CARSON, Calif. -- On Nov. 4, 2007, Chivas USA's season came to an end. The Red-and-White were held to a scoreless draw against Kansas City and crashed out of the 2007 MLS Cup Playoffs 1-0 on aggregate goals.
With Chivas heading home from Real Salt Lake facing a similar deficit in Western Conference Semifinal Series this year, a comparison to last year would be simple.
Just don't tell that to the players.
"To be honest, I don't care at all about last year," Chivas USA forward Alecko Eskandarian said. "I wasn't here last year and even if I was, it's still last year."
Chivas USA lost at Real 1-0 in the first leg of their Western Conference Semifinal on Nov. 1. When Chivas USA play host to RSL on Saturday in the second leg, the match may be eerily reminiscent of the scenario from a year ago.
The Red-and-White desperately need a goal against RSL much like the club desperately needed a goal in their home playoff game a year ago. But the similarities end there, players and coaches said.
"This is a different year -- different team, different players, different circumstances," Chivas USA coach Preki said. "Same result as last year but hopefully this time around we have a little bit more luck, a little bit more experience."
No matter how difficult the loss to Kansas City was, the players who were on the team a year ago said the game could serve as motivation, even if it is not the forefront of their minds.
In the match, Chivas USA were missing Ante Razov while Maykel Galindo played but was not fully healthy -- he'd later say he was at just more than 50 percent fit. The two players combined for 23 goals in 2007. Without Razov and a full-speed Galindo, Kansas City's task of holding on to their slim lead was less of a challenge. The club dropped numbers behind the ball throughout the game, seemingly disinterested in venturing forward, and the tactic worked. Even though Chivas USA controlled the match, the lack of finishing severely hampered the hosts and the game finished in a 0-0 draw.
"It's just another game of experience. You see what it takes to win," Razov said. "Last year we clearly dominated the game here but we were just not lucky. Sometimes you have to be lucky. We're hoping (Saturday) doesn't come to that. If we put the same kind of effort into it as we did last year, we'll win the game."
Perhaps the biggest lesson last season's loss left on those who played in it was the need to keep calm under fire, especially if RSL are bent on defending and not much else.
"Last year it was the same type of thing," midfielder Francisco Mendoza said. "Salt Lake is going to come in and defend, sit back and wait for a counterattack and they are going to want to make us desperate. We're just going to have to keep our heads. If we come out with patience and intelligence, that's how we'll come out ahead."
Ultimately, though, what will determine the outcome this time around will be players from this year's team and tactics that the club has worked on this time around, players said.
"It's a new year, a new team and a new series," Eskandarian said. "We're playing Salt Lake. We're not playing Kansas City. It's pointless to go back and even analyze last year's team or the game and all that. It really has absolutely no bearing on this year's game or the results. No one has really talked about it. Preki kind of mentioned it a little bit in his talks but amongst the guys no one has really talked about it. Our only goal right now is to get past Salt Lake."
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