With their two national team players back in the fold and a host of young players hitting their stride, Chivas USA are ready to battle the champions. The Red-and-White plays host to reigning MLS Cup champions Columbus Crew on Sunday evening at The Home Depot Center.
Chivas USA have a 4-2-2 lifetime record against Columbus, and split games with them last year. The Red-and-White have won the last three meetings between the teams at The Home Depot Center, scoring six goals and allowing just one, but will not be underestimating the Crew on Sunday.
"They're a good team," said Chivas USA head coach Preki. "Regardless of whether they've had a tough start or not, they're still the champions of this league."
The Red-and-White have started the year with a perfect 2-0 record and have relied on a number of new players to help earn victories. New signings Bojan Stepanovic and Eduardo Lillingston each scored a goal last week against FC Dallas, with debutant Gerson Mayen notching an assist in his first appearance with the starting XI.
Chivas USA will continue to demand strong performances from its newer players in the attacking third, as the team is still suffering from injuries to its striker corps. Justin Braun, Maykel Galindo and Alecko Eskandarian are all recovering from minor injuries, while MLS Original Ante Razov continues to recuperate after surgery at the end of last season.
Columbus is coming off a 4-1 road loss to Real Salt Lake on Thursday night, and is yet to get a win in the 2009 season. The reigning champions will be eager to earn three points in Carson.
"They have a good team that you have to be ready for," said Chivas USA defender Jonathan Bornstein, who along with Sacha Kljestan returned to the team late in the week from U.S. international duty. "You have to know their strengths and try to shut those down."
Much of Columbus' strength comes from its talismanic all-star Guillermo Barros Schelotto. The Argentinean led the league in assists last year (19) and has already scored two goals in the 2009 campaign.
"He's the guy who gets that team going," said Preki. "We just have to make sure that we limit his space and his touches as much as we can. The harder we are on him, the more successful we'll be. It's not an easy task."
The responsibility of handling Schelotto will fall largely on the shoulders of the Chivas USA backline. The combination of Shavar Thomas, Carey Talley, Mariano Trujillo and Bornstein has only allowed one goal in 120 minutes of play.
"I think we want to be very tight on him," said Bornstein. "He's probably not going to beat you with speed, but when he gets the ball, he's very good with it. He has an uncanny ability to go around you and get into some space, so we need to be ready for his moves and play him straight up."
Columbus is also particularly strong on set pieces, something the Red-and-White will have to be aware of.
"They're very dangerous," said Bornstein. "They've got some big guys in the box. With Chad Marshall coming forward, you have to be careful. He's amazing in the air."
While containing Columbus will be no easy task, confidence is high in the Chivas USA camp ahead of Sunday's game. The Red-and-White have lost only one regular season contest at The Home Depot Center in the last 10 matches, and will be looking to continue their home-field dominance against the Crew.
"They're a good team, of course, being champions last year," said Mayen. "But we're going to come out and try to get a win here at home."
Jeffrey King is a contributor to MLSnet.com.
