The new era dawning for Chivas USA is about a lot more than an impressive new head coach and all of his plans to make the Goats into a true powerhouse, but it does begin and end with Robin Fraser.
The former U.S. national team defender played a prominent role in Real Salt Lake's rise to an MLS Cup title as a member of Jason Kreis' staff, and now he looks to transform the Goats, coming off a worst-in-the-West campaign, along some of the same lines.
He has reconstructed the roster, bringing in depth, experience and leadership where it was lacking, and implemented a philosophy extolling the virtues of intelligence and proactive play that he says he believes will bring the Goats unprecedented success.
Just don't expect miracles.
“My expectations?” Fraser mused during preparations this week for Chivas USA's opener Saturday night against Sporting Club Kansas City at Home Depot Center. “I guess I try to keep it realistic, but even when I played on bad teams, I always thought I was going to win every game. That was my expectation going in.
“With such a new group, it probably makes sense to be a little more cautious, in terms of your expectations, but at the end of the day, I expect us to do well. Because I think we have some good players, and we have solid foundation and principles in place, and I think we should do well.”
There's no question the Goats should do better than they did last year, when they tried to compete with a substandard roster and limped to an 8-18-4 record, good for 15th of 16 MLS clubs. Rookie coach Martin Vasquez was dismissed at season's end -- not for the results, but because he wouldn't demote an assistant coach -- and club president Shawn Hunter and vice president of soccer operations Stephen Hamilton departed soon after.
It was the initial steps in a remaking of the franchise, which had enjoyed some on-field success (one Western Conference regular-season title, playoff appearances in 2006-09, but never a postseason series victory) while failing to build the kind of fan base envisioned when Club Deportivo Guadalajara owner Jorge Vergara and Antonio Cu� unveiled MLS's first Mexican franchise for the 2005 season.
Cu�, the managing partner, took the presidency and appointed Stanford-educated Jose Domene (whose father was once president of Monterrey-based UANL Tigres) as interim general manager. Fraser was lured to L.A. from Utah as 2011 began.
Fraser's impact extends beyond the field, and there's an optimism surrounding the club that didn't exist in 2010 and was rarely seen when the team was playing well under former coach Preki, who was rather a martinet.
“He's the face of the franchise,” Domene says, “and [everyone within the club] sees discipline, they see hard work, they see positive thinking, and can in many ways [have an impact].” Fraser's initial interview was so impressive, the GM says, “because he not only said the right things, but we believe he does live what he says. He's not only words, but he acts on it.”
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