to take these games and I feel like with my experience I can do well and hopefully it continues."
Perez played all 90 minutes against the Fire. He'd only appeared as a late substitute this season prior to Saturday's match. For having only played two minutes before Saturday, Perez said he felt he held his own in his first start of the season.
"I thought I did OK. It was my first game. It's been awhile since I played in a game. I was coming off a couple of injuries and been out for a while. I got a little chance to get in there with Jonny being gone and I felt I did pretty good," Perez said. "I struggled the last 10-15 minutes fitness-wise but it's a start and gives me something to build on."
Perez is one of four Chivas USA players still remaining who were on the roster before the start of the first season. He started 24 games and appeared in three more as a substitute that season. Even with Bornstein's emergence in 2006, Perez was still a valuable contributor to the club as he started 11 of the 23 games in which he played.
A groin injury, though, robbed him of the start of the 2007 season, but he's recovered his health just in time.
"For him not playing for a while and just trying to get back in the lineup and getting into game speed I thought it went well for him," Chivas USA midfielder Jesse Marsch said. "He's still a veteran guy and we've got to be able to count on him in one of these games here to be one of our leaders on the field and off the field so we're counting on him big time that's for sure."
Still, though Perez filled his role in the match, Chivas USA coach Preki said the veteran defender has room for improvement.
"I would have liked to see him go forward a little bit more but on the other side of things I thought he did a decent job defensively," Preki said. "Every time your defenders defend properly you should be happy because that's why they are defenders. But if they can give you something offensively that's a bonus. I sometimes think Orlando has a lot of things to give you going forward."
When he's the left back, Bornstein has freedom to roam and is often involved in the attack during the match. But while Bornstein has six goals in 40 career games and Perez has two in 150, coaches aren't exactly telling Perez to stay back.
"We encourage him to go forward and I think in this game he did a decent job of doing that but I think he can do even better," Preki said. "Maybe he didn't want to push forward because he was tired but overall I thought he did a decent job."
Luis Bueno is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
