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Chivas USA-Sounders Preview

Sep 18, 2009 - 4:59 PM By MATT BECKER STATS Senior Writer

Chivas USA (11-9-3) at Seattle (9-6-10), 3:00 p.m. EDT

Although Chivas USA is in the thick of the postseason hunt, Preki isn't thrilled with the way his team is playing.

Chivas looks to come out focused and win its second in a row Saturday when it visits the Seattle Sounders, who return home after a successful trip east.

Chivas was outscored 5-0 in losing its previous two games, but Maicon Santos scored 10 minutes in and Chivas went on to a 2-0 victory over New England on Sunday. The win was the third in 10 league games for Chivas (11-9-3), moving it within four points of Western Conference-leading Houston.

"Every game now is like a final for us," said Santos, who scored his first MLS goal since signing with Chivas on Aug. 21. "You can't lose. You can't play bad. You must keep playing hard every game."

Preki, though, doesn't see that focus from his team on a daily basis, and the coach is worried that mental errors could leave it out of the race for the MLS Cup.

"I'm very concerned," Preki told the team's official Web site. "We've shown a little lack of discipline on the field and if we don't clean up our act in the key parts of the year, we might be having a difficult time. Hopefully, we can learn from our mistakes and become a little more disciplined as a team."

While Chivas controlled the ball for much of the game and outshot the Revolution 18-2, the issues Preki mentioned surfaced late in the match. Defender Carey Talley, the team leader in starts and minutes, was ejected in the 69th minute for violent conduct.

With Talley serving a one-game suspension, this is the second game in a row that Chivas will be down a player. Maykel Galindo was out against New England after receiving a red card in the previous match.

That makes another strong performance from goalkeeper Zach Thornton all the more critical.

The 12-year veteran lowered his league-leading goals-against average to 0.82 with his ninth shutout of the season last weekend. Thornton has been instrumental in Chivas' wins over the expansion Sounders, recording shutouts in the first two meetings.

Seattle (9-6-10) is also in the mix for a playoff spot and has some momentum after a pair of big wins.

After beating D.C. United 2-1 in the U.S. Open Cup on Sept. 2, Seattle won the rematch last Saturday by the same score. The Sounders became the first team to win a league game at RFK Stadium since Chivas won there Oct. 4, 2008.

"It's definitely fantastic," said Seattle's James Riley, who assisted on the winning goal. "To come here and win two games in 10 days is definitely something that we'll take."

With the score tied at 1, Riley lobbed the ball just inside the box to Fredy Montero, who hooked a shot into the top right corner of the net in the 84th minute for his team-leading 11th goal.

Montero and the Sounders are looking to win back-to-back league games for the first time since June 28 and July 11. They head back out on the road for three of their final four contests.