CARSON, Calif. -- After polishing off their finest season in club history with the 2007 Western Conference regular season title, Chivas USA had high hopes entering 2008.
Even before the preseason started, however, ominous signs that foreshadowed the season to follow began to surface. Injuries, player movement and international duty proved rough challenges for Chivas USA in the months leading up to the start of the Red-and-White's fourth season, and things only grew from bad to worse.
Statistically, Chivas USA had a solid campaign. The club finished in second place in the Western Conference standings on the strength of an impressive late summer/early fall surge. Chivas USA reeled off six wins in a span of seven games and seemed to have positioned themselves well despite all the prior adversity.
But ultimately, the injury situation was far too much to overcome.
"It was just a tough year for us," Chivas USA midfielder Jesse Marsch said. "You always felt like your backs against the wall and couldn't ever really get yourself into the rhythm where now you felt like you were making a real push to be one of the better teams in the league. It's unfortunate."
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SIGHTS & SOUNDS
The club could have equipped the sidelines with turnstiles to accommodate the mass number of bodies coach Preki threw into the starting lineup. In 32 MLS games -- including two playoff contests -- Chivas USA used 30 different lineups. All told, 31 different players earned starts for the club this season and only four players logged more than 2,000 minutes.
The only stable thing about Chivas USA's 2008 season was its instability and penchant for receiving key injuries at inopportune times. Among the many injuries, though, some stood out:
• Maykel Galindo led Chivas USA with 13 goals in 2007 and added pace to the attack, an element that was missing during 2008. Galindo was limited to one goal in five starts and 10 total appearances for the season. By his account, he was never at 100 percent.
• Raphael Wicky had spent his entire career in Europe and was a key player for the Swiss national team as well. A World Cup and European Championship veteran, Wicky made all of one start and played just five games.
• Lawson Vaughn enjoyed a breakthrough season in 2007 when he started 22 of 24 games, became a fixture on the right side and earned an invite to a U.S. national team training camp. Ankle surgery prevented Vaughn from accepting the invitation but limited him in the preseason as well. All told, facial, knee and ankle injuries limited Vaughn to seven games.
• Alecko Eskandarian was supposed to boost the offense but a groin injury kept the former MLS Cup Most Valuable Player from participating much for the first five months of the season. Eskandarian showed his value with four goals down the stretch but succumbed to injury late in the campaign and was able to play just one half of the club's playoff series.
"We felt like we were going uphill this year, just pushing," forward Ante Razov said. "Whenever it seemed like we had some momentum, a couple guys would break down and then all of a sudden you're fighting it and you fight it all year."
Injuries also reared their ugly head in the postseason. Late-season acquisition Sasha Victorine proved a vital player in his limited time but went down with a sprained knee in the penultimate match of the regular season. Along with Victorine, defender Claudio Suarez, midfielder Atiba Harris and Eskandarian were among the players who saw limited or no time during the postseason. All four players played key roles at one point or another in the club's late-season surge.
Still, injuries can strike any club at any time, and the club had been prepared to expect the unexpected all season long.
"What are you going to do? You can't sit and cry. It happened all year and happened in the postseason," Preki said. "But the guys who played really gave everything. We gave everything we had."
The club went out in the first round of the playoffs for the third consecutive season, but unlike their 2007 exit, Chivas USA scored a pair of goals in their home leg against Real Salt Lake. And while it was not enough, it was a reflection of their effort and determination.
"We went down swinging. We threw it all out there and gave us their best shot," Razov said. "We should still be proud of what we accomplished in an unbelievably difficult year."
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