Quakes hand Chivas USA wake-up call

CARSON, Calif. -- If preseason scrimmages are supposed to be gentle affairs with soft tackling and easy fouls, then somebody forgot to tell San Jose and Chivas USA.

The two teams battled for a fiery 90 minutes on a rainy Wednesday morning at the Home Depot Center in a game that felt more like a mid-season contest than a preseason scrimmage as San Jose emerged as 1-0 victors behind a seventh-minute goal from Cam Weaver.

"This was our first MLS game," Chivas USA head coach Preki. "I think we got reminded today that this league is a little more physical."

Chivas midfielder Paolo Nagamura set an aggressive tone early on, drawing a yellow card in the first minute of play for a hard tackle. The following 89 minutes were tight and cagey, with four more yellow cards being handed out to San Jose's Ramiro Corrales and Trey Lee and Chivas' Sacha Kljestan and Eduardo Lillingston.

"When you play any other MLS team in the preseason, it's going to be a tough one," Chivas defender Shavar Thomas said. "Everyone wants to make a statement for the season."

Chivas USA appeared out-of-sorts for much of the morning.

"This match was a lot faster paced than we've been playing," striker Justin Braun said. "We didn't play our game."

While the Red-and-White did well to lock down the defensive end of the field against a fast and physical San Jose team, they were unable to get any momentum going in the other direction.

"We had a lot of new faces," Preki said after the match. "When you put a lot of new faces on the field, you're not going to be as fluid as you normally are."

One of those new faces was Serbian trialist Bojan Stepanovic, who spent 85 minutes on the left wing for the Red-and-White. The 25-year-old last spent time with Serbian outfit FK Srem Sremska Mitrovica.

Another new face was that of Michael Lahoud in a defensive role. The young rookie got the start at right back and played a solid 80 minutes there. It's the third position Lahoud has played for the Red-and-White after having already appeared at both central and outside midfield.

"It's a long season," Thomas said. "There are going to be injuries and suspensions, so we have to try different things."

Whether Preki continues to use new faces or not, Chivas USA will have to step up its game before its scrimmage on Saturday against Eastern Conference powerhouse Chicago Fire at the Home Depot Center.

"We need to be sharper on Saturday," Braun said. "But if we come out and play the way we're supposed to play, we'll be alright."