After a tough stretch this summer, Chivas USA feel they are back on track. The team got its second victory in as many games on Saturday night, earning a 2-0 win against Toronto FC at The Home Depot Center.
The Red-and-White had struggled to find the back of the net for much of July, but wins against New York and now Toronto have re-ignited a squad that currently sits in fourth place in the Western Conference.
"I felt we were the better team," said Chivas USA head coach Preki. "It was just a matter of time before we were going to put a couple of plays together and score. Hopefully, we can keep this going."
Chivas USA was led by an outstanding performance from Sacha Kljestan. The midfielder was active all evening on the left flank and scored his first two goals of the 2009 season.
"I felt confident," said Kljestan. "I felt like the game was moving at my speed; I was dictating the game when I had the ball. Two wins in a row is good for us so we hope to build on this."
Kljestan has struggled to find his best form for much of the 2009 season. A Best XI selection last season, the southern California native hadn't scored a goal since June 19, 2008 and had trouble making an impact in many of the Red-and-White's early games this season.
"It's just one of those things," he said of the slump. "It happens in soccer sometimes. You get discouraged and then it's even harder to come back. But I've been talking with the coaches and working hard to get my confidence back, and it's been good. The last three weeks of training have been good for me."
With his two goals, it provided a payoff for those weeks of work.
"I thought he had a really good game," said Preki. "We've been talking a lot, trying to get him back where he was. We all know that Sacha has a lot of talent, so if he [continues to] play like this, the door is open for him."
The Red-and-White also got strong play from the team's two new signings -- Brazilian striker Maicon Santos and ex-Chivas de Guadalajara man Jesús Padilla. Santos was dangerous all night, causing problems for the Toronto defense with fancy footwork and good runs.
"He has a lot of talent," said Preki of Santos. "He has a really soft touch and you can see on the second goal when he plays Sacha; he plays a ball that not too many players can play."
Santos assisted Kljestan on the second goal with an incisive pass that left the U.S. international wide open in front of the Toronto net.
"He set me up perfectly," said Kljestan. "He's a good addition to the team. I was happy he got the start tonight because I enjoy playing with him."
Padilla played on the right flank and was mobile all evening in his first MLS start.
"I was excited to play my first MLS minutes," said Padilla. "[It was my] first game, so I had to relax a little bit and get used to it. MLS is nothing easy. They're fast and strong and I knew it was going to be a tough game."
Lance Parker also had a good night. Getting the start in goal in place of the injured Zach Thornton, Parker made a few solid saves in his first career MLS win and shutout.
"I'm pretty excited," he said. "We came out a lot stronger than we have and we didn't let them get on top of us early in the match. When we did get up a goal, we didn't sit back and just defend; we kept on going at them and got that second goal which was helpful for us."
Chivas USA now head to Utah to take on conference rival Real Salt Lake on Wednesday before returning to Los Angeles for the third installment of the 2009 SuperClásico against the LA Galaxy on Saturday.
"We have a nice couple of wins behind us now and we have a couple of games that we can do something about," said Preki. "When we step on the field, whether it's against Real Salt Lake or the Galaxy, we know that things are in our hands. So hopefully we can do something about that.
"We're not going to be satisfied just making the playoffs," he continued. "I think we can go further than that."
Jeffrey King is a contributor to MLSnet.com.
