CARSON, Calif. - Experience and veteran leadership helped Chivas USA earn respectability around Major League Soccer. But it's the youngsters who could help guide the club to the next level.
While veterans such as Claudio Suarez, Ante Razov and Jesse Marsch are vital, the youthful trio of Francisco "Panchito" Mendoza, Sacha Kljestan and Jonathan Bornstein could help Chivas USA take the next step toward becoming a title contender. Mendoza's attacking prowess, Kljestan's emerging leadership skills and Bornstein's all-around game could all improve substantially over last season and help guide Chivas USA to a return trip to the MLS Cup Playoffs.
"Those three guys are key for us this year," defender Orlando Perez said. "They're young and they have experience and they have very good qualities. It shows in practice and it's going to show in the games."
With the departures of Francisco Palencia and Juan Pablo Garcia, the club lost some important pieces of its 2006 puzzle. The club acquired Amado Guevara to offset Garcia's loss and Maykel Galindo to help fill Palencia's void.
But the true reinforcements were already on the team.
"Last year was an important year for them," said first-year Chivas USA coach Preki. "They all played a lot of minutes and I think this year I expect them to play an even bigger role on this team."
At the start of the 2006 season, the youthful trio was largely inexperienced. Mendoza was still a baby-faced youngster while Kljestan and Bornstein were unproven rookies. All three earned starting spots in what was an experienced lineup.
Now, the trio is set for a larger role on the team.
"Between Bornstein, Panchito and myself, we're going to have a bigger load to carry this year," Kljestan said. "I think we're going to have more important roles in the team. Not to say we weren't important last year, because we were, but I think we have to take it further now and be more leaders as young guys and be better every day and demand more out of ourselves every day and become good players on this team and good players in this league. It's a big deal for us three to have a good season for this team to be successful."
Chivas USA had the top pick in the 2006 SuperDraft but instead of drafting the consensus No. 1 pick Marvell Wynne, Chivas USA traded the pick to the then-MetroStars and received defender Jason Hernandez as well as the fifth pick in the draft. Chivas USA quickly nabbed Sacha Kljestan and the Seton Hall product became a fixture in the lineup. He started all but one game last year and finished the season with seven assists.
Kljestan paired with veteran Marsch to form one of the most formidable and dependable central midfield pairings in the league. The duo finished the season with a combined 61 starts.
"It's not just up to me. The task will fall on the 11 players who are on the field and the players on the bench. Everyone just needs to contribute their part and we'll be fine." |
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<strong>-- Francisco Mendoza</strong><br>
Chivas USA midfielder
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While Kljestan and Marsch handled the central midfield, Mendoza manned the left flank. Prior to the start of last season, Mendoza was the only one of Chivas' three youngsters who had shown anything in MLS. Thrown into action in Chivas USA's first-ever match, Mendoza finished the 2005 season with 1,878 minutes and 24 games played. Last year, he scored his first three career goals while starting 31 games.
Mendoza enters the 2007 season knowing the added weight he'll have to carry.
"Personally, I think more will be expected from me but I am working hard and training hard to reach those expectations," Mendoza said. "It's not just up to me. The task will fall on the 11 players who are on the field and the players on the bench. Everyone just needs to contribute their part and we'll be fine."
Bornstein was perhaps the greatest revelation in the entire league. An attacking player out of UCLA, Bornstein moved to left back and blossomed. He moved around the field when injuries hit the club in the summer and Bornstein responded with four goals in July and finished the season with six goals. He was named Rookie of the Year and beat out Kljestan for the honor.
But Bornstein sprained his knee in the preseason after tasting success with the U.S. national team. He has been forced to watch much of the preseason from the sidelines, and he said he liked what he saw from his two teammates.
"Through the games in the preseason, Pancho and Sacha have been doing very well," Bornstein said. "We've got a couple of players around them like Amado (Guevara) and (Alex) Zotinca on the right side and it's taken a little bit of time to get used to. All three of us when the season starts will be good to go and hopefully produce a lot."
Though the players' full potential has yet to be reached, their mentality and character is already there.
"Even though they're young, they play like veterans," Perez said. "They have this poise to them and control on the field where we don't worry about them on the field. They can take care of themselves."
Luis Bueno is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
