With tomorrow’s match against Toronto FC looming, Chivas USA trained early this afternoon at BMO Field in Toronto. The team practiced for a little over an hour under cloudy, occasionally rainy skies. The remnants of Hurricane Gustav were the cause of the wind and rain, and local weather reports showed skies clearing around game time on Saturday.
Whatever the weather, the Chivas USA players will be looking to get a result in tomorrow’s match, which starts at 4:00 p.m. ET (1:00 p.m. PT) and will be broadcast live nationally on TeleFutura and locally on FSN Prime Ticket, as well as on W Radio 690 AM.
“We just have to play our game,” said Chivas USA defender Jonathan Bornstein. “We’ve got to start with the defense and be tight, be solid, and go from there.”
The Red-and-White will be missing several players due to injury; defender Lawson Vaughn did not make the trip to Toronto, and forward Justin Braun did not practice on Friday due to a groin injury. Defenders Claudio Suárez and Carey Talley, as well as midfielder Jesse Marsch, are all listed as questionable.
However, Toronto FC’s lineup is also depleted, as the Canadian side is missing nine players due to international call-ups.
“They’ll have a lot of different players from the last time we played them, and probably a lot of guys who haven’t played together, so we’ve have to take advantage of that,” said Bornstein. “We have to be patient and capitalize on our chances when we get opportunities. That’ll be the biggest thing for us, and as long as we’re confident and play the game that we should, we should be able to get a win.”
Saturday’s match will be the second time this season that the team has played on artificial grass. In the team’s other match on the surface this season, a June 5 game at New York, the Red-and-White fell 1-0.
“I’ve trained on [turf] fields,” said recent signing Roberto Nurse, a forward, “but I’ve never played a match on one. This will be a good chance for me to learn about the surface.”
“The field plays a little heavy when it’s dry,” said Bornstein. “The ball gets stuck in the turf a little bit. Also we got to see it when it was a little slick, because of the rain. It’s definitely an advantage to get a training session on it. We never get to train on that – we’re used to grass. Hopefully now guys will have a little better idea for what it will be like in the game.”
Both Saturday’s match at BMO Field and next Thursday’s game against New England in Foxboro will be played on the artificial grass surface.
Whatever the weather, the Chivas USA players will be looking to get a result in tomorrow’s match, which starts at 4:00 p.m. ET (1:00 p.m. PT) and will be broadcast live nationally on TeleFutura and locally on FSN Prime Ticket, as well as on W Radio 690 AM.
“We just have to play our game,” said Chivas USA defender Jonathan Bornstein. “We’ve got to start with the defense and be tight, be solid, and go from there.”
The Red-and-White will be missing several players due to injury; defender Lawson Vaughn did not make the trip to Toronto, and forward Justin Braun did not practice on Friday due to a groin injury. Defenders Claudio Suárez and Carey Talley, as well as midfielder Jesse Marsch, are all listed as questionable.
However, Toronto FC’s lineup is also depleted, as the Canadian side is missing nine players due to international call-ups.
“They’ll have a lot of different players from the last time we played them, and probably a lot of guys who haven’t played together, so we’ve have to take advantage of that,” said Bornstein. “We have to be patient and capitalize on our chances when we get opportunities. That’ll be the biggest thing for us, and as long as we’re confident and play the game that we should, we should be able to get a win.”
Saturday’s match will be the second time this season that the team has played on artificial grass. In the team’s other match on the surface this season, a June 5 game at New York, the Red-and-White fell 1-0.
“I’ve trained on [turf] fields,” said recent signing Roberto Nurse, a forward, “but I’ve never played a match on one. This will be a good chance for me to learn about the surface.”“The field plays a little heavy when it’s dry,” said Bornstein. “The ball gets stuck in the turf a little bit. Also we got to see it when it was a little slick, because of the rain. It’s definitely an advantage to get a training session on it. We never get to train on that – we’re used to grass. Hopefully now guys will have a little better idea for what it will be like in the game.”
Both Saturday’s match at BMO Field and next Thursday’s game against New England in Foxboro will be played on the artificial grass surface.
