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Chivas USA-Revolution Preview

Jul 18, 2009 - 5:15 PM By NICOLINO DIBENEDETTO STATS Writer

Chivas USA (8-5-3) at New England (4-5-5), 6:00 p.m. EDT

CD Chivas USA hasn't won in six weeks, getting eliminated from a pair of competitions in the process.

The club will now attempt to win for the first time in eight games Sunday when it visits the injury-riddled New England Revolution.

Chivas USA (8-5-3) hasn't won since beating Seattle 1-0 on June 6, losing all three of its MLS matches and going 0-6-1 overall while getting outscored 8-3.

That stretch includes a 1-all tie with Mexico's San Luis on June 27, eliminating Chivas from SuperLiga. Three days later, Chivas got knocked out of the U.S. Open Cup after losing 3-1 at Charleston of the United Soccer Leagues.

The club didn't do much better in its return to MLS play last Saturday, getting just two shots on net to fall 1-0 to crosstown rival Los Angeles.

"The only way we get through this is by sticking together," Chivas reserve forward Chukwudi Chijindu said. "We just need to work hard and try to fix the problem. Sooner or later, the ball is going to start bouncing our way again."

Chivas, though, has only won once in its last seven league games (1-4-2), and is in danger of equaling a franchise record with a fourth straight loss. The other three times that happened all came when it was an expansion team in 2005, when Chivas finished with the worst record in MLS.

"We're still in a good spot," coach Preki said. "We knew we'd be in a slump some time. It's only the middle of the season. If we finish the season the way we started it, we'll be fine. We just need to regroup and continue to believe in ourselves."

Chivas dropped both meetings with New England (4-5-5) last year, losing 4-0 at Gillette Stadium on Sept. 11 to fall to 0-3-1 all-time there.

The Revolution continue to deal with a slew of injuries, as five players - including forward Taylor Twellman and midfielder Shalrie Joseph - have been ruled out for Sunday.

The absences appear to be taking a toll on the Revs, as they've gone 0-2-1 over the last three MLS games while getting outscored 4-1. Matt Reis made 11 saves last Saturday, but his teammates failed to score for a second consecutive game in a scoreless tie against Kansas City.

New England followed that by falling 2-1 to Chicago on Wednesday in the semifinals of SuperLiga.

"The facts are the facts," Revolution coach Steve Nicol said. "We just have to get on with and deal with what we have to deal with. We can't look at it in any other way. It's unlucky. That's what it is.

"We have to have the mindset that we're going out to win the game. If the team we have goes about things in the right way and everybody plays to their ability, then we've certainly got a chance of beating any team that's put in front of us."