Photo by C.A.M. Stephans

By now you have probably heard the Bob Bradley deadline of May 23 to announce his call-ups for the U.S. National Team. This is a critical call-up, as not only will these players play in the 2011 Gold Cup but also in the friendly versus Spain.  As such, Bob Bradley will likely go the opposite of Camp Cupcake and take a veteran lineup to Foxborough.

But should he?  What should be the goals of the US Men’s National Team, June 2011 edition?  I’d argue the following should be the goals of Bob Bradley’s squad, in this order:

1. Win the Gold Cup and punch the ticket to the Confederations Cup
2. Begin finding the players for the 2014 World Cup
3. Not embarrass the country in the Spain match

In order to do this, Bob Bradley should bring a mix of veterans and up-and-comers, and in the process take a few gambles with this team.  Here are my suggestions by position for Coach Bradley, as well as a few predictions of who he will actually bring.  Feel free to agree or disagree in the comments section:

Keepers He Should Bring: Tim Howard, Marcus Hahnemann, and Bill Hamid

Keepers He Will Bring: Howard, Hahnemannn, and David Yeldell

Until he proves otherwise, Tim Howard is the #1 keeper for this team and that will not change during the World Cup. The #2 keeper should be someone with experience who can step in during an emergency, so Hahnemann fits that profile as he transitions from Europe to MLS.  Brad Guzan is seemingly on the outs with Bradley plus scheduled his wedding for the end of this month.  Bradley could go with David Yeldell to continue the German connection but could again give Dominic Cervi a chance to earn a place on the team, despite the fact he can’t even get a start for his club team.  One day Howard will be too old to play for this team, and the US needs to begin planning for that now.  The final spot should go to a young stud who should begin to be groomed to be the next Tim Howard; the two MLS candidates right now are Sean Johnson and Bill Hamid, with Hamid getting the call due to having a better season so far.

Defenders He Should Bring: (starters) Tim Chandler, Oguchi Onyewu, Clarence Goodson, Carlos Bocanegra, (bench) Steve Cherundolo, Zak Whitbread, Tim Ream, Jonathan Bornstein, Chad Marshall

Defenders He Will Bring: (starters) Cherundolo, Goodson, Onyewu, Bocanegra, (bench) Chandler, Bornstein, Ream, Whitbread, Eric Lichaj

The backline is up in the air, but you can bet Bradley will go conservative here.  The U.S.’s biggest problem has been conceding early goals, so Bradley will likely thwart this by throwing out a veteran lineup.  My thought is that the Gold Cup is put up or shut up time for two U.S. defenders – Tim Chandler and Gooch.  Gooch is coming back from injury and it’s time to see if he can be an international starting defender before 2014 qualification.  Tim Chandler took the soccer scene by storm with a good showing against Paraguay; now’s a good time to see if he can maintain the hype.

Midfielders He Should Bring: (4-2-3-1) Michael Bradley, Jonathan Spector, Landon Donovan, Mikkel Diskerud, Clint Dempsey, (bench) Benny Feilhaber, Brek Shea, Alejandro Bedoya

Midfielders He Will Bring: (4-4-2) Donovan, Bradley, Jermaine Jones, Dempsey, (bench) Edu, Feilhaber, Bedoya, Jonathan Spector

I have always been a believer in the U.S. playing with 5 midfielders, with Bradley and Spector alternating between making advancing runs and playing back in the holding role.  Donovan and Dempsey are locks to start but the U.S. needs someone with vision and talent to make the right pass to get the wings and forward the ball in scoring chances.  Although young, Diskerud has shown flashes of this ability and he should get a chance now.  If nothing else, a call-up binds him to the U.S.  On the bench, Brek Shea has shown the ability to be a world class midfielder, with FC Dallas’ recent good run of form showing how good Shea can be.  Bradley, however, will probably fall back into the comfortable 4-4-2 and keep his standards in the midfield.  The bench for Bradley will also be experienced, with players we’ve seen before who have specific talents for specific scenarios.

Forwards He Should Bring: Teal Bunbury, Jozy Altidore, Chris Wondolowski

Forwards He Will Bring: Altidore, Juan Agudelo, Herculez Gomez

Let’s be ambitious.  If Bradley plays a 4-2-3-1, he needs a lone striker type, something Altidore is not.  He is talented enough to make the team, but he needs a second forward up front with him.  Agudelo could be that guy, but he is in danger of over-exposure and over-use this year.  Let’s see if Bunbury is as good internationally or better than Agudelo.  In the same vein, let’s give Chris Wondolowski one more chance.  The guy can score in MLS, so let’s see if he can do the same for the national team.

Tomorrow night (or evening for those on the West Coast) the United States January camp team will take the pitch against Chile in a friendly where both sides are lacking all of their biggest stars.  Chile is a good South American squad, normally second-tier behind countries like Brazil and Argentina, but with their former coach leading the team and not bringing many starters, this is a tough match to judge how far the U.S. is coming against international competition.  And as has been stated ad nasuem, this is a very very young United States team, with a total of 23 caps.

However, January friendlies do tell a lot about the state of the national team, and as Steve Davis of Sports Illustrated notes here, otherwise mundane January friendlies do have a tendency to help a different player make a name for himself every year and become the new “hot” national team star.

So who could be the camp player who makes a name for himself against Chile?

The players who get the most attention are the goal scorers, but I will give you two candidates I think will have all the buzz on Sunday.  Please note that my predictions and thoughts throughout this post come not from first-hand observation (as I do not live in California) but from following those people who have seen the camp up-close.  I think in the back Anthony Wallace will have a breakout game.  My projected starting left back has the opportunity to fulfill a need on this team.  Jonathan Bornstein is probably your Gold Cup starter in that position, but it is not a deep one for the U.S.  Wallace has the chance to impress and earn a chance for playing time if Bornstein fails, and he has to be ready to play against Esteban Paredes, the Colo-Colo striker who is the one legitimate star on the Chile roster.

My second candidate for “It” player coming out of this match is Mikkel Diskerud.  He got some attention for his excellent play (and assist) in the South Africa match but I think this will be the game where he takes his profile to another level.  I expect to see more of the smart distribution and ball control he showed against South Africa and win a definite call-up to the Gold Cup team.

Below is my best guess at the starters, and I will assume Bob Bradley will play a chic 4-2-3-1.

Keeper: If I am Bob Bradley, my keeper for important matches is Tim Howard without a doubt.  Three of the four keepers in camp are about Brad Guzan’s age, so if I am Bob Bradley I want to see if Sean Johnson is long-term starting material, i.e. if he can eventually replace Tim Howard in 2018.  Therefore, I want to get him the start today just to get a first look.

Back line: If Tim Ream and Omar Gonzalez are not trotting out onto the field at 9:50 PM tomorrow night, I would be shocked.  Those two clearly have a future with the senior team and are the most talented defenders in camp.  As I mentioned above, Wallace gets the start at left back and I think Sean Franklin will hold down the right.

Midfield: In our formation, Bob Bradley will need two midfielders towards the back who can control play, so look for Jeff Laurentowicz to get the start and chance to prove he belongs on the senior team.  I think team blogger Dax McCarty will start next to him but that is one of the positions where Bradley has a number of options.

I would put Mikkel Diskerud in the center of the triangle three up top, as I said to test his ability to direct the attack and set up the goal scorers.  Alejandro Bedoya would be the starter if Bradley plays a 4-4-2 or 4-2-2-2, but if he goes 4-2-3-1 look for Chris Wondolowski to get the start on the right, not only to provide a little more scoring but to give him a chance to prove that his MLS season was not a fluke.  On the other side I expect Brek Shea to get the start; he’s an up-and-comer and the experience will serve him well if he really is a future USMNT star.

Forward: My forward in this formation is definitely Juan Agudelo.  The guy has a ton of upside and I think the coaching staff really wants to see more of him in a game.  Look for Teal Bunbury to as get playing time during this match.

Who would you start tomorrow against Chile?

Recently my computer ran into a series of issues that has rendered it incapacitated and made me realize its place in my life.  It loads slowly and lacks many of the modern amenities in many computers, but when working properly it is has enough memory to run fairly quickly and is perfect for the tasks for which I need it, mainly posting to this site, running my fantasy teams, and doing other mundane tasks like email and social media.  I mention this because my computer is a lot like the MLS re-entry draft: the pieces available aren’t going to wow your friends and make you the envy of the league, but drafting right can give you the piece that is perfect fit for your club.

As with any draft, some teams were able to land the piece that is right for them while some whiffed on their picks.  As such, below are my winners and losers from today’s draft with one caveat.  Teams have a week to negotiate with their selections and failing to sign them allows the team to hold their rights, so there could be trades and non-signings over the next week which could alter these rankings, so check back for changes.

