Premonition?

I can't say that I saw Ante Razov's injury coming but it was a question I raised to Preki, Jesse Marsch and Ante a few weeks back. With the playoffs no longer in doubt, it seemed natural that resting Razov - as well as other veterans - would be in the club's best interest.

But Preki said flat out that nothing would change.

When Razov didn't play in Salt Lake, I figured Preki either softened his stance somewhat or didn't want to reveal too much of his late-season plans on the record. I thought the same thing on Thursday when Laurent Merlin and John Cunliffe started. But when Ante Razov and Maykel Galindo came on for the last 20-25 minutes, I was surprised. I figured Preki wanted to snatch a win on the road and get closer to the Supporters' Shield.

Perhaps Chivas was a victim of their own success, in that they didn't know how to handle the end of a fantastic regular season. Yes, the Supporters' Shieled is important especially because it carries with it a ticket to the CONCACAF Champions Cup. But the MLS Cup should have been the main goal and with a playoff spot in hand and the top spot in the west within reach, playing Razov wasn't a good idea.