Chivas USA Youth Soccer Update: April 23

Welcome to this week's Chivas USA Youth Development Update, a roundup of Chivas USA's pioneering youth development program, including the Chivas USA Under-18 and U-16 teams - where the region's best talent compete, funded fully by the club and free of cost to the players, in the prestigious U.S. Soccer Developmental Academy - and the Chivas and Chivas USA Soccer Academies. For more information on Chivas USA's youth development program, please visit www.cdchivasusa.com.

CHIVAS USA'S FLORES AND MAYEN RETURN FROM U.S. U-20 TEAM DUTY: Chivas USA midfielders Jorge Flores and Gerson Mayen have returned from a week-long trip to Portugal with the United States Under-20 National Team for the Campos Verdes International Tournament. Both players started and played the full 90 minutes in the opening match of the tournament, when the team fell 3-1 to the Cape Verde Islands on Tuesday, with Mayen earning an assist on the United States' only goal of the match. The U-20's fared better in their second match of the tournament, beating Northern Ireland 3-0, with Flores playing the second half. Flores again started and played 90 minutes in the final match of the tournament, a 4-0 loss to the hosts on Friday, April 18, then was on the bench for Chivas USA's match against Dallas on Sunday evening.

CHIVAS USA U-18 TEAM TAKES BIG WIN OVER REAL SO CAL: The Chivas USA U-18 Team earned a critical in-conference victory over Real So Cal on Saturday at Agoura High School in Agoura Hills, Calif. The Red-and-White jumped out to an early lead in just the 9th minute, when Eric Escobedo sent a through ball to Arnaldo Salazar, who finished coolly past the goalkeeper. The team scored again early in the second half, in the 51st minute, when Mario Ledezma took a pass from Rod Fahmian and notched the team's second goal. Despite having many more chances, the game finished with just a 2-0 win over their conference foes, which puts Chivas USA ahead of Real So Cal in the standings.

IN-CONFERENCE VICTORY FOR CHIVAS USA U-16 TEAM: The Chivas USA U-16 Team put three goals past Real So Cal on Saturday in Agoura Hills, Calif., earning a big 3-1 victory over their local rivals. Bryan de la Fuente scored the Red-and-White's first goal, and Yohel de Jesus added another first-half goal to make the score 2-0. Just before the halftime whistle, Clayton Eaton scored on a penalty kick to make it 3-0. Giving up a late goal didn't affect the result, as Chivas USA earned three points to start climbing back up in the Southern California division of the Development Academy.

CHIVAS USA DEVELOPMENT ACADEMY TEAMS TO FACE ARSENAL FC: A week after facing Real So Cal, the Chivas USA U-18 and U-16 Teams will play another important in-conference game this Saturday in Santa Ana, playing Arsenal FC. The U-16's play first, at 11:15 a.m. PT, with the U-18's playing immediately afterward at 1:15 p.m. The matches will be played at the site of all Chivas USA Development Academy home games, the Santa Ana Bowl at 602 N. Flower St. in Santa Ana. Arsenal FC is in first place in the U-18 division, and in the middle of the group of eight teams for the U-16s.

ALEXIS HERNANDEZ OF SOUTH VALLEY CHIVAS ACADEMY CALLED INTO U.S. U-17 CAMP: Alexis Hernandez, a member of the South Valley Chivas Academy, has been called into a United States Under-17 National Team mini-camp in Bradenton, Fla., this week. Hernandez is one of 26 players called into the camp by head coach Wilmer Cabrera, and will be practicing from April 23 to April 27. The roster is made up of players born in 1992 and 1993 and are all eligible for the 2009 FIFA Under-17 World Cup in Egypt. The players will be vying for a place in the Fall 2008 semester of U.S. Soccer's Residency Program at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla. The South Valley Chivas Academy is one of 12 officially licensed Chivas soccer academies nationwide, that are independently owned and run.

CURRENT CHIVAS USA U-18 AND U-16 ROSTERS: The rosters for Chivas USA's U-18 and U-16 Teams in the Development Academy were fixed on April 1 and will not undergo changes until after the end of the U.S. Soccer Developmental Academy's 2007-08 season this summer. Full team rosters are listed below:

Chivas USA Under-18 Team Roster (As of April 1, 2008)

Head Coach: Sacha van der Most van Spijk
Assistant Coach: Refugio Mancilla

Chivas USA Under-16 Team Roster (As of April 1, 2008)

Head Coach: Samuel Rivas


Assistant Coach: Miguel Ramos

DEVELOPMENT ACADEMY OVERVIEW: The U.S Soccer Development Academy is a nationwide youth development initiative, organized by the U.S. Soccer Federation, featuring 63 of the top youth teams in the country competing in a league system at both the U-18 and U-16 levels. The first part of the season ran from October to November, and after a winter break the league has resumed play and will continue through the end of June. The 63 youth programs, including one U.S. Youth National Team in each age group, are divided into eight regions, each of which will send a single qualifier to the national finals to be held at The Home Depot Center after the regular season concludes in late June. For more information on the U.S. Soccer Developmental Academy, please visit www.ussoccer.com.