Los Angeles Blues News Release -- www.bluessoccerclub.com
Sunday, November 13, 2011
CARSON, Calif. – The Los Angeles Blues fell 4-1 to MLS club Chivas USA in an offseason scrimmage Friday at the Home Depot Center. With both sides featuring a mix of trialists and players from their respective 2011 rosters, the Goats’ superior fitness manifested itself on the scoreboard, as Head Coach Robin Fraser’s men only finished their campaign three weeks ago while the Blues’ season ended in mid-August.
“The game had its upsides and its downsides,” Blues Head Coach Carlie Naimo said. “With so many trialists who have never played a game together, you can’t expect to outplay Chivas over 90 minutes. But we were really happy with the new guys we gave an opportunity. Several of them showed us that they’re hungry and dying to be on the team. I really liked the energy they gave us.
“That said, I was a little disappointed in some of the guys who were on the team this year. We need to see more urgency and bite from them. Just because they’ve made the roster once before, it doesn’t mean they automatically have an edge over the guys we brought in to challenge for a spot. But at this point we’re more happy about what the new players brought than unhappy about some of the less impressive performances.”
Three players that featured for the Blues and are already under contract for the 2012 season were Erlys Garcia, Carlos Borja and Israel Sesay. Attacker Sesay only made a brief appearance in the match, as the coaches’ primary objective was to assess as many trialists as possible against high-profile opposition.
“It was a good game for us,” the 21-year-old said in reflecting on the scrimmage. “Obviously very few of our guys are in top shape right now, since they’ve been in the offseason for about three months. In addition, we had mostly new players on the field, and it takes time for a group like that to gel. But playing a top team like Chivas still gave us a chance to get a good look at some of those guys and see how they might fit into our system.”
The MLS side controlled the majority of the possession in the match and took a three-goal lead before the Blues were able to pull one back on a nice through-ball from midfield and a powerful left-footed finish inside the near post. Energized by the tally, the underdogs put together a few more promising plays but were hit for a fourth on a short-range header late in the second half.
Chivas USA Head Coach Robin Fraser was all smiles after the final whistle.
“The game was very useful for us,” he said. “It gave us a chance to look at some of the young guys who have been training with us and try some of the things we’ve been working on in a competitive situation. The Blues had some very good players on the field, which made for a really tight match until we broke through and gained the upper hand a little bit.
“Having the Blues in Southern California gives us a chance to evaluate our reserve players in scrimmages and possibly send some of them on loan to see more playing time. We really want to make sure we capitalize on the relationship with such a quality club that’s right down the street from us.”