After three sports hernia surgeries kept him on the sidelines for much of the 2008 season, Chivas USA striker Maykel Galindo made a triumphant return to the pitch Saturday, as Chivas fell to the Chicago Fire 2-1 in a tight preseason at The Home Depot Center.
"I feel good," said Galindo. "It was nice to get some minutes and I'm excited to continue training to be ready for the season."
The 2007 Chivas USA golden boot winner (12 goals) came on in the 60th minute and had an almost immediate impact, drawing a penalty kick in the 70th minute that Sacha Kljestan subsequently knocked home.
"Maykel gave us a good spark off the bench," said Kljestan. "Hopefully he continues to get healthy and we can get him more minutes."
Galindo was partnered with second-year striker Justin Braun, a combination that could become a mainstay in the Chivas USA lineup this season.
"Playing with Justin feels good," said Maykel. "He holds the ball well and helps to create space in front of the net. I'm looking forward to playing together a lot more."
Chivas USA Head Coach Preki was pleased with the Cuban striker's return.
"It was nice to see Maykel on the field," said Preki. "We all know what a difference he makes for us."
The Red-and-White played a strong 90 minutes against the visiting Chicago Fire but ultimately fell victim to two early goals from Justin Mapp and Brian McBride.
"The first half was a bit disappointing," said new signing Ante Jazic. "But I thought we showed a little more fight and came together as a team in the second."
Jazic played an impressive 90 minutes at left back, often streaking forward to help create offensive chances. The effort will surely aid his bid for a starting job on March 21st.
Another new face with a strong performance was trialist Eduardo Lillingstone, who is still fighting to secure a future with the club.
"Lillingston is here now," said Preki, "And we will make a decision about him in the next day or so."
The loss to Chicago is Chivas USA's second preseason defeat to MLS competition in four days, but Preki isn't sounding any alarm bells yet.
"It's a preseason game," he said. "The result is not our primary concern."
"What's most important is to get ready for the home opener and to get some of our injured guys a bit of time to push them with their fitness. That was the main objective for today."
The Red-and-White's final preseason match will be against the Houston Dynamo at The Home Depot Center on Friday, March 13.
"Obviously, if you're going to lose, you'd rather do it in preseason," Jazic said. "We still have one more game against Houston to get things right and head into the season positively."
Jeffrey King is a contributor to MLSnet.com.
