The Athenaeum Forum

Carson, CA (SportsNetwork.com) - Two of the bottom three teams in the Western Conference will meet up at the StubHub Center on Saturday when the Colorado Rapids tangle with Chivas USA. Both teams have endured a difficult past few months that have dropped them out of playoff contention, but both will be hoping to end the season on a positive note, starting with Saturdays match. The Rapids bring an 11-game winless streak into the fixture, having taken just two points during that time, while being outscored 18-5 in their last five contests. Colorados latest setback came in a 4-1 home defeat to Seattle Sounders FC last weekend as the Rapids fell behind 3-0 in the opening 33 minutes before pulling a goal back through Deshorn Brown shortly before halftime. But Obafemi Martins scored his second goal of the game in the 70th minute to put the match away for Seattle, leaving head coach Pablo Mastroeni to offer a rather frank evaluation of his teams performance. I think they out-competed us today and thats one thing weve done really well this year - being able to compete, Mastroeni said after the defeat. Theyve got some class players that can make a big difference on that team but the first 15 minutes of the game we didnt set the kind of tone that we needed to set to play against these kind of teams and really make it difficult for them. We were just chasing the game from the beginning. Part of the problem, according to Mastroeni, is the fact that there simply isnt much confidence in the side right now, something the boss has tried to improve by focusing on the positive aspects of his teams play. You cant deny human nature. These guys arent playing with the most confidence - how can you when you havent won a game in two months, Mastroeni said bluntly. It makes it that much more difficult. My job the past two months has been to be very upbeat, really positive and focus on the good things that were doing. Unfortunately for Mastroeni, there hasnt been too much to be positive about, although Saturdays match will likely be the best chance Colorado has at grabbing a win over the final three games. After all, the Rapids last win came against Chivas on July 25. The Goats know a thing or two about lengthy slumps, with Chivas bringing an end to a 12-game winless streak last weekend by upsetting Real Salt Lake, 1-0. Head coach Wilmer Cabrera spoke before the RSL match about closing the season strong, with three of the final four games coming at home. And now that Chivas managed to win the first of those games, Cabrera will be hoping to put together another strong performance at home against the Rapids. I told the guys we needed to improve [defensively], and that the chances would come, said Cabrera after the victory against RSL. If we could find the balance between being more solid in the back and creating chances, we were going to be alright. It was tough, it wasnt easy, and to win 1-0 shows how hard of a game it was. It also proved how all the players worked hard defensively and then offensively when we won the ball. All Cabrera can ask for at this stage of the season is for his side to put out a similar effort to the one he saw last weekend, and Chivas will have a good opportunity to collect back-to-back wins for the first time since early July. One thing that will make life a bit tougher for Chivas is the fact that leading scorer Erick Torres will be away on international duty with Mexico. Torey Krug Jersey . The right-hander said he threw about 30 pitches in a routine bullpen session Sunday at Yankee Stadium, his final hurdle before starting Tuesday night at Tampa Bay. Ray Bourque Jersey . Wheeler scored two goals, including the winner, as the Winnipeg Jets beat the Minnesota Wild 6-4 on Friday in a game that featured a seven-goal first period. http://www.thebostonbruinshockey.com/.28 mph. Logano will start on the front row next to Penske Ford teammate Brad Keselowski, who came in second Friday at 193.099. The Penske drivers swept the top two spots for the second straight race, reversing their qualifying finish in Phoenix a week ago. Adam Oates Jersey . On Thursday, a judge said Varlamov could be released if he posted $5,000 bond and be allowed to travel with the team but he was ordered to stay away from his girlfriend, among other restrictions. Brandon Carlo Jersey .C. United to a 4-1 victory over short-handed FC Dallas on Saturday night.It was broad smiles all around from head coach Frank Klopas and Sporting Director Nick de Santis as the Impact put on their brave and cheery faces at training yesterday. Hard to imagine this is a club who are firmly entrenched at the bottom of the Eastern Conference as results this season mirror the tailspin the Impact suffered throughout the later stages of the 2013 season. Last Saturdays Kansas City shambles offered very few shreds of comfort or optimism for a club who have only claimed a solitary victory over the course of their last 15 regular season matches. Coincidentally, that win - secured in the final home match of the 2013 season - came against the Philadelphia Union who will be the opponent for the Impacts Saputo Stadium home opener Saturday afternoon. Going into this season there was no expectation the Impact would start in the same forthright manner they did in 2013, where they had already accumulated 16 points and by a distance were the form team of the Eastern Conference through seven games. By the same token nobody in the organization would have thought the club would still be in search of its first win on the back of the worst start of the season in club history. By a quirk of fate Klopas old flame, the Chicago Fire, are the only other winless team in the conference. Any thought Klopas would suffer a similar fate of so many Impact coaches before were completely dismissed out of hand by De Santis yesterday, as he offered full and unequivocal support for his besieged head coach. De Santis could not have appeared more genuine as he addressed the media first in French and then reinforced the same message when switching to English as he expressed complete confidence in his coaching staff. “Its frustrating, its disappointing but we do need to stay patient,” De Santis said of the Imapcts start. The opening goal conceded against the reigning MLS Cup champions was a Callum Mallace attempt at a headed clearance that found nothing but the roof of the Impact net. It typifies the run of ill fortune the Impact has experienced so far this season. One that by this stage drains, and erodes confidence levels allowing for the doubts to set in. This was evident during the second half in Kansas where as a team they completely lacked conviction and confidence. After Marco Di Vaio was forced off injured in minute 55, many players became mere shadows of themselves as they conceded three soft goals. After the match Impact captain Patrice Bernier could offer little explanation of why the team had performed so poorly though the second half. If the Impact is to salvage their season this has to represent rock bottom. Playing at Saputo Stadium for a first ttime this season offers up the perfect tonic.dddddddddddd. Training yesterday took place at the clubs training pitch adjacent to the stadium and was conducted under glorious blue skies, which is in stark contrast to training and playing at a dreary appearing Olympic Stadium. A spring was in everyones steps, a certain buoyancy in the air. Di Vaio - who will be the first to admit that his form this season is far from where he would like it to be, or where the club needs it to be - seems likely to overcome the slight hamstring strain and should be available Saturday. Someone who likely again wont feature is Argentine DP Hernan Bernardello. Yesterday De Santis spoke of the midfielders fellow countryman Igniacio Piatti, who currently plays for San Lorenzo. The Impacts Sporting Director admitted the club was very much hoping to bring him in during the upcoming transfer window. Dont expect summer shopping to be limited to merely adding a third and final DP. This is a club who throughout its 20-plus-year history doesnt shy away from making the investments where needed. Bolstering the lineup and adding greater depth will certainly enhance the Impacts chances in the second half of the season. For now, though, its about getting the optimum performances from all the players at their disposal. This is something Klopas admitted earlier in the week was keeping him awake at night. In the lead up to Saturdays game much has been made in both Montreal and Philadelphia about Andrew Wengers return to Saputo Stadium. Wenger even got in on the act himself in the week when he spoke of his time in Montreal and learning much from Marco. Referring to Di Vaio, this was clearly a backhanded slap in the direction of Marco Schallibaum. As the team were putting in some of their final preparations for Saturday afternoons encounter, the finishing touches were been applied to Saputo Stadium. The pitch looks in perfect shape. The last time the club took to that pitch was last Oct. 19 in what was a must-win game for the Impact - who had gone into the game on the back of a six-game winless skid. Philly took the early lead before Di Vaio notched his 20th goal of the season and Karl Ouimette scored the late winner. The opponent will be the same Saturday afternoon, and the club fully need a similar result. Or as De Santis put it yesterday: “We are a win away from relieving the pressure on everyone.” You can reach and follow Noel Butler at: Noel.Butler@BellMedia.ca @TheSoccerNoel on Twitter Listen to Montreal Impact vs. Philadelphia Union live on TSN690 Montreal [TSN690.ca] Saturday at 4pm et. Rick Moffat [@RickMoffat] and Grant Needham [@GrantNeedham] have the call. Cheap NFL Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys Wholesale NFL Jerseys Jerseys From China Wholesale NFL Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys Cheap Jerseys ' ' '