Winners

Los Angeles Galaxy: The team showed the aggressiveness and willingness to spend wisely that so many clubs refuse to do.  Seeing former Arena-coached player Juan Pablo Angel sitting undrafted after three picks, the team traded its fourth round pick in the Superdraft to Houston for the fourth pick and picked up Angel from New York.  The forward has scored 61 goals in the past four seasons, so he is definitely still a contributer for the Galaxy.  Adding Angel to pair with Edson Buddle upfront or being the scoring option off the bench makes the Galaxy the early 2011 Supporters Shield favorite.  Plus they picked up a needed young midfielder with their original pick.

Chivas USA – The club that lost its big-name star in Jonathan Bornstein this summer and missed the playoffs got the chance to finally replace him by taking Jimmy Conrad with the second pick.  It gives the team a veteran defender and a player who can help them begin the climb back to the playoffs in a loaded Western Conference.

Colorado Rapids - The defending champs publicly said they were going to focus on the Superdraft and international market for club improvements.  However, the club picked up veteran defender Tyrone Marshall with the last choice in the first round, good depth for a team that needed defending depth.  Now if they can keep Omar Cummings they may be set.

Major League Soccer – As part of the new CBA the organization created this odd draft system where players with a certain playing time can become sort of free agents.  This makes the “win” side because it gives MLS a little press in the slow winter months.

Losers

MLS fans who like Ronaldinho – The unhappy AC Milan star and LA have been negotiating behind the scenes for weeks now about a possible move to the Galaxy where the Brazilian would be the team’s third designated player.  The selection of Juan Pablo Angel could endanger that depending on how negotiations go.  If Angel is the team’s third designated player, then Ronaldinho or another big-name international star loses that slot.

D.C. United – Going into this draft process, D.C. United clearly needed two things: offense and defense.  The club has eschewed defense with its two picks of Joseph Ngwenya in the first part of the draft and today with Josh Wolff.  But the club passed on a ton of bigger named players who might have had a more definite impact.  Consider this: United this offseason released Danny Allsopp, who had five goals for the club.  The two re-entry selections had a combined three goals in 2010.  A disappointing draft.

Jaime Moreno:  If Jaime Moreno decides he still wants to play, and at times he has hinted as much, his chances took a hit today as he went undrafted and enters the free agent pool.  But more importantly Jeff Cunningham was taken by the rebuilding Columbus Crew, who needed a veteran striker.  Now Cunningham will have a chance to pass Moreno in the all-time MLS scoring list for good, a nice honor for the veteran but a misfortune for the current record holder.

Guillermo Barros Schelotto – The 2008 MVP went unselected over two rounds and is now a free agent.  Ouch.

Who are your winners and losers from this draft?

Not even 24 hours after crowning its champion, MLS was back to business by requiring its clubs to list its protected players for the expansion draft.  The expansion draft is just one of several drafts taking place this offseason for MLS, and the unprotected list for this draft has some interesting names.  Most notably is the number of designated players left unprotected – seven, which is two more than the number protected by clubs.  But since no club has yet to win an MLS Cup with a DP, maybe this is not surprising.

You can see the entire list of players here.  The unprotected players can be sorted by a few general categories:

Designated Players – Not David Beckham, but some of the lesser name DPs have been left unprotected.  Some are disappointments that the club is looking to shed the salary of.  But some of the more “name” DPs exposed include the Red Bulls Juan Pablo Angel and Seattle’s Blaise Nkufo.  Maybe the best of this group is the Quakes’ Geovanni.

Past Stars – MLS’s second-leading goal scorer is available, as Jeff Cunningham was made available by FC Dallas.  Also, as part of their rebuilding, the Crew put Guillermo Barros Schelotto on their list, making a veteran leader available for either expansion team.  And instead of being placed in the re-entry draft, Sporting KC’s Jimmy Conrad was left unprotected.

2010 Playoff Stars – Colorado is protecting most of the starters from its MLS Cup-winning club (with the notable exception being Anthony Wallace) but FC Dallas is exposing a number of its big names: Eric Avila, Atiba Harris, captain Daniel Hernandez, and Dax McCarty.  Playoff qualifiers Seattle (Nyassi) and Real Salt Lake (Grabavoy) also made the decision to possibly part ways with some key contributors.

Players Leaving – Yes Jonathan Bornstein is leaving for Mexico, but MLS rules still state he needs to be placed on the unprotected list.  Just a weird quirk.

Players Not on the List – One player that was expected to be on the list was Brian Carroll, but the Crew traded him today to the Philadelphia Union.  While Carroll is reunited with his former coach and Columbus clears more cap space for rebuilding, I am sure Vancouver and Portland executives were looking seriously at drafting him.  There are also quirky decisions scattered throughout the league, like New England holding on to two keepers.

Obviously factors like need and cap space will factor into who is selected, but pretend you are the GM of one of these expansion teams.

One week from today, the US Men’s National Team will play South Africa in a friendly in Cape Town, and Bob Bradley has yet to release his squad for the match.  The friendly comes at a bad time for most players – it is right in the middle of the major European leagues’ seasons plus it is the semifinals of the MLS playoffs.  For those two reasons, Bradley will have a limited number of players at his disposal for the match, which is part of the Nelson Mandela Challenge Cup.

Undoubtedly, this will be primarily a B-team but Bradley has to include a few “name” players to give the match some legitimacy, as well as try out some potential future starters.  South Africa announced their names today (which you can see here).

So what will Bob Bradley do?

Keeper: Tim Howard is the number 1, but with his Everton club facing two critical matches against Arsenal and Sunderland this weekend and next, I doubt Bradley will call him up.  Instead, I expect to see Aston Villa’s Brad Guzan to get the call and start in net for the visitors.

Back Line: If Bob Bradley’s smart, I think he will call up Oguchi Onyewu for two reasons – he needs to see if “Gooch” if healthy enough for international play and he knows Milan is probably more than happy to let him get away for a few days.  Jonathan Bornstein and Chad Marshall are both out of the MLS playoffs so their experience internationally would make them good additions to a team that would have less than a week to train together.  Also in the mix could be Clarence Goodson, who has finished his club season and I see as potentially starting over either MLS player.  On the right will probably be Eric Lichaj.

Midfield: I’ll go out on a limb and say Bob Bradley plays a 4-4-2.  In that case, DaMarcus Beasley is my guess to hold down the left side and Scandinavian professional Alejandro Bedoya will hold down the right.  As much as Bob Bradley would probably like to have his son in the middle, I don’t see him taking Michael away from his Bundesliga team.  So my guess is we will see Kyle Beckerman of the recently-defeated Real Salt Lake serving as a holding midfielder with Benny Feilhaber as the fourth midfielder.

Forward: My gut tells me Bob Bradley will want to get Jozy Altiodre some playing time, especially in an international setting, and he will be a starter for this match.  Next to him Bradley could go with fellow professional sub Eddie Johnson and I suspect he may have on his bench an MLSer like Robbie Findley (who may be looking to move abroad) or Brian Ching.

Agree or disagree?  Share your thoughts.

Update – It looks like Bob Bradley could be leaning towards calling up youngsters Juan Agudelo and Mikkel Diskerud, although that may be to lure the latter away from Norway.  We’ll let you know if it becomes official.

Jaime Moreno was not the only big-name retiree this weekend; the Chicago Fire said goodbye to American soccer legend Brian McBride and longtime defender C.J. Brown.  The club’s overall record was disappointing to fans, but by getting ten points in the last six matches the club has some optimism going into the offseason.

Swedish international Freddie Ljungberg was the star of the show, finishing with a goal and an assist.  It was his assist that gained the attention rather than his match-winning goal.  In the fortieth minute he provided a cross in the goal area that for the eightieth time Brian McBride slide into the back of the net, this time with his right foot.   McBride remained on the field long enough to watch Ljungberg slot the game’s second goal inside the right post to take a 2-0 lead, which was expanded to 4 Fire goals later in the match by Carr (67) and Husidic (90+).  Maldonado notched a goal for Chivas, but their season ended as it did so often this season – on the wrong side of the ledger.

McBride, quite possibly the greatest U.S. national player in the past few decades, was substituted off in the 51st minute to applause from the home fans.  Rather than rehash his illustrious career in MLS, the national team, and England, I want to just point out some of the amazing highlights (you can see the summary here).  He was the first player selected in the MLS Inaugural Draft and went on to be named one of the MLS All-Time Best XI.  Since his retirement from international soccer, the US has had problems finding a consistent threat at striker, helping build his international legacy.  He is a legend for his first club the Columbus Crew and his hometown team the Chicago Fire, and MLS will lose another major star next year.

