Revaluating Last Night’s Stomping of rsl (Why there is more to be Desired From this Young Team)
By: David | April 22nd, 2007I have returned and will now continue my comments from the last post. Alright, I agree my title was a bit over the top and not indicative of Chivas play. The first half was brilliant soccer, with the team working together and dominating a very pathetic rsl team. The second half was another story and very reminiscent of last week’s game against houston. Chivas played the ball back way too much and made some very poor passes. The midfield looked very porous, causing some worry as rsl tried to capitalize on Chivas “sloppy” play.
This was a game that showed both the potential of Chivas and the youth of the team. Quite unlike last year’s season under Bradley, Chivas has proven to be a very attacking minded team. But this only lasted in the first half, with the second half being overrun by very tentative play and odd moves. If we are going to be competing for the championship this year, the team will have to work on its consistency, communication and overall play. The first two goals by Galindo were great, same with the goal by Razov; however, Chivas looked like a different team in the second half.
As for the players I completely agree with Eric about Guevara, he has proven to be quite a waste this season and definitely not worth the DP slot we traded for him. Guevara did make a few nice passes, but that was about it as he moved around the pitch not really knowing where to go. He did take a few shots, all of which were completely off and a waste of time and effort. Where the hell is the Guevara we saw last year and the type of player he claims he is. At this point in time, Guevara has proven to be just as much of a cap waste as John O’Brian. The only difference is that Guevara actually plays.
Galindo, Panchito and Vaughn are all proving to be great players, as they showed last night. Galindo still needs to work on consistency, as he declined in play after scoring the first two goals. Panchito is everywhere but needs to work on his shot making skills and timing. Vaughn is the most improved player, going from obscurity last year to a potent defender this year. He continues to amaze us with his speed and defensive mindset. As the team progresses these players will prove to be a key to our success.
The refs were horrible and even the LA Times noted this: “There was other negative news too, with Galindo and midfielders Jesse Marsch and Sacha Kljestan each picking up yellow cards from out-of-form referee Hilario Grajeda, who appeared to make several blatantly bad calls on each team.” Something needs to be done with these refs as they are continually making bad calls.
The tickets are way to expensive and the FO is not doing anything to help. Did you know that last night if you brought your kids to the game, they would get free tickets for the rest of the season? This was not widely marketed and something that should have been in both the newspapers and on TV. The marketing problem is something that will require a longer post which will come out tomorrow or Tuesday…….
We should work together to come up with ideas to help Chivas get people into the stands.
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$35 for the cheapest ticket?! what was the basis for the price increase?
on a side note, i think chivas is limiting its potential fan base by spending most of its resources trying to attract the mexican fan (and of those, non-chivas mexican fans tend to despise the team). i understand its a mexican franchise, but the FO needs to find a way to keep its mexican tradition while finding ways to reach out to fans of other backgrounds (the galaxy, especially with the beckham signing, are gradually taking away the fan base that we could have had–also attracting an influx of central americans).
there’s something about chivas that makes it seem almost as if its a visitor in its own league. lots of people see it as a gimmick (especially with the USA name – something you brougth up earlier).
the special thing about chivas-Guadalajara is that they can boast that they field an all-mexican team (the mexican teams can identify with that and many from outside guadalajara love the club for that). its a little different with CUSA.
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as far as the game, im convinced that having a comfortable halftime lead had an impact on the unorganized play we had in the 2nd half. on the bright side, we had plenty shots on goal (but then again, we MISSED tons of easy shots).glad to see galindo getting props from the LA Times. he deserves it – i hope it just shows him that he can be something great if he keeps working hard.
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United States
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I agree with what you are saying and some of the problems that you bring up. The Chivas FO/Owners came into the MLS thinking that by just providing the brand name of Chivas, people would flock to the stadium. Couple that with loading the roster with second tier Mexican players and a lack of marketing, led us to a regression. At this point in time, the team is hurting, as its image is in shambles. As such, the Chivas FO needs to rethink its plan of attack so as to create something out of this mishap.
When I was working for them, I came across a ticket rep who had worked for the Anaheim Angeles. During his tenure with the Angles, the ticket reps were instructed to treat everyone as a potential ticket holder and not to go after just one group. It was the idea that everyone, families included, were a potential target for the team. And I think that is where the Chivas FO has it wrong, and like you said they are specializing on one aspect of the fan. For the most part, that has not worked, as is exemplified by the poor attendance.
Instead of trying to duplicate the team in Guadalajara, which they cannot do, they should be working to make a wholly unique team in LA. The roster already is filled with players representing numerous different countries, why are they not using this to their advantage. The team should be sold as “world” team that everyone can follow, because the team represents everyone. It is a melting pot, quite like Los Angeles.
As for your comment about the Galaxy taking away our “fan base” this is not true, as the people who are going to see Becks are not true soccer fans. These are people obsessed with fame and glamour, and could care less about soccer. If that was not true then the Galaxy home opener would have been sold out and overflowing. We do not want the fans that will attracted to the Galaxy as they are the existing problem. We should be going after the sports fan, someone who will create an allegiance to the team and keep coming regardless if there is a big name player or not.
The Chivas FO should be looking at how to address the needs and desires of the fans instead of trying to determine what they want. They should be reaching out to the fans, asking them what they want to see. An example of this, the Atlanta Falcons owner. He went out and asked the fans what they wanted and guess what, he provided them with everything they desired. In doing so, the stadium has sold out ever game since he took over; there is now a waiting list.
I could keep on talking about this issue, but we need more people to create dialogue. I am planning on posting more about this tomorrow.
Posted from
United States
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