CARSON, Calif. - Chivas USA's plan for its goalkeepers was simple: draft a talented youngster and have him develop under the tutelage of a Mexican veteran. This would have provided the expansion side instant stability while keeping an eye on the future.
As it turned out, the veteran's knee gave way and the youngster has been thrown into the fire.
Just one month before the start of the regular season, Chivas USA keeper Martin Zuñiga went down in a crumpled heap against the U.S. national team. He still has not yet recovered from his knee injury. Brad Guzan, the club's first pick in the SuperDraft, took over and it's been a rough initiation for Guzan and Chivas USA.
"He gets thrown to the wolves as a very young player, a very inexperienced player," Chivas USA head coach Thomas Rongen said. "It's been a tough learning process. The one thing as a coach you don't want to do is you don't want this to be a completely negative experience for him."
After four games, Chivas USA holds an unsightly 0-3-1 mark. Guzan, the second overall pick in the draft, has allowed 11 goals in those four games.
"Unfortunately right now there haven't been too many positive things going his way or the team's way for that matter," Rongen said. "To put everything squarely on his shoulder would be the wrong thing to do as well. This is a total team effort. We haven't done well in group defending or team defending."
Guzan said he's doing his part not to feel responsible for all of the club's defensive shortcomings.
"I try not to take it to personal because the confidence will start to drop and everything will just fall apart after that," he said. "I try to stay as confident as possible."
That Guzan figures to be a large part of the club's future does not seem to be in question. Rongen said he expects Guzan to develop into a good goalkeeper. But for the short term, Guzan might find himself without much playing time.
"It's going to be tough for us to continue to tell him that we feel he's still a goalkeeper that can perform for us. Over time, I think this has been a great learning experience and this will probably make him a better goalkeeper," Rongen said.
Guzan said he's tried to stay upbeat even as the deluge of opposing goals continues.
"I'm pretty sure the plan wasn't for me to start right away. But what are you going to do? The situation presented itself and that's where we are today," he said. "I'm a 20-year-old goalkeeper stepping into a pretty large role. I'm just trying to do my best to help the team and help the guys."
Zuñiga had all the credentials necessary for being a successful Chivas USA keeper. He led Chivas of Guadalajara to a Mexican league title. He played for the Mexican national team and was primed to take on a new challenge.
Originally, Rongen envisioned Zuñiga as Chivas USA's starting 'keeper and Guzan observing from the sideline, not the other way around.
"When we initially drafted him, we thought he could be a goalkeeper of the future for us," Rongen said. "Martin Zuñiga was clearly our No. 1 guy and for Brad to have been able to learn from such an experienced goalkeeper would have been great and giving him some action in an Open Cup game or a friendly game would have been great for him."
The transition from the University of South Carolina and the U.S. under-18 national team to Major League Soccer has been complicated. At South Carolina, Guzan posted solid goals-against numbers: a 0.96 goals-against average as a freshman, 1.36 goals-against average as a sophomore. Now, he's given up a league-high 11 goals.
Guzan has had his share of difficulties adjusting to professional soccer.
"The speed of play, the way balls come in from crosses, is just so much faster than he's accustomed to in college or with the under-18 national team. He's adjusting to that and making progress," Rongen said. "Keepers bloom late normally. We can't expect miracles overnight."
Zuñiga is 1-2 weeks away from coming back. He's been training with the club for more than one week but Rongen said the former Mexican international needs more time to practice and gain full strength in the knee.
Although no timetable has been set for his return, Zuñiga may be available for Chivas USA's match against Real Salt Lake on May 7.
Luis Bueno is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
