By Ridge Mahoney

The two bottom-feeders in MLS last season finished one win apart; after a busy offseason rife with change, they opened the 2006 season separated by three goals.

And it could have been more.

CD Chivas USA blasted Real Salt Lake, 3-0, and was clearly better all over the field. Midfielder Chris Klein, who debuted for Real after nine seasons in Kansas City, wasn't buying any of the proffered excuses: lots of new players, opening game on the road, etc.

"It takes time but we've been together two months [in the preseason] and it shouldn't take that much time," he said. "We've got to find a way to get on the same page. We have very talented players but it doesn't matter how many talented players you have if you're not working together, you're going to get picked apart."

In contrast to the picking apart by Ante Razov, Francisco Palencia and Juan Pablo Garcia, the Real attackers sputtered. Rookie Atiba Harris battled fruitlessly, Jeff Cunningham ran in a vain search for service, and midfielder Andy Williams couldn't link up with his forwards and seldom got the ball within range of the goal until he was pushed up front in the second half.

"We couldn't hold the ball and get passes forward to our forwards," said Williams. "We got in the hole. In the second half we played much better and we need to pick up on the second half next week."

No. 2 overall draft pick Mehdi Ballouchy made his pro debut on the left side of midfield. Blessed with great touch and balance but short on tactical awareness, he ran into double-teams, lost most of his 50-50 duels, and only rarely played a penetrating pass. Yet he has learned that for any player, rookie or otherwise, to put much stock into preseason performances is a mistake.

"The preseason has been going pretty well, but it's preseason," said the 2005 WCC Player of the Year at Santa Clara. "This is kind of a rough start, a drubbing 3-0 in the first game, but I thought we did much better in the second half, got a little rhythm and put them under pressure."

CD Chivas USA used Razov's two goals, the midfield pairing of Sacha Kljestan and Jesse Marsch, and a smothering defense led by Mexican international defender Claudio Saurez and former Metro Tim Regan in the middle to dominate their opponents. Coach Bob Bradley and his players were pleased but, although none of them said it straight out, in their comments could be detected a trace of what a rival GM said last year:

"You can't draw too many conclusions by what you do against Real Salt Lake."

REMATCH REVERSAL. New England, beaten 1-0 by the Galaxy in last year's MLS Cup, turned that scoreline around on Saturday with a far more impassioned performance as well as some strategic shrewdness.

Coach Stevie Nicol used two of his best offensive players, Pat Noonan and Steve Ralston, to squelch the Galaxy's propensity to attack from wide positions. Noonan reigned in right back Chris Albright's flank forays and came back to help out against Cobi Jones; Ralston made sure left back Nathan Sturgis, who replaced the injured Todd Dunivant, didn't get forward. Left mid Josh Gardner, impressive in preseason, floundered before being substituted.

"Noonan sat on me the whole game, so if I went, he was open, and a lot of times he came with me and did a hell of job defensively," said Albright. "They know that's how we like to attack is outside."

Also doing a job defensively were stand-in midfielders Daniel Hernandez and James Riley, who played with Jay Heaps in the back line because center back Michael Parkhurst is still injured and Nicol pushed Joey Franchino into midfield.

"Players were filling in the gaps, playing behind the ball," said Hernandez. "I thought our whole midfield and forwards did a great job defensively, so it helped out the back three.

"James did a great job. He completely shut down Herculez Gomez. He couldn't do anything against James."

O'BRIEN ON BOARD. Midfielder John O'Brien is signing with MLS to play for CD Chivas USA.

He has also been named to the U.S. roster for a friendly next week against Jamaica in Cary, N.C. Coach Bruce Arena talked with O'Brien last Sunday at Home Depot Center; both attended CD Chivas USA's 3-0 thumping of Real Salt Lake.

Arena has refused to scratch O'Brien off his list of possible World Cup players despite hamstring and leg injuries that have plagued him since the 2002 World Cup, when he played every minute of the USA's five games.

O'Brien forced himself back into the picture last summer by helping the U.S. win the Gold Cup, but subsequent injuries prompted his departure from Dutch club Den Haag, who relinquished his rights several weeks ago.

"We all know that John is an excellent player and I think would be a great addition in terms of the way he plays and the things he does on the field," said Bradley after the CD Chivas victory.

Any other player would have been eliminated by Arena, but the stark fact is that no other midfielder in the U.S. pool has O'Brien's tools: quickness, speed, touch, vision, game sense, World Cup experience, defensive savvy, and heart. If he's back to form and stays healthy, he's not only on the 23-man roster, but he's in the first 11.