One thing that struck me first at the Chicago game and then against Chivas is that it seems some people are too stupid to realize that Chivas USA is not the same team as Chivas Guadalajara.  Chivas USA is just merely MLS' first really attempt to market to the Hispanic population and so far it's been working to a point.  On the road Chivas draws a lot of fans wearing Guadalajara jerseys (who seem to be too thick to realize they aren't the same team) but at home, they only sell the cheap seats at the Home Depot Center.

It's an RCB tradition that we roast a goat before matches against Chivas.  This first came from our noble leader Heretic who found goat for sale at an African market somewhere on State Street.  The tailgate this match was not too bad for us, we rigged up a tarp Hooverville and had a heater going in it to make sure we didn't freeze to death.  The goat wasn't done cooking by the time we went in, so we let it run on the grill during the match so it was finished when we came back out afterwards.  Goat isn't that bad tasting.  to me it sort of tasted like rabbit. 

As for the match, all that can be said is, mehh.  No shape whatsoever.  Most telling however was that the whole team seemed to just be listless.  It was like watching a pre-season game or something.  I don't think Kreis has a clue as to who are the best players on the team and what the starting XI should be.  I don't think he has an idea of which types of players work well with each other.  For example, Findley and Brown don't work well together.  Speaking of Brown, again you have to chalk up his goal to luck. He basically tripped over the ball and it went in the net.  Guess it still counts doesn't it?  Otherwise, he jogged around the pitch for 90 minutes.  I would sure love to make $80,000 to jog around the pitch.  What would really have worked better is to start Movsisyan (finally we have a back to the goal forward) and Espindola or Findley who are complimented by Movsisyan. 

Lancos can't mark someone to save his life.  Both of Cunliffe's goals came from not being marked and left free to do what he wanted in front of net.  Mantilla played well for the most part.  Kotschau wasn't horrible, but at the same time, we may get one more year out of his, but that will be it.  Tally I think is in the same boat.  Having Forko and Lancos on the outside at the same time is nothing more than scary. 

As for the midfield, even Beckerman didn't have a great game.  The best player in the midfield was Williams.  Williams is like Juan Roman Riquelme, he can do amazing things a couple of times a game, but don't count on him to really have much of a work rate.  I honestly think the reliance on work rate to determine a player's value we seem to have inherited from the English is not the best way to go. Whatever the plan is with this formation, it just doesn't seem to work.  I really wonder what Kreis is thinking sometimes, because he doesn't seem to have much of a clue as to who should play where and what needs to be done.  While Kreis is the ultimate garbage goal guy, and loves guys like him, you need someone up top who isn't a garbage goal guy to create that garbage. 

Well, now that the team has officially given up, and decided this is more or less a preseason, I am really scared as to what Houston will do to us. 

        

 

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