With match day creeping up on us once again — as the weekend so often does, before it leaps out the window for good and we're left with a new week — I thought it prudent to do as I usually do. You know — a match preview, all that. But you know? Match previews are hard when our form is as wobbly as it has been this season.
That's not conceding defeat, though. As ever, a march on to the key points.
Our two absences of note are to Jamison Olave and Ned Grabavoy. Jamison is suspended through yellow card accumulation — perhaps a fine thing, as it gives him a rest and gives Chris Schuler a chance to make his center back return (he played as a left back against Houston, which was his real return) — although that's not to discount the impact and effects the speedster has on the squad.
I reckon this is a good sort of match for Chris Schuler: Chivas USA have been, at best, hapless up front (and now at the back, despite their strong start to the season). He won't be able to rest on his laurels — not one bit — but he shouldn't be entirely too troubled. Of course, for all I know, he's ready for all the trouble that could be thrown at him; he was, after all, approaching a very high level for the team before his injury.
Ned Grabavoy's absence is a little more complex. We lack a true like-for-like replacement — though Olave and Schuler are certainly very different sorts of defenders — in that our style of play necessarily changes based on our midfield personnel. Jason Kreis didn't reveal who he expects will replace Ned today, but he did indicate that he'll be giving someone a chance, and he, as the coach,is quite excited about it. What does that mean? I don't know. I wish I knew. I have my wistful thoughts, but with those statements in mind, he's thrown me for a loop. For posterity, here's the quote in question: "I'm actually eager to get the one who's going to play tomorrow his opportunity." Huh.
I'd speculate, but that whole being wrong thing — I hate that. So, keeping in mind my distaste for idle speculation (and penchant for it, if I'm to be totally honest), what follows is a brief list of players who might play there, ordered by likelihood of play combined with Jason's chance statement (read that and more on Grabavoy's absence on RSL Soapbox). Luis Gil (though he lacks the chance attribute a bit), Jonny Steele (who rather entirely lacks to chance attribute, as he's been given lots of chances), Sebastian Velasquez, Enzo Martinez, Yordany Alvarez, Nico Muñiz.
Anyway, no predictions made here. Not yet.
Everything else is down to us. We've got to watch out for counter attacks and whatnot, but we simply must be willing to attack in numbers. With Chivas weak in the attack, we should do our best to take reasonable advantage of that. At this point in the season, there's no reason for us to sit back and play for a draw — not that we usually do — and there's no reason for us to not attempt a recovery of goal difference over our table-neighbor foes — some of whom happen to be real neighbors (of sorts) with tonight's opponents.
Right, a lineup prediction. I'm not going on the safe side.
Rimando; Wingert, Borchers, Schuler, Beltran; Beckerman, Velasquez, Johnson, Morales (for his 125th game); Espindola, Paulo (with Saborio coming off the bench). There. Have at it.
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