CONFLICTING STYLES CLASH IN CALIFORNIA
Vancouver looks to exploit Chivas’ high- risk game plan on their California pitch
One coach is a shaved- head Mexican, known for his colourful verbiage and his staunch refusal to wear socks. He also favours shimmering suits, ties and fancy jewelry. He has a closet seemingly full of outrageous sweaters and likes to hug, and occasionally kiss, his players after they score goals.
The other is a well- trimmed Scotsman who wears socks and occasionally cracks one- liners, but who generally speaks in soccer clichés, usually never revealing more than he absolutely has to. He also favours dark suits and training gear and, as far as we know, only kisses his wife and kids.
Oh yeah, there are a lot of differences between Jose Luis Sanchez Sola, first- year coach of the Chivas USA, and Martin Rennie, second- year coach of the Vancouver Whitecaps.
But, perhaps, none as pronounced as their approach to the game.
Sanchez Sola, or El Chelis as he is known, has Chivas, who face the Whitecaps Saturday night in Major League Soccer action at The Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif., playing a 3- 5- 2 formation. He basically utilizes just three central defenders, dropping wingers back into fullback positions only when necessary and is looking to attack constantly with his abundance of skilled and shifty Mexican and MexicanAmerican players.
Rennie, blessed with more speed on the flanks than he had last season, still wants to play a possession game, building through midfield, probing for one or two openings that might lead to a goal.
And that difference is probably best highlighted by quotes from each coach earlier this season.
“Realistically, how many teams in the world score four goals in a game?” asked Rennie after the Caps won their regular- season opener against Toronto 1- 0. “I think we have to have a reality check on that. If you win a game 1- 0, you’re over the moon, you’re ecstatic about it.”
Sanchez Sola spits in disgust at 1- 0 victories.
“I would rather lose 5- 4 or 5- 2 than to win 1- 0.”
He’s got Chivas — a surprising 2- 1- 1 to start the 2013 campaign — on the right track then. The club leads MLS in goals scored with eight, including seven in the last two matches, and are tied for second in goals against with six.
Interestingly, Chivas also leads MLS in fouls with 76, which, if they continue to play that way, could present some dangerous free- kick situations for Vancouver.
All of this should make for a fascinating contest and one that could be completely different than past VancouverChivas’ matches. The Caps are 2- 0- 3 all- time against the Goats and Chivas hasn’t scored against Vancouver in 304 consecutive minutes, or more than three games. But that was the old Chivas.
Rennie calls the revamped side from Los Angeles, which went 7- 18- 9 last season under Robin Fraser and scored just 24 goals, “an unorthodox team.”
Training this week, he said, was focused on how to exploit the Goats’ weaknesses and how to blunt their strengths. Asked what those strengths are, Rennie typically clammed up. “Well,” he said with a laugh, “I’m not going to tell anybody what Chivas are good at.”
See what we mean? Never reveal more than is necessary.
Vancouver midfielder Nigel Reo- Coker says Chivas definitely presents some challenges because of the style of play.
“You can’t really ever read off what they’re going to do,” he said.
“I think they’ll be expecting us to go and take the game to them so they can hit us on the counterattack. But for us, it’s about being solid as a team and making sure we play on the counterattack and not let their style of play affect us at all.”
After conceding two goals to Houston last Saturday as a result of poor marking inside the box, the Caps worked on that in practice this week.
“Ultimately, it’s just about communicating,” said towering centre back Brad Rusin. “And being aggressive and going and attacking the ball. We worked on that quite a bit and I think we’re ready.”
They had better be against a Chivas side willing to play uptempo, high- risk soccer.
“We know they play a 3- 4- 3 and leave guys forward,” said Rusin.
“We’ve got to make sure we’ve always got an extra guy back. They put guys in certain spots on the field that if they do win the ball, or steal it, they’re dangerous on the break.
“It’s just about us being compact, communicating and making sure guys are doing the right things.”
Veteran fullback Alain Rochat concedes there were breakdowns against Houston, but insists it is nothing to be overly concerned about.
“When you concede two goals, it’s hard to score three to win a game. We got some issues in the game against Houston, but I think we don’t have to be scared of how we were defensively.
“That was a good performance beside those two or three occasions.
“If we can go in ( against Chivas) the same way, we’re going to be good.”