Real host Chivas in Series opener
Expansion twins meet in playoffs for first time
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Sat., Nov. 1, Rio Tinto Stadium (4 p.m. MT; FSC/FSE)
LEAGUE HEAD-TO-HEAD:
RSL 3 wins, 13 GF ... CHV 8 win, 26 GF ... 3 ties
2008 HEAD-TO-HEAD: RSL 1 win, 2 GF; CHV 2 wins, 4 GF; 0 ties
AT SALT LAKE:
9/20: RSL 0, CHV 1 (Eskandarian 72)
MLS CUP PLAYOFFS: first meeting
REFEREE: Ricardo Salazar.
SAR (bench): Kermit Quisenberry; JAR (opposite): Paul Scott;
4th: Richard Heron
INJURY REPORT: REAL SALT LAKE -- QUESTIONABLE: FW Fabian Espíndola (R ankle sprain) ... CHIVAS USA -- OUT: DF Eric Ebert (R knee lateral meniscus surgery); FW Maykel Galindo (sports hernia surgery); DF Lawson Vaughn (L ankle surgery); MF Raphael Wicky (R ankle surgery); QUESTIONABLE: MF Sasha Victorine (L knee sprain)
SUSPENDED: CHV: Dan Kennedy (through Nov. 1)
WARNINGS: none
REAL: It might have taken Real Salt Lake until the season's final day to secure their playoff berth, the third spot in the Western Conference, and thus ceding home-field advantage to Chivas USA for their semifinal series. But RSL is not sure exactly what that means. "The verdict's not out if it's a home-field advantage playing away first or playing away second," said RSL midfielder Kyle Beckerman. "For us, we have a home playoff game to start this whole series, for me I'd probably take that if I had to choose." ... But RSL believes that experience -- taking it down to the final game to qualify for the postseason -- will serve them well despite their general lack of experience in MLS playoff games. "We've been in the playoffs now the past three or four weeks. That's the way I feel," head coach Jason Kreis said. "I don't think that this game in particular has any more pressure than the last three that we've played. Our guys I think are almost comfortable in that setting." ... To a man, Real felt they did not play at their best against Colorado -- yet managed to come back and claim the 1-1 draw they needed to reach the playoffs. "We need to play good soccer," said Beckerman to the Deseret News. "We need to be patient and worry about playing good. That last game we didn't play that great, but we got it done. And that also happens. If you want to move in the right direction, then you always want to be playing your best soccer." ... Part of what the Rapids did well was shutting down the options for Javier Morales, who finished second in the league with 15 assists on the season. Morales could face a similarly tough task against Chivas USA, as he will likely be matched up with MLS Original Jesse Marsch. "Pablo [Mastroeni] was probably the best player on the field [for Colorado]. A lot of our success comes from the midfield, and if you've got someone like that on the other team playing as well as he did, we're not going to play our best," said Beckerman. "We just need to try and be patient and not force it into the midfield."
CHIVAS: All season long Chivas USA has been battling injuries, able to put out the same starting lineup in just four games over the course of the season. Sasha Victorine was forced to miss the final game of the year with a knee injury -- he's questionable for the first leg -- and Maykel Galindo underwent surgery last week, which will rule him for the rest of the year. He joins Lawson Vaughn and Raphael Wicky as players recuperating from operations. "It would be great to have the guys who are injured back because we still need guys who are impact players like Galindo and Wicky. It's unfortunate that they're out," right back Carey Talley said. "The guys who have been asked to step up I think have done a pretty good job considering where we placed in the standings and how many guys were out. I think that's what good teams have been able to rely on, the 28 players deep." ... Chivas USA is looking to win a playoff series for the first time. In 2006, the Houston Dynamo won in the second leg of their semifinal series to advance, and last year, the Kansas City Wizards made the only goal of the series stand up. "If we want to feel like it's a successful season we would have to say that getting past the first round would be necessary, especially with the way the year has gone and the way last year went," Jesse Marsch said. "It's been a battle for us for sure. I think that were trying to create a real winning mentality here and just getting to the playoffs can't be good enough." ... But a difference this year could be the addition of some veterans. Chivas USA has six players who have won the MLS Cup in the squad: Marsch, Zach Thornton, Carey Talley, Paulo Nagamura, Ante Razov and Alecko Eskandarian. "You look on our roster and the one good thing about this year is that we have a bit more experience, we have some guys who have won some championships and have gone late in the postseason," Marsch said. "Hopefully we can bring a little of that experience to our team and hopefully it will add up to something that gives us a chance to win these big games at big moments."
