A ProSoccerTalk Promise: Unless there’s new news to discuss, this is the last time we’ll beat up on the poor, old tied-up goats from Chivas USA.
Last night’s latest bit of awful leaves us looking through the record books. Here’s what I’ve found:
I wondered if being shut out six times in seven games might be an MLS first. Answer: Nope! When in search of these marks of dubious distinction, it’s always good to look toward Toronto.
Sure enough, from mid-July to mid-September in 2007, an expansion team steered by manager Mo Johnston was shut out seven matches in a row.
This was TFC’s string of 2007 shutout woe:
All the news is not so positive for Chivas USA. That current goal difference of -32 will need to improve (unlikely as that seems), or it will land as one of the worst yet in 17 MLS seasons. Any lower and it will represent the worst goal-difference since 2005, when expansion Real Salt Lake and fellow expansion side Chivas USA posted totals of -35 and -36 respectively.
That -36 GD by 2005 Chivas USA matched a league record shared the 2001 Tampa Bay Mutiny, a team that was about to fold. So, that one is in jeopardy, too.