I saw a Chivas USA game.

     There's absolutely nothing on right now sporting wise with Euro's just on the horizon, the Lakers bounced from the playoffs, and baseball not being a sport. So I decided to watch Chivas USA take on the Seattle Sounders at the Home Depot Center.

     Chivas USA is a bit of a joke, they're like the Galaxy's ugly less successful brother, they share the same room (the Home Depot Center) but no one pays them any attention and they can usually be found at the bottom of the western conference table every year (the same place the Galaxy currently occupy, god). They peaked a couple years ago with Sacha Kljestan at the helm but he left like any decent player would and recently won a league championship in Belgium.

     I've never been a fan of Chivas USA for multiple reasons. They don't have their own home and the league decided that they should share the Galaxy's ground because the Mexican population here will come in droves to see a slightly different version of one of their favorite Mexican teams, which is where my other problem comes from. MLS should be trying to forge its own identity, not use the name of a successful team from elsewhere. MLS is also now in a rivalry of sorts with the Mexican league, desperately trying to do everything it can to help MLS teams win the elusive CONCACAF Champions League, so why have a watered down version of one of their teams here?

   They have, however, recently acquired two notable players in Danny Califf and Juan Agudelo which should go along way towards making them relevant again. Danny Califf is a former Galaxy player and was key during the teams impressive 2002 run. He replaces the outgoing Heath Pearce who left to make the Agudelo acquisition possible. Juan Agudelo is the one getting the headlines though as he has been one of the darlings of MLS since bursting onto the scene last year. He wasn't playing in New York though and is now the star offensive piece for Chivas until he bolts for Europe.

Some thoughts from the game...

• Ryan Smith is one of the few out and out wingers in MLS. It was like watching a watered down version of Luis Antonio Valencia. He didn't register a goal or assist though despite troubling Seattle all night, which is probably why he is currently employed by Chivas and not a better club.
• Chivas, despite being a pseudo Mexican team, have jersey's that look frighteningly close to the good ole stars and stripes.
• Eric Wynalda is the worst play by play announcer in MLS hands down. He talks like hes having casual conversation and on top of that hes rarely talking about the game itself. It's no wonder FSC uses him in such limited capacities.
• I had no idea Pete Vagenas was still around. It seems like hes gone from riding the bench in Seattle to starting for Chivas USA. Head coach Robin Fraser did something similar last season with Simon Elliott in nearly the same role that Vagenas is currently playing for Chivas.
• No one goes to Chivas games so now they put these cute covers over sections of the stadium to class it up a little, they're even designed with the clubs logo and colors. I guess they saw Seattle do the same thing and thought it was alright to cover half their seats with designer pool covers. The difference being Seattle plays in a 60,000 seat stadium and regularly has 30,000 plus inside their building. 
• Agudelo scored a goal. Which reminded me that Chivas two best offensive players, Agudelo and Juan Pablo Angel, will both be gone within two years. This makes me happy as a Galaxy fan.