The Red-and-White has allowed the opponent to score first in four of the five games this season. Perhaps not coincidentally, the club's only win came when Chivas USA scored first.
The source of the happiness wasn't from the drenched conditions. Players slogged in from the waterlogged field, hustling into the locker room to find a warm shower and dry clothes after spending almost two hours outside in the chilly rain.
Sure, they wanted to pick up a win on the road, just like they had done at Colorado last weekend. But San Jose would have been happy to escape Giants Stadium with a point. And if not for a penalty awarded against them 11 minutes from time, they just might have done it.
The challenge of slowing down the Los Angeles Galaxy's tandem will fall squarely on Chivas USA as the clubs will square off in the first SuperClasico of the season, Saturday night at The Home Depot Center (7:30 p.m. PT; FSE/FSE)
Not only was the 1-0 win a triumph (only the Wizards' second all-time in the Windy City), but it saw performances from two veterans from California who are hoping to translate past successes into present ones in the Midwest.
1. We've seen this before -- or have we?: Here's a well-worn cycle: One of the sporting equipment giants releases a new (and improved!) soccer ball. Goalkeepers hate it. Forwards love it. Everyone agrees it's more "lively" than a Saturday Night Live after party.
But when the group collectively plays without intensity and passion, it can backfire.
Should RSL have pressed and attacked more in the first half to establish a tempo that was more favorable to their playing style? Did opting for a conservative approach early take the club out of its offensive flow?
His team acquired Honduran midfielder Mauricio Castro to compete for his position during the offseason. Smith's Bermuda national team hadn't finished off the Cayman Islands in the first leg of its World Cup qualifying series against the CONCACAF minnows and he had to miss the first game of the season. Missing the first game placed his starting status in doubt.
First, there's Reis, the Revolution's stalwart goalkeeper. He's played 6,750 minutes in between the sticks, a league record besting Houston's Pat Onstad. No other goalkeeper has played in a regular-season or playoff game for the Revs since September 2005.
But somewhere along the line the club's plans have been sidetracked. The new pieces are in pieces while health issues continue to plague the Red-and-White. Worse, the club is but a shell of the team that captured the Western Conference a year ago, players said.
We could probably chew all day on the Los Angeles Galaxy and what's going on with The Home Depot Center's primary tenant.
We can argue until our soccer balls come unstitched about management's roster choices, this matter of putting so many salary cap eggs into three baskets. Ultimately, the proof will be in the points pudding come late September.
Jack Jewsbury's goal in the fourth minute gave the Wizards a 1-0 lead and the Wizards defense dealt with the Fire's strong offense the rest of the game to come away with a victory in the first of six consecutive road matches. It was also just the second win ever for Kansas City at the home of the Fire.
One reason is that the U.S. will take on the European champion Netherlands in one of its Group B matches. The other challenges? The USA's other opening-round foes are Japan and Nigeria, who have done well at the youth level in the past.
With any luck, Claudio Suarez could make his season debut on Sunday against an old friend.
Frank Klopas, the technical director of the Fire, announced Friday that Marmol was on his way to work out with the Fire, the team that owns his rights as a discovery player after he worked out with the Fire last season.
1. Running on fumes: The D.C. United roadster has stalled coming out of the driveway. Again.
Kyle Beckerman shifted over to the left side of the midfield, a switch which offered him a greater range of movement and freedom to take on more of a scoring role. Nate Sturgis got his first start of the season when he slid into Beckerman's previous slot at holding midfielder.
The only goal counting against the Fire this season was an own goal by defender Bakary Soumare, who has more than made up for that mistake with his play.
Colorado Rapids midfielder Nick LaBrocca headed home the game's only goal in the 68th minute to give the visitors a 1-0 victory at a soaked Gillette Stadium on Saturday night.
