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.
DEVELOