Chivas USA 2009

January 15, 2009: Chivas USA Original Francisco 'Panchito' Mendoza officially joins Chivas de Guadalajara. In his four-year career with Chivas USA, Mendoza registered 5 goals and 16 assists in 111 regular-season MLS games, the most appearances ever for a Mexican-born player in Major League Soccer history.

January 28, 2009: World Cup veteran and two-time MLS Cup winner Carlos Llamosa is named Chivas USA’s new Assistant Coach by Head Coach Preki, re-joining the team where he spent the final two years of his playing career.

February 24, 2009: Chivas USA’s Jorge Flores is named to the United States’ roster for the CONCACAF Under-20 Championship in Trinidad & Tobago. The top two teams will qualify for the U-20 World Cup.

March 11, 2009: Chivas USA signs Mexican forward Eduardo Lillingston, who joined the club after time with Atlas, Santos Laguna and Tecos UAG.

March 21, 2009: Chivas USA opens its fifth season in Major League Soccer, taking a 2-1 victory over the Colorado Rapids with a pair of goals from midfielder Paulo Nagamura.

March 29, 2009: MLS Original Jesse Marsch, serving as the club’s captain in the match, celebrates his 300th MLS regular season game in a 2-0 Red-and-White victory over FC Dallas.

May 19, 2009: Chivas USA and City of Hope launch a diabetes awareness and wellness campaign entitled ‘Celebrate Hope’, helping raise money for research, treatment, and awareness.

June 28, 2009: Chivas USA players Jonathan Bornstein and Sacha Kljestan compete with the U.S. National Team in the FIFA Confederations Cup in South Africa, helping the U.S. to its best-ever finish, second, at a FIFA tournament. Bornstein played in all five games for the U.S., while Kljestan saw action in three games.

July 27, 2009: Chivas USA goalkeeper Zach Thornton named to the 2009 MLS All-Star Team, the sixth time he has earned an All-Star nomination in his career.

August 17, 2009: Chivas USA announces the acquisition of versatile Mexican-American midfielder Jesús Padilla, a product of the Chivas de Guadalajara youth system. Padilla had played 24 first-team matches with Guadalajara and joined Chivas USA on loan.

September 23, 2009: Chivas USA and Chivas de Guadalajara play the first ever ‘ChivaClasico’ on U.S. soil in the Rose Bowl Stadium in Pasadena, with Guadalajara taking a 2-0 win in front of an electric crowd.

October 10, 2009: Chivas USA earns a berth in the playoffs for the fourth consecutive season in a 2-0 victory over the Kansas City Wizards in The Home Depot Center.

October 14, 2009: Chivas USA defender Jonathan Bornstein scores the game-tying goal against Costa Rica in a 2-2 comeback for the U.S. that earned the U.S. top spot in the CONCACAF hexagonal round for the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

October 22, 2009: Chivas USA names Team Award Winners: Most Valuable Player- Zach Thornton, Defender of the Year- Jonathan Bornstein, Spirit of Chivas USA- Claudio Suarez, Humanitarian of the Year- Jesse Marsch, Budweiser Golden Boot- Eduardo Lillingston.

November 10, 2009: Chivas USA goalkeeper Zach Thornton named 2009 MLS Comeback Player of the Year and will follow up the award with a nomination to the MLS 2009 Best 11, completing a trifecta of major league awards.

November 12, 2009: Chivas USA announces that Head Coach Preki will leave the club by mutual agreement, and the Red-and-White begin a search for the team’s next Head Coach.

December 2, 2009: Martin Vásquez is named Chivas USA Head Coach, rejoining the team he served as an assistant coach from 2005-2007 after spending a year in Germany as an assistant coach at Bayern Munich of Germany’s Bundesliga.