Chivas USA Under-18s to participate in Copa Chivas starting Jan. 26

Chivas USA's Under-18 team will participate, starting this weekend, in the 2008 Copa Chivas, one of the most prestigious youth soccer tournaments in the Western Hemisphere, to be held in Guadalajara from Jan. 26 to Feb. 2.

Nineteen players are on the Chivas USA U-18 squad led by Head Coach Sacha van der Most, which departs for Guadalajara tomorrow, Jan. 24, before playing five group games in the first five days of the tournament. The quarterfinals begin on Jan. 31, with the semifinals and finals to follow on Feb. 1 and 2, respectively, before the team returns to Southern California on Feb. 3. A complete schedule of the team's matches is listed below.

Included on the Chivas USA Under-18 roster are José Diaz and César Zamora, who are returning from a United States U-18 Men's National Team training camp in Bradenton, Fla. Zamora, a central midfielder, and Diaz, a left back, were discovered by the team after his participation in Chivas USA's 'Sueño MLS' reality tryout in March 2007, were among 72 players at the camp, held from January 17-24 in Bradenton, Florida.

In addition, Chivas USA forward Jorge Flores will be participating in the tournament with the United States Under-20 National Team, as the Sueño MLS 2007 Winner receives his second call-up to the U.S. U-20's. Flores, who at 18 years of age is the oldest member of the squad, joins a 20-player roster selected by U.S. U-20 National Team head coach Thomas Rongen.

In March 2007, Flores reached national prominence when he was officially named the winner of 'Sueño MLS', a nationally televised open tryout held by Chivas USA and Major League Soccer in which more than 2,000 participants. Earning a spot on the Chivas USA U-19 team, he soon moved up to the Chivas USA 28-man roster, and appeared as a substitute in his first Major League Soccer game on Sept. 9 against the New York Red Bulls. Soon after, he was called into the U-20 National Team for the first time in November for a three game tour of Argentina, where Flores notched a goal and an assist.

For more in formation on Jorge Flores and the U.S. U-20's at the Copa Chivas, please visit: http://www.ussoccer.com/teams/youth/u-20mnt/index.jsp.html.

The Copa Chivas is an international tournament that features some of the strongest youth teams from around the world. This year's edition brings 24 teams from 13 different countries, and includes both youth national teams (United States, Japan) and some of the most storied clubs in South America and Europe, including Spain's Real Madrid, Estudiantes de la Plata from Argentina, and Mexican powerhouses Chivas Guadalajara and América.

For full information on the Copa Chivas, including groups, schedules, and results, visit the tournament's official website at http://www.copachivas.com/.

CHIVAS USA UNDER-18 GAME SCHEDULE:

CHIVAS USA UNDER-18 ROSTER FOR COPA CHIVAS:

Goalkeepers (2): Juan Quiroz, Mario Gonzalez
Defenders (7): Omar Elmasri, Nikolas Acosta, Jose Diaz, Hector Molina, Hugo Sanchez, Omar Becera, Rod Fahmian
Midfielders (5): Gerson Mayen, Cesar Zamora, Michael Muniz, Clayton Eaton, Jesse Paredes
Forwards (5): Leopoldo Morales, Arnaldo Salazar, Armando Rocha, Mario Ledezma, Jorge Ramirez

Staff:

Sacha van der Most (Head Coach)

Refugio Mancillas (Assistant Coach)

Andrew Ziemer (Technical Assistant)

Dennis te Kloese (Director of Soccer)