A Few Words With New Chivas USA Midfielder Sasha Victorine

Sasha strikes

Photo by Steve McCrank

Had a longish conversation with once and former Galaxy midfielder and now and current Chivas USA player Sasha Victorine after he scored the winner in Saturday's 2-1 win over the Kansas City Wizards.

Local journalists are happy to see Victorine back for more reasons than just his play - he is thoughtful, usually more than happy to chat and generally a good quote (I feel an MLS all-quote team list coming on):

On whether he had a point to prove after the Wizards let him go reportedly in part because of "declining production:

"Obviously you go in there and say I feel like I can still get goals and get assists and help teams win games. That's the point I wanted to prove to those guys that letting me go would hurt them. Who knows what it ultimately ends up doing to them at the end of the season, but I just feel comfortable we got our points here and we got a win at home."

On how joining Chivas USA has been:

"First day you come into a new team it's always a little questionable about how the guys are going to treat you and if they respect you. I've tried to come out to the practice field and work hard and show that I'm here to help them win and they've been very respectful to me helping me feel I'm part of the team quickly."

On playing in the stadium as a member of the "other" team:

"It's so far in the past for me. It's weird coming back to this stadium and being in a different locker room, but I tell you what they've made it a great home for me so far and I'm just enjoying it."

On being a hometown boy (his parents live in Corona) returning to L.A.:

"It's a little weird for sure. It's great - my family gets to watch me play and its been a few years since they got to see me play all the time, so it's always nice to be back in California. You can't beat these nights, this weather out here at night."

On the economic realities of the trade:

"We're not multimillionaires who can pick up and move very easily - my wife has a job in Kansas City and for the remainder of the year she's going to keep working out there and making trips with my daughter out here. It's tough, it's hard. I'm excited because they're here this weekend and they definitely gave me a lot of energy."

On what was up with K.C. this year anyway:

"They're trying to find an identity I think. My personal opinion is they like to go young (Victorine is 30) and they want guys who are fast and athletic. Sometimes that doesn't build a great team. I think you've got to have guys that battle, fight every game."

On whether the goal was extra special:

"Sure, you sit all week thinking what can I do to score a goal, how can I do anything to get something back. When it went in obviously a lot of relief, a lot of happiness. ... I've got to give a lot of credit to the guys on the team here because they've made me feel welcome and accepted me on the team very quick."

On whether Chivas USA suits his style of play;

"Before this game and the last game I was out for three weeks I hadn't trained much. Fitness-wise hadn't been in the best shape because I'd been out with a quad strain and a (muscle) pull and in the last two weeks ... I've really been trying to get my game going. ... What they try to do here is the quick one-two touches, the triangles moving the ball, keeping the defense from having to chase it. So I think that's the style of soccer I like to play."

Yeah, he was pretty happy.

Photo by Steve McCrank