Chivas USA Youth Soccer Update: July 2

Welcome to this week's Chivas USA Youth Soccer Update, a roundup of Chivas USA's groundbreaking youth development program, including the Chivas USA Under-18 and U-16 teams (where the region's best talent compete, 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 YOUTH TEAMS FINISH DEVELOPMENT ACADEMY SEASON AT GREENSBORO SHOWCASE:

The Chivas USA Youth Teams closed their first seasons in the U.S Soccer Development Academy this past weekend at the Academy Summer Showcase, held in Greensboro, N.C. The U-18 Team finished on a high note, winning all three of its games, while the U-16's saw its eight match unbeaten run come to an end, losing twice and tying one game. At the conclusion of the weekend, the winners of each of the eight Development Academy conferences were announced, and the teams will soon arrive at The Home Depot Center for Finals Week of the competition, to be held from July 12-19, with all eight placement matches being broadcast live on ESPN2 and ESPNU. The 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.

THREE STRAIGHT WINS TO CLOSE SEASON FOR CHIVAS USA U-18'S:

The Chivas USA U-18 Team closed its season in impressive fashion, earning three consecutive wins at the Academy Summer Showcase in Greensboro, N.C. The Red-and-White first earned a 2-1 win over D.C. United, with goals from Julio Garcia and Victor Sanchez, then captured a 4-1 victory over CASA of Cleveland, Ohio, with Arnaldo Salazar, Mario Ledezma, and Polo Morales (2) scoring. The team closed its season with a 2-1 win over Brad Guzan's former club, the Chicago Magic, securing third place in the Southern California Division of the Development Academy, passing Pateadores. The U-18's finish the season with a 17-9-4 record (W-L-T), including a run of six wins and a draw in its last seven games.

CHIVAS USA U-16'S FINISH SEASON WITH DRAW AGAINST MAGIC:

The Chivas USA U-16 Team finished the inaugural Development Academy season this past weekend with two losses and a tie at the Academy Summer Showcase in Greensboro, N.C. The U-16's entered the weekend on an eight match unbeaten run, but were unable to keep the momentum going, losing 2-0 to D.C. United and 3-2 against CASA before earning a 2-2 draw against the Chicago Magic in its final game of the 2007-08 season. The U-16's finish with an 11-10-9 record (W-L-T) and a sixth-place finish in the the Southern California Division of the league.

SECOND ANNUAL SUM U-17 CUP TO START JULY 4 IN COLORADO:

A team from Chivas USA's youth system will be at Soccer United Marketing's second annual Youth Development soccer tournament, SUM U-17 Cup, which kicks off on Friday, July 4 at the soccer complex at Dick's Sporting Goods Park in Commerce City, Colo. The tournament features 14 Major League Soccer sponsored U-17 Youth Development teams and will culminate with the championship game being played on Thursday, July 10. The Chivas USA U-17 Team will play on July 4, 5, and 7 in the Round-Robin stage, and then the semifinals and finals of the competition will take place on July 8 and 10. 14 teams will compete in a round robin group phase, with the four group winners advancing to the semifinals. The champion earns the coveted SUM U-17 Cup and gains the opportunity to participate in the 2009 Trofeo Quixote U-17 tournament in Madrid, Spain.

Chivas USA Roster for SUM U-17 Cup (by position)
Goalkeepers (2): Antonio Flores, Luis Godinez
Defenders (4): Cesar Arenas, Jaime Cano, Jose Diaz, Steve Torres
Midfielders (7): Orr Barouch, Daniel Castro, Carlo Chueca, Clayton Eaton, Angel Rodriquez, Cesar Ruvalcaba, Cesar Zamora
Forwards (5): Bryan de la Fuente, Yohel de Jesus, Andy Lopez, Jorge Ramirez, Roberto Romo

CHIVAS USA SOCCER CAMPS AND TRYOUTS START THIS WEEK:

Chivas USA's Soccer Camps, which also double as tryouts for the Chivas USA Youth Teams, will take place from June 26 to Aug. 30 at the Bell Gardens Sports Center in Bell Gardens, Calif. These camps will give players a chance to receive professional instruction from Chivas USA coaches, and could potentially lead to an invitation to join the Chivas USA U-18 or U-16 Teams, which participate in the United States Soccer Development Academy, or the highly competitive U-15 Team.

Schedule of 2008 Chivas USA Soccer Camps

'VERANO MLS' TO RETURN TO BELL GARDENS FOR SECOND YEAR:

Major League Soccer today announced the 2008 schedule for Verano MLS presented by Tang. In its second edition, Verano MLS, a free summer soccer program, will be offered by Chivas USA and other MLS teams in their home markets. Chivas USA will host the program at the Bell Gardens Sports Center, giving youth ages 8-12 a free opportunity to play pick-up-style soccer twice a week in a safe and controlled environment. The program will run from 3:00 - 5:00 p.m. on selected dates in June and July.

2008 Verano MLS presented by Tang Schedule - Chivas USA
Location: Bell Gardens Sports Center
(8000 Park Lane, Bell Gardens, CA, 90201)
Remaining Dates: July 8, 10, 15, 17, 22, 24
Time: 3:00pm - 5:00pm each clinic date

CHIVAS USA U-18 AND U-16 ROSTERS:

The final rosters for Chivas USA's U-18 and U-16 Teams in the Development Academy were fixed on April 1 until the end of the U.S. Soccer Developmental Academy's 2007-08 season this past weekend. 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

ABOUT THE U.S. SOCCER DEVELOPMENT ACADEMY:

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.