View from the Blues, Volume Nine: Naimo's Men Hit Their Stride Early

A Jamaican steal

Charlie Naimo's Los Angeles Blues were able to get one more signing before their season opener on Friday, April 15, against Sevilla FC Puerto Rico.

On Thursday, April 14, the Blues signed Jamaican international Akeem Priestley, who, according to the manager, was available because no team in MLS could sign him.

At least, that's what Naimo reckons.

“I’m guessing the main reason he couldn’t latch on there was the restriction on the number of foreigners in MLS,” the Blues manager told Gunnar Berndt of LABluesProSoccer.com. “That rule makes every team think twice before signing a player like Akeem."

But just what was the real reason Priestly was able to join LA?

“Akeem is here because he couldn’t get cleared to play in Ireland,” Naimo explained. “We were very lucky to snatch him up. You don’t often find a guy that talented still hanging around this close to the season.”

Priestly could have played for Ireland's Shamrock Rovers, but he was unable to earn a clearance to play there. Combine that with connections to fellow Connecticut Husky grad and former Chivas USA star Chukwudi Chijindu, and it was a literal steal for the Blues.

“At the time I had a few options in the USL, but he really made me want to come here,” Priestley said on Tuesday. “Chuck told me a lot about the team and got me in touch with the coach, who seemed very nice. Most importantly, the way he wants to play really suits my style. He believes in moving the ball around and keeping possession, which I love. So I jumped at the opportunity.”

Priestly's former clubs include Jamaican powerhouse Harbour View FC and FC Mughan of Azerbaijan.

“I’ve only been here for a few days, so I’m still getting settled in,” Priestly said. “But the training sessions have been good so far. We work on keeping possession and do a lot of technical drills, both of which I enjoy. And it’s great to see that the players seem to get along very well. That’s important for a team to be successful.”

“The caliber of players we have assembled promises good things for the season,” Naimo added. “I expect nothing less than to win the championship with the Blues, and I’m sure a lot of my teammates would tell you the same thing.

“When we first came across Akeem, we instantly saw what he could bring in terms of attacking skill and versatility. He can play pretty much anywhere in the attack for us, be it at forward or out wide on either flank. If needed, he could probably even slot in underneath the forwards. Akeem should be getting a lot of playing time in a lot of different positions in 2011.”



On island-hopping assignment

With the Priestley signing out of the way, the Blues turned their attention to their season opener against Sevilla.

“I think it’s going to be interesting,” Blues defender Nelson Akwari said. “There’s not much we know about the Caribbean teams. There are certainly some quality players down there, but all four of our opponents are new to the league, which makes it hard to know what to expect.

"It’s possible that the field conditions won’t always be ideal and obviously the travel doesn’t help, so those things could be challenging. But given the quality of our roster, we expect some results down there. Obviously starting out with a win would be great, but I could also live with defending well and getting a tie.”

“It’s tough enough going on the road to play one away game, let alone four in a row,” said Blues captain Josh Tudela. “And it’s made even more difficult by the fact that we’re a brand-new team and it’s the start of the season for us. If we can go in there and at least not give away any points, say with two or three wins and no losses, I think that would be a pretty successful trip.”

“We just need to be at our best and make them adapt to our style of play," Naimo said on the match "Part of that is cleaning up the little things, such as improving our defending on set pieces. If we’re good, then it doesn’t matter how they play. For now, I’m just going to assume we’ll be facing four very good teams and that we need to match them in every single game.”

But there was one intangible that held the highest importance, according to Naimo.

“I think we need to improve on our mental toughness,” Naimo said. “That’s an important factor, especially when you start the season with four away games in such quick succession. But the good part of a trip like this is that the players will be spending a lot of time together. They will have a chance to grow a lot closer off the field, which could translate into a stronger bond on the field and ultimately help us in these games.”

Indeed, that mental toughness proved to be the factor, as the Blues bounced back from their setback against Chivas USA, storming to a 3-0 win over Sevilla in Juncos, Puerto Rico.

In the 50th minute, Cesar Rivera scored the first-ever goal in the Blues' existence as a USL PRO side. Gerardo Bravo-Benavides then came off the bench to make it 2-0 Los Angeles in the 81st minute and Argentine international Walter Gaitan made it 3-0 LA.

“The pitch wasn’t in the best condition, so the game turned out a physical battle with a lot of fouls,” Naimo said. “There were some questionable calls, but for the most part the refs called the game evenly and we just gave away a few too many set play opportunities.

“We held our ground defensively. The only chances they had came from those set plays. They had some really big boys in the back, so they brought them forward whenever they could. But for the most part, we stood up to the physical challenge, absorbed the pressure and played just enough good soccer to create quality chances. In the first half alone, we could have been up two or three-nil. We created several hundred-percent chances that we didn’t finish.”

“We were able to adapt to the tough circumstances we were provided with,” said defender Josh Suggs. “That’s what separates good teams from great teams. We were forced to stray from our traditional style of play because of the lack of quality of the field, but we were still able to grind out the victory.”

“Getting three points on the road is a fantastic start to the season,” said defender Leonard Griffin. “They came out fighting hard as expected. I think it took us the first half to really get a feel for the field conditions and for how Sevilla play. Then in the second half, we were able to settle in a bit and play the way we wanted. Staying solid defensively, staying patient and scoring some amazing goals helped us come out on top."

"Today’s game was a huge win for our club,” Tudela said. “To be able to come into Puerto Rico and get a 3-0 win in our first game of the season is a huge accomplishment. Sevilla put up a very good fight, but all of our guys played well both individually and as a unit. I’m very proud of the team for that. Now it’s time to start getting ready for Antigua and make sure we walk away with another win.”

“I can’t really say we need to work on anything in particular after tonight’s match,” Naimo added. “I was really proud of the way the guys battled, because it was a very tough and physical game. Now we just want to get everybody healthy and well rested and then we’ll be ready for the next challenge.”

Up next for the Blues was a match on Sunday against Antigua Barracuda FC at Sticky Wicket Field in St. John's, Antigua and Barbuda.

“To be honest, we don’t know that much about Antigua Barracuda FC," Suggs said, "But we’ll head into the game with a winning attitude and determined to earn the same feeling we earned tonight. Of course, it would help to have a better field this time so we can play our type of game and control possession of the ball.”

The result? A 2-1 victory for the Blues. Gaitan earned a brace with goals off of set pieces in the 32nd  and 78th minutes. Tamarley Thomas scored in the 16th minute for Antigua Barracuda.

The victory impressed the manager of Antigua Barracuda, Tom Curtis.

“This is a very good team and we have nothing to be ashamed of,” Curtis said. “Our boys are having a first time experience. They fought hard, ran their socks off and despite all the possession it took two set plays to crack us open. We can learn from this experience, we will be better for it.”

With a full six points out of six, the Blues will look to finish their island tour on the winning track. Up next for Los Angeles is a match with Puerto Rico United at the Roberto Clemente Stadium in Carolina, Puerto Rico.

Kickoff is scheduled for Wednesday, April 20, at 4:00 p.m. PT/7:00 p.m. ET and will be televised by USLLive.com.

The Blues will their wrap up their April road trip against River Plate Puerto Rico. Kickoff at the Roberto Clemente Stadium is scheduled for Saturday, April 23 at 5:00 p.m. PT/8:00 p.m. ET and will be televised by USLLive.com