After an impressive season opener last Saturday, the Whitecaps will look to continue their strong play in California tomorrow. They’ll take on a Chivas USA team that also turned some heads in their 3-2 victory last weekend. In fact, these two teams have a little more in common than simply opening the season with wins.
The USA Goats, much like the Caps, have undergone an off-season of change. Both clubs promoted MLS assistant coaches to manage their teams – Chivas found their man in former Colorado Rapids assistant Wilmer Cabrera. Vancouver’s hire of Carl Robinson has already been well documented in this town.
Carl Robinson focused on retooling the Caps midfield to encourage forward movement from the middle of the park. Chivas recruited playmaker Mauro Rosales, formerly of the Seattle Sounders, to solidify their midfield.
The Whitecaps newcomers, Seba Fernandez and Pedro Morales (amongst others) both had stunning debuts for their club, as did Rosales. He assisted on Chivas’ second and third goals versus the Chicago Fire to secure the win. You say Morales, I say Rosales, let’s call the whole thing off.
Interestingly, both clubs have also had recent business dealings with Liga MX.
Once upon a time, a young Brazilian striker played on the Whitecaps. Turns out, he was naïve, an idiot or a dick or some combination of all three. As you probably know, he took it upon himself to defect to Liga MX side Queretaro during the off-season, despite being under contract with the Caps.
Chivas USA used to be affiliated with (and owned by) one of the ten founding Liga MX clubs – C.D. Guadalajara, more commonly known as Chivas. That affiliation ended when Major League Soccer purchased the team in February. The league is currently looking for a new ownership group for the club before rebranding and renaming the franchise altogether.
So, we are left with this:
Liga MX + Camilo ÷ MLS(Chivas USA) = $≥
I can’t math and so can you.
Coincidentally, in the last regular season meeting between the two clubs in Vancouver, Chivas striker Erick Torres unleashed a gorgeous bicycle kick into the south net at BC Place. Here, have a look:
It was the prettiest goal that net had ever seen…until Camilo did this, from almost the exact same spot:
Ahhh….the memories.
The Whitecaps’ first match on the road should be an interesting one. Previous incarnations of this team have had a difficult time finding success away from their own pitch. This is Robinson’s first go at it, and it remains to be seen what type of adjustments he may be inclined to make – or ignore altogether.
In reality, this fixture is a contest between two squads looking to insert themselves amongst the top tier teams in MLS. In the past, both teams have suffered more than celebrated and both are hoping that off-season adjustments will give birth to revitalization.
Kick off is scheduled for 4 p.m. at StubHub Center in Los Angeles.