Los Angeles Blues News Release -- www.labluesprosoccer.com
Wednesday, June 27, 2012
FULLERTON, Calif. – Despite facing the inevitable physical and mental challenges of cross-country travel and seven matches in 17 days, the Blues players and coaches were brimming with confidence this week, after back-to-back home wins over Dayton and having gone 5-1-2 in their last eight USL PRO games. 
Head Coach Charlie Naimo’s men hope to continue their strong run of form when they set out on an extensive road trip that starts with a visit to North Carolina and a meeting with the Charlotte Eagles on Thursday night, followed by a trip to Wilmington for a Saturday clash with the Hammerheads.
While the 2,600-mile trip to North Carolina would usually be regarded as a severe disadvantage for the only USL PRO team on the West Coast, the Blues catch a lucky break this time around.
Having advanced past MLS side FC Dallas in the U.S. Open Cup, Thursday’s opponent, the Charlotte Eagles, played another top-flight team on Tuesday night in the quarterfinals of the tournament. The match just so happened to be a road meeting with Chivas USA that took place at the Blues’ very own home venue, Fullerton’s Titan Stadium.
As a result, the Eagles face the exact same amount of travel as their Southern California-based opponents ahead of Thursday’s fixture, with the added disadvantage of having just played a full match that ended in agonizing defeat, courtesy of José Correa’s game-winner for Chivas USA in the fourth minute of second-half stoppage time.
“Since Charlotte played on Tuesday and has to travel back home, it presents us with a very good opportunity to grab the bull by the horns and try to take some initiative,” Blues Associate Head Coach Shayon Jalayer said. “On the road, there’s usually a tendency to sit back and defend a little more, but the unique circumstances could allow us to really go at them and take advantage of the tired legs that come from playing a game and then having to travel cross-country. Our mentality needs to be very aggressive, with lots of running and an attacking-oriented mindset.”
Blues holding midfielder and former Scottish Premier League man Allan Russell expressed his trust in the coaching staff’s ability to select the appropriate tactical approach for the match.
“Charlie [Naimo], Shayon and [recently added Technical Assistant] Juan [Florez] are meticulous with their preparations for every single game we play, and this time is no different,” he said. “Not having played Charlotte this season, we’ve been watching tape of their games, and obviously our coaches scouted them against Chivas. The Open Cup match being played at Titan Stadium was the ideal opportunity for us to get a better idea of what their strengths and weaknesses are.”
One of those strengths, according to Russell, is Eagles shot-stopper Eric Reed, with whom the 31-year-old shared the field during his time with the Carolina Railhawks.
“Eric is a great goalkeeper and we’ll definitely need very good finishing to beat him,” he said. “That said, I believe we’re more than capable of scoring goals and getting wins against anyone in this league if we play to our full potential.”
In looking ahead to the second match of the Blues’ three-game road trip, Saturday’s match at Wilmington, Russell singled out another player to watch in his personal friend and former Blues defender Gareth Evans, whom he called “a very good player in the back for them.”
While Evans, who was briefly under contract with the Blues during the 2011 preseason, is a key member of the Hammerheads’ backline, the Wilmington attack features another familiar face in former Blues forward Chukwudi Chijindu. The 26-year-old scored a team-leading four goals for the Fullerton-based club last year and now forms a dangerous tandem with his new strike partner Andriy Budnyy, who struck twice in two meetings with the Blues in 2011 and currently sits in second place in the USL PRO goal-scoring charts with six tallies.
Jalayer expressed his respect for the Hammerheads’ offensive capabilities even before the two sides’ first pair of meetings of 2012 in early May, which saw the Blues come away with a 2-1 win and a 2-2 draw at home.
“We respect their attacking players and know a few of them quite well,” the Blues Associate Head Coach said at the time. “Obviously we’re very familiar with Chuck Chijindu, who can play possum for long stretches of the match and then suddenly score. Budnyy is extremely clinical around the goal and it’s no coincidence that he punished us twice last season.”
The Blues’ task this time around is made more difficult by the fact that Wilmington should also have New York Red Bulls striker Corey Hertzog at their disposal. The 21-year-old, whose month-long loan deal is set to expire the day after Saturday’s match, has had a massive impact for the USL PRO side, finding the net four times in seven appearances while adding two assists.
In light of the impressive caliber of players on the Hammerheads roster, Jalayer cautioned against underestimating Saturday’s opponents, despite their recent 2-1 and 4-0 defeats to struggling USL PRO sides Pittsburgh Riverhounds and Dayton Dutch Lions.
“Wilmington’s attack has the potential to cause us some problems,” he said before the team’s departure for North Carolina. “Until the two losses, they were on a very nice run, with Hertzog and Budnyy both looking strong and scoring lots of goals. In addition, they’re physically tough and have a home venue that is a truly hostile environment for away teams. It will be very interesting to see how our guys respond to all that after having played only two days prior. If we can get a result in Wilmington, that will say a lot about the character of this team.”
Russell finished his outlook on the upcoming road trip, which will be rounded out by a July 3 fixture at Richmond, on a cautiously optimistic note about Saturday’s battle with the Hammerheads.
“We’ve handled back-to-back games before, so we know that challenge can be overcome if we get as much rest and regeneration as possible,” he said. “We also need to make sure we’re mentally tough against Wilmington. I’ve never played there, but I’m hearing the atmosphere can be pretty intimidating. If we’re ready for that and execute the coaches’ game plan, I think we have a very good chance of getting a good result.”