McBride was not the only player playing in his last game, however.  C.J. Brown, one of the “Fire Originals” selected in the 1998 Supplemental Draft, also played his last match.  The defender had a solid international and domestic career, and witnessed all of the Fire’s great moments on the pitch, including one MLS Cup and four U.S. Open Cups.  In a testament to his work in the community, Brown also won three Humanitarian of the Year Awards.

The offseason will be a critical one for both clubs.  Chicago, who is used to contending for the playoffs, could have only one starter back after a number of retirements, contracts expiring, and unprotected players in the expansion draft.  On the other side of the pitch, Chivas fell from four straight playoff appearances to utter miserableness and now face the loss of Jonathan Bornstein to Mexico.

Playoff schedules, analysis, and awards coming later today!  Share your Brian McBride memories below in the comments section.

This Saturday marks the last tune up match the United States have before they take the field June 12 against England in their World Cup opener.  After four years of building his squad, Bradley still has some questions that still need to be cleared up before the South African campaign begins.  Here is my lineup.  It allows the establish players to gain more cohesion as group and at the same time it provides Bradley with a few answers.  Feel free to post your starting 11.

Forwards:  Jozy Altidore and Herculez Gomez

In the last match Jozy started to show signs of what all US fans hoped he would be after a season in the Premiership. Give the big man another run out to help him find his game.  After the disappointing end to his season at Hull City, he needs as much confidence as possible.  As for his partner I choose Gomez.  Robbie Findley only improved his chances of seeing the field June 12^th, but we need to see what Gomez can bring as a starter. He is an established entity as a super sub, and my reasoning is that he has had a better season, in a more competitive league than Findley. Show us what you got Herc!

Midfielders:  Clint Dempsey, Michael Bradley, Jose Francisco Torres, Landon Donovan

Torres skill in the Turkey match was a revelation to all watching.  It was what we all wanted to see since the loss of Claudio Reyna and John O’Brien, but can he do it for the full 90, that is my question and that is what I want to see on Saturday. I would trade Maurice Edu for Michael Bradley at the half to see how that combo works in midfield, and I would also like to see Beasley and Holden come in for Deuce and Donovan later on as I feel this guys all have the potential to be subs that can come in and score, something the US has lone needed.

Defenders:  Carlos Bocanegra, Oguchi Onyewu, Jay Demerit, Steve Cherundolo

This is it for Gooch; show us that you have fully recovered. Allay all the fears that US fans had after seeing him get beat in the Czech match; build on the solid showing you had in the Turkey.  The same can be said for Bocanegra, prove your match fitness.  We have been hearing everything is ok all training camp, show us fellas.  Lastly, with having Cherundolo as the right back it would give the US a chance to work on covering him when he bombs up the right, something that Demerit and Bradley had trouble to doing in the early stages of the last match when Spector was in.  If Bocanegra can’t go the full 90 I would like to see Spector come in as a left back sub, as Bornstein showed me that he was incapable up handling the speed of the international game.

 Let’s hope Australia puts out a strong team so we can see what our boys are capable of and if they have learned anything from their previous matches.

USMNT Head Coach Bob Bradley annouces roster for January Camp

A pair of Scandinavian stand outs as well as few MLS emerging stars headline Bob Bradley’s 30 man roster for the annual January training camp.  Rising MLS stars, Omar Gonzalez, Chris Pontius and Kevin Alston will have the opportunity to show their skills to Coach Bradley ahead of the opening of camp on January 4th. The camp leads up to the first match of a vital year for the US Men’s National Team, against Honduras on January 23rd.

The January camp typically includes the best players from MLS as well as the Scandinavian leagues which are on winter break. Although typically made up of players from MLS and Scandinavia, the January camp allows the brightest stars of the past MLS camp, a chance to show their worth with the national team. This year, such stands outs include MLS Goalkeeper of the Year Zach Thornton, MLS Champions Nick Rimando, Robbie Findley and Kyle Beckerman as well as MLS Golden Boot winner Jeff Cunningham among others. In addition to their MLS compatriots, several Scandinavian players join the mix including, Marcus Tracy and Alejandro Bedoya who have earned a place on Bradley’s radar with strong seasons in their respective leagues.

Here’s the complete roster:

GOALKEEPERS: Kevin Hartman (Kansas City), Troy Perkins (Valerenga), Nick Rimando (Real Salt Lake), Zach Thornton (Chivas USA)

DEFENDERS: Kevin Alston (New England Revolution), Jonathan Bornstein (Chivas USA), Jimmy Conrad (Kansas City Wizards), Omar Gonzalez (Los Angeles Galaxy), Clarence Goodson (IK Start), Chad Marshall (Columbus Crew), Heath Pearce (FC Dallas), Marvell Wynne (Toronto FC), Brandon McDonald (San Jose Earthquakes)

MIDFIELDERS: Kyle Beckerman (Real Salt Lake), Alejandro Bedoya (Örebro), Geoff Cameron (Houston Dynamo), Brad Davis (Houston Dynamo), Brad Evans (Seattle Sounders), Benny Feilhaber (Aarhus), Eddie Gaven (Columbus Crew), Sacha Kljestan (Chivas USA), Jeff Larentowicz (New England Revolution), Dax McCarty (FC Dallas), Chris Pontius (D.C. United), Robbie Rogers (Columbus Crew)

FORWARDS: Justin Braun (Chivas USA), Conor Casey (Colorado Rapids), Jeff Cunningham (FC Dallas), Robbie Findley (Real Salt Lake),  Marcus Tracy (Aalborg)

What are your thoughts on this roster? Who do you feel should have been included? Who should have been excluded?

Testify in the comments below.

Jonathan Bornstein and Chivas USA look to become the top team in Los Angeles

It’s impossible to travel in Los Angeles on a Sunday evening without seeing the beautiful game being played by people of walks of life, income levels, and ethnic backgrounds. In this sprawling metropolis, there are two teams that rule the soccer scene, David Beckham and Landon Donovan’s Los Angeles Galaxy and los rojiblancos of Chivas de Guadalajara. One team is conspicuously absent, the red and white of MLS club Chivas USA. Although the MLS Club has been around for five years, the team has been unable to make a big impact in the already crowded Los Angeles sports scene drawing an average of just over 15,ooo at Home Depot Center, a stadium with 27,000 capacity.  They’ve also been unable to generate success on the field against their cross hallway rivals winning the season series against the Galaxy only once (2007) through their half decade existence.  However, the club affectionately known as the Goats has its best chance yet to make an statement in their home town by drawing the Los Angeles Galaxy in the first round of the 2009 MLS Playoffs with the first game on November 1st on ESPN2 at 2pm PST.

“I think the Galaxy get a lot of credit since they were the original LA team and to play against them in a game of this magnitude, it’ll be a big event. It’s going to be a great opportunity for the brand of Chivas to be seen and if we do well and win then it will only help promote Chivas and Chivas USA as a whole,” said defender Jonathan Bornstein.  “It’s always good to have respect from the local fans and the Galaxy have been around a lot longer and we’ve had to bad with that. I think that just in general a victory will help us be known.”

Chivas USA “earned” the right to play their cross hallway rivals after a disappointing performance 3-2 loss to the Dynamo in which Houston took a 3-0 lead before Chivas USA fired back with 2 quick goals by Michael Lahoud (his first goal for the club) and Eduardo Lillingston to bring the score back to respectability. The result meant Chivas USA would finish the season fourth in the Western Conference with 45 points to give them a date with the Western Conference top seeded Galaxy, the first ever playoff meetings between the two clubs. However, the Blue and White were a team that the Goats struggled mightily with this year, posting a 0-2-1 record in three games against LA while failing to score a single goal against their rivals.

Despite the failures of Chivas this year against Los Angeles, Head Coach Preki was defiant about his team’s chances. “The Galaxy had the better of us this year and they’ll be favorites but I think we’ll be ready to play,” said the former US national team star.

Although the team has failed to get through to the second round of the playoffs despite three straight playoff appearances, there is a sense of optimism in the locker room about this particular group of players. “I think we’re prepared, we showed that we can play at a high level for a stretch of the season, that’s all we need to do is to get hot at the right time and we have as good a chance as anyone to make a run to the title,” said Chivas’ standout Goal keeper Zach Thornton.

A win in El Clásico Angelino will not only help the team by putting them one win away from an MLS Cup berth but may also help make people in MacArthur Park, San Fernando, Pasadena and across the Southland more aware of the “other” team in Los Angeles. Perhaps it was Preki who put it best,”Hopefully we’ll see a full stadium and a good atmosphere with good football so at the end of the day I feel that everyone should be excited.”

Indeed with a win, the opportunities are endless for the Rebaño Angelino to finally make their claim to fame in the City of Angels.