Los Angeles Blues News Release -- www.bluessoccerclub.com
Friday, July 15, 2011
LOS ANGELES, Calif. – Following their recent string of disappointing results despite decent performances, the Los Angeles Blues players and coaches responded with a resilient attitude in training this week. Having gone 0-3-2 in league and U.S. Open Cup play since June 24, the Blues appeared committed to looking ahead rather than to the past and getting the maximum number of points from their upcoming back-to-back home games against the Dayton Dutch Lions.
Head Coach Charlie Naimo’s men lost 4-2 to host Wilmington Hammerheads on Saturday, July 2, a mere day after earning a scoreless draw on the road against the Charleston Battery.
“In the game against the Battery, we were solid defensively for almost the entire ninety minutes, but we struggled to create chances,” Naimo said. “Having said that, Charleston is a very good team at home and we had just traveled there from the West Coast, so it’s not a terrible thing to shut them out in their own stadium. The second game was just extremely tough because it came only a day later. After all, there have been very few teams all year that have won their second game in a back-to-back road swing.”
Against the Hammerheads, a visibly tired Blues team fell behind in the first minute of play to an Andryi Budnyy strike before battling back with a Cesar Rivera tally halfway through the first period. However, the hosts used their rested legs to their advantage in the final half hour of the match, finishing off the Blues behind a goal and two assists from forward Chris Banks, as Ivan Becerra and Chris Murray also added their names to the score sheet. Los Angeles’ Akeem Priestley scored in the 88th minute, but it was too little too late for the visitors.
“We came out slow against Wilmington and gave up a goal right away, but then we settled into the match and scored a great equalizer,” Charlie Naimo recapped Saturday’s match. “After that, we kept playing well and created chances. In the second half, we started well but gave up a goal against the run of play. Mentally, I think that was just too much to recover from. When the mind goes, the legs get even heavier. But I do feel like we played really well under the circumstances.”
Blues fans have grown accustomed to striker Chukwudi Chijindu’s mentality of declining to emphasize external factors in his analyses and instead demanding he and the team overcome them through an even more focused and committed approach. His recap of the disappointing back-to-back road games was no exception.
“It’s a combination of things,” he said. “First and foremost, we have to look at our individual performances. We need to be more dangerous with the possession we have and execute better in front of the goal. That was one of my main concerns on this recent trip. I don’t think we were getting enough guys in the box when we got the ball wide.
“Of course, part of it is also the circumstances. It’s tough to play two road games back-toback against two good teams. But with the players we have, I think we still could have gotten six points from the trip. We have to look at ourselves without making excuses and just get better in all aspects of our game. It starts with each individual player wanting to improve himself.”
Naturally, Charlie Naimo did have some insight to offer on the Dutch Lions, as his side played them to a 1-1 draw on the road back in May. In addition, the Blues' Coach makes frequent use of the full matches archive on ww.usllive.com to scout upcoming opponents. He refused to buy into Dayton’s 1-10-2 record that sees the side sitting in last place in USL PRO.
“They’re an athletic team that’s decent defensively,” Naimo said. “They’ve only had a couple of really poor results. Other than that, all of their games have been close. For example, I watched their recent 1-0 road loss to Rochester, arguably one of the top teams in the league. It took a lucky bounce in stoppage time for Rochester to get the win, so we should expect Dayton to give us an equally tough match.
“The one thing that we can’t do is give them confidence like we’ve done with other teams. We have to continue to create chances but at the same time stay focused defensively. It’s one at a time now. We need three points in our next game. Then we’ll worry about the second game.”
The sentiment was echoed by Chijindu, who closed his outlook on the meetings with the Dutch Lions with a call to arms.
“We have a good group of guys and it’s obvious that everyone wants to bounce back. The mentality just has to be stronger. It has to be, ‘If we were giving a hundred percent in those previous games, now it has to be 110 or a 120.’ Having played Dayton already, we should be well prepared for them. Nothing less than wins will be satisfactory.”
The first match against the Dayton Dutch Lions is on Friday, July 15, at Fullerton’s Titan Stadium. The meeting, which kicks off at 8 p.m. PST, will be broadcast nationally on FOX Soccer Channel. Everyone in attendance will receive a ticket voucher for the July 23 Major League Soccer game between Chivas USA and Houston Dynamo at the Home Depot Center in Carson.
Tickets for the Blues’ match against Dayton are $14 at the gate and $10 if purchased in advance by calling 310-264-4649 or visiting www.labluesprosoccer.com. Group rates are available.