View from the Blues, Volume 11: No Gaitan, No Win

Charlie Naimo's Los Angeles Blues were looking to rebound from a disappointing 1-1 draw with River Plate Puerto Rico on Sunday, May 1, when they hosted Antigua Barracuda FC in their home opener at Titan Stadium on the campus of California State University, Fullerton in Fullerton, California.

“I think all the guys are a little upset because we know that we could have walked away with three points and ended the trip 4-0-0,” said midfielder John Tudela to LABluesProSoccer.com's Gunnar Berndt. “But the tie is still a very good result, considering it was our fourth road game in just over a week.

"The fact that we were able to go to the Caribbean and get ten points from four games is incredible. All the guys played and fought hard again against River Plate, which already shows the character of this team.”

“I would say that was our toughest game so far,” said defender Leonard Griffin of their match with River.

“It was very physical and they challenged us all around the field. I think we did a good job of matching their intensity, and considering the amount of games we played during the extended road trip, a draw is a good result.”

Clearly, a draw means that a lot more work needs to be done, argues Blues defender Cameron Dunn.

“I thought we played well but were still lacking 90 minutes worth of focus,” Dunn said.

“We held the ball well and created some great scoring chances throughout the match. River Plate relied heavily on the big ball forward and didn’t move it around as much was we expected them to. I feel like we had the better chances and should have gotten the win.”

Naimo, naturally, was unhappy with the loss of consistency in their last match.

"Overall, I was satisfied with our possession during the trip,” Naimo said, “but today was the first time we never really established a good rhythm and failed to control play for a longer stretch of the game.

"River Plate is a very good team and they did a great job of being aggressive and pressuring our backs. We just couldn’t match their intensity, which probably had a lot to do with tired legs after such a demanding road schedule.”

Discipline was an intangible critical to the outcome of Sunday's contest, the team hinted.

“The ejections affected the game [against River] somewhat,” Griffin said.

“They allowed for more space with less pressure on the ball, which forced both teams to adjust a little bit. In the end, I think we had the better chances and could have won the game.”

Once the team returned home, it was time for a house cal prior to opening Titan for business.

“First and foremost, we need to recharge our batteries after such a demanding road trip,” Naimo said. “In addition, I’m now focusing on who I’m going to field in place of Cesar Rivera. He has shown in the first few games that he’s a great striker who makes us better, so it’s not easy to replace him. But we have very good depth up front. It’s just a question of talking to my coaching staff and ultimately making a decision.”

“With the results from this trip, we’ve put ourselves in a great position in the league standings,” Dunn added. “That also means we’re now the team everyone’s chasing, so we need to continue moving in the right direction by resting up and getting right back to work. We expect to get better every game.”

“We need to focus on recovering from this trip and getting everyone feeling a hundred percent both physically and mentally,” Griffin concurred. “I know we’ll have a lot of energy and excitement against Antigua since it is our home opener.

"We just need to make sure we’re on top of our game by not giving up anything defensively, possessing the ball and finishing our chances. We’re really looking forward to the match and hope to put on a show for the fans that come out to support us.”

“If we’re prepared and focus on playing our style, I think we’ll be successful,” Tudela added. “We have a very talented team, one of the best in the entire league if we play the way we know we can.”

Gaitan was unable to start in the home opener, and this would prove to be fatal to LA's chances as they fell 1-0.

Steffan Smith scored the only goal in the match in the 24th minute after another lousy defensive lapse combined with terrible goalkeeping from Oscar Dautt.

Bad finishes, bad passing, bad execution. The lack of continuity from the Los Angeles Blues resulted in their first defeat of the season.

And so LA have 11 days to figure out what went wrong. The timing of the defeat is not good, especially with the Charlotte Eagles flying in. A big question for Charlie Naimo's club will be the match fitness of Gaitan. The implications of this loss are severe, and someone will need to step up if Los Angeles are to contend for the league title.

Match 1 of the two-game series at Centennial High School in Corona, California, is scheduled for Thursday, May 12, at 7:30 p.m. PT/10:30 p.m. ET.

The second game, at Titan Stadium, will be on Saturday, May 14 at 7:30 p.m. PT/10:30 p.m. ET.