Shorthanded Goats to take on 'Caps

Now we learn just how deep Chivas USA's roster really is.

The Goats will be missing as many as 11 players, nine of them with reasonable starting experience, when they take on the Vancouver Whitecaps on Wednesday night at Home Depot Center, as injury, suspension and international duty carves up their roster.

Gone, for sure, are first-choice forwards Alejandro Moreno and Marcos Mondaini, starting midfielders Simon Elliott and Jorge Flores, plus defender Andy Boyens, and that's before figuring in all the long-term injuries that have played havoc with Chivas' depth all season.

"We're definitely stretched," head coach Robin Fraser said Tuesday, "and I think this is the time of year where that happens, [with the CONCACAF] Gold Cup, Copa America, what have you ... international dates. And I think all the teams are going through it, for the most part.

"Yeah, we are going to be stretched on our roster, but thats why we have a roster."

Everyone is going through it, to some degree -- Vancouver is missing three players because of international call-ups -- but the few are feeling the impact quite like the Goats (3-4-4). Moreno is off with Venezuela's national team, Boyens and Elliott are with New Zealand's, and Mondaini and Flores are serving red-card suspensions.

Then there's that six-man injured list, with everyone closer to returning to the field -- and midfielder Paulo Nagamura and defender Michael Lahoud possible for Wednesday's game or, if not, for Saturday's against the Portland Timbers. Midfielder Blair Gavin, forward Tristan Bowen and defender Seth Owusu also are nearing the end of injury layoffs, Fraser said.

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Source: http://espn.go.com/blog/los-angeles/soccer/post/_/id/8541/chivas-usa-shorthanded-goats-take-on-caps-new-guard

Alex Hernán Crespo Owen Hargreaves