Sounders coach Sigi Schmid keeps stressing this week that you can’t judge Saturday opponent Chivas USA by its 5-10-3 record or its last-place standing in the Western Conference because the club has been so active in changing its roster recently.

“Chivas is a completely different team than they were even three weeks ago,” Schmid said at the start of the week. “With all the changes, bringing in (Giancarlo) Maldonado, bringing in (Rodolfo) Espinoza on their team, (Jesus) Padilla is somebody who has been playing a lot for them and he is coming off the bench now. They have loaned a couple players out. They’re still looking, I think, at maybe making another move or two. Justin Braun is in good form. So they are a team that needs to get points now, just like we do, and being at home they want to try and get their three points. It’s going to have a playoff-type of intensity to it because for them they are getting to that point of the season, with the games remaining, that pretty soon it’s not going to be feasible for them to get there. It’s going to be a playoff-type intensity, for sure.”

Here’s a look at the thought behind those changes, from the Chivas USA website.