In each of their first three seasons, Chivas USA showed gradual signs of improvement. The Red-and-White went from bottom of the table in 2005 to the MLS Cup Playoffs in 2006 and won the Western Conference regular season title in 2007.
Each of those seasons, though, had a vastly different starting point. The club went through a makeover prior to the 2006 season and welcomed its fourth head coach before the 2007 campaign.
Now, however, the club finally has a solid foundation built on years of a slow and steady climb.
"It's good to be in this position," Chivas USA goalkeeper Brad Guzan said. "Having guys back, having that team camaraderie and unit that we had when we left off with last year is good."
Chivas USA welcomed most of its key players from a year ago back. In fact, of the 13 players who logged more than 1,000 minutes a year ago, a dozen return. One of the most productive forward tandems in the league last year returns intact and healthy as Maykel Galindo (who scored a team-high 12 goals) and Ante Razov (11 goals) should again be the focal point of the attack. Sacha Kljestan (team-high 13 assists) will likely be looked at for offense again while defenders Shavar Thomas and Claudio Suarez will man the middle from the start this time around.
Unlike a year ago, when players such as Thomas and Paulo Nagamura joined the team during the season, the club's key players now have at least one year together, and the continuity is certainly a plus, players said.
"This being the third season I've been here, we went from kind of a zero starting point to the next year being one step higher of a starting point and now being a step higher after that. Certainly we have 11 guys who have played a lot together on the field last year," midfielder Jesse Marsch said. "We feel good about our group. We understand each other and I think we understand how to get things done. We all understand Preki and now it's just trying to fine tune little things and mix in the new guys in the right way."
Stability is not just a luxury, however. It is a tried-and-true tested formula for success in MLS. Two-time MLS champions Houston Dynamo have had many of their key players in place, for instance. Supporters' Shield holders D.C. United had their resurgence led by a similar key core group of players. Chivas USA is trying to replicate a bit of that success as well.
"You have a core group that has spent the majority of two seasons together now. It helps for sure. You see a lot of the successful teams in the league and they have the same core base," Razov said. "However, every year you have a new challenge."
This year's challenge will be twofold. The club needs to incorporate newcomers such as longtime Swiss international Raphael Wicky and MLS Cup 2004 Most Valuable Player Alecko Eskandarian into the fold. Wicky is a talented and experienced player who should help boost the midfield and overall level of play. Eskandarian, meanwhile, adds depth to the frontline, depth that was lacking a year ago when both Galindo and Razov suffered disastrous injuries at the end of the season.
Also, Chivas USA is entering uncharted waters. The club will not only gun for its first-ever MLS Cup title, but the Red-and-White will compete in other tournaments as well.
"You have the MLS season, Open Cup, SuperLiga and the CONCACAF (Champions League)," Marsch said. "There are four separate challenges for us and I think that Preki and the front office, the organization has done a good job to try and pad our roster a little bit more and that we're ready for more games if we have injuries and that kind of stuff. I think we all feel good about that."
Though Chivas USA has shown improvement in the regular season, the club is still learning how to handle knockout games. In four playoff games, Chivas USA has posted a 1-2-1 record and has yet to win a playoff series. In Open Cup play, Chivas USA is 1-3 and has been ousted twice by teams who play outside of MLS.
But this year, the club will have plenty of chances to right its previous wrongs.
"With four tournaments, that's four opportunities to win a trophy," Guzan said.
Still, with the intrigue of the newly expanded CONCACAF tournament, the tradition of the Open Cup and the allure of playing Mexican teams in a competitive environment, there is one tournament that stands out above the others, players said.
"More than anything I think that the league takes precedence and we need to figure out a way to put together another good regular season and put ourselves in position to make a run in the playoffs," Marsch said.
Chivas USA has a bit of an added incentive this season. MLS Cup 2008 will be played at The Home Depot Center. Club CEO Shawn Hunter said recently that he would love to see his club playing in the match.
Players, though, said they did not perceive the executive's wishes as any added extra pressure at all.
"We're expecting us to get that far," Guzan said. "We know what we have in the locker room, with the coaching staff and players, and the attitude and the ability we have in that locker room. We're expecting to get there and not just management. It's the whole organization and I think that's a positive, to have that mind frame and not in a sense where we're cocky or overlooking guys or teams. We know it's going to be a difficult road but we're confident that we can go in and get some key results and get the job done."
Chivas USA will encounter many obstacles on their path toward MLS Cup, however. This team needs to get results and continue improving and finding the form that led them to the 2007 Western Conference crown. Depth will be tested in tournaments and with potential U.S. national team call-ups. And the coaching staff will have to adjust with the losses of goalkeepers coach Zak Abdel to the U.S. national team and Martin Vasquez to Bayern Munich.
Despite all that, however, players said there will only be one thing that will keep this year from being disappointing.
"In our league it's tough. You never know what's going to happen," Razov said. "We definitely set the bar high last year. We were disappointed and we felt we could have gone further. The goal this year is to go further and to win something. We've got to win something. Otherwise it will be disappointing."
Luis Bueno is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
