Chivas rookie no stranger to playoffs
Midfielder Lahoud has NCAA postseason experience
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The young Virginia native will draw on that experience come November when he and the rest of the Red-and-White head into the club's fourth consecutive playoff campaign.
"Playing in the NCAA tournament taught me a lot about postseason soccer," said Lahoud. "The playoffs are a whole new season. Any team can beat any other team, so you have to be motivated. The year that we did the best in the NCAA tournament was the year that we wanted it the most."
Lahoud won the national championship in 2007, helping Wake Forest to a 2-1 victory against Ohio State University in the final.
"It's two years ago now, but I still smile when I think about it," said Lahoud. "Winning the whole thing shows you that all your hard work and all the ups and downs of the season are totally worth it. You can go through rough patches but you forget all about them when you earn that trophy."
With his college years behind him, Lahoud is ready for his first professional playoffs.
"It's a very exciting feeling," he said. "It's new territory for me, but listening to the older guys who have won championships is energizing. Especially for this team, where we haven't done so well in past playoffs, we really want it this year."
Lahoud has become a staple of the Chivas USA lineup in the last five games, getting a starting nod in each. The Red-and-White have been undefeated during that spell, boasting an impressive 3-0-2 record and conceding just one goal in 450 minutes of play.
"The last five games have been more intense than the previous part of the season," said Lahoud. "I think that's going to be amplified tenfold in the playoffs. Guys aren't going to want to give up anything and as the game goes on, it's a matter of who has the stronger will and who's willing to gut it out and find a win."
Chivas USA have three games remaining in the regular season, against San Jose, Chicago and Houston, and is well within reach of taking the Western Conference crown. Undefeated since Aug. 29, the Red-and-White have built strong momentum for their closing trio of matches.
"It's always important to be in form heading into the postseason," said Lahoud. "We're looking to keep our form and continue to improve on every performance.
"We didn't play our best this past game [against Kansas City], but it's a good sign that we could still find a way to get a result. That's a huge bonus to take into the playoffs. You're not always going to play top notch as you'd like, so finding a way to win is very important."
Boasting their healthiest roster in months and riding a wave of good form, Chivas USA are poised to move past the first round and finally make a run for the MLS Cup. And while it won't be easy, Lahoud and the rest of Chivas USA are eager to get started.
"[Assistant coach] Carlos [Llamosa] pulled me aside one day during preseason and told me that if you make it all the way to the final, you get flown in a big charter and things like that," said Lahoud with a smile. "It makes your eyes pop out in astonishment. You can tell our whole team is very excited.
"That being said, we are taking it one game at a time and focusing on the little things. You can't take anything for granted in the postseason and we aren't planning to."
Jeffrey King is a contributor to MLSnet.com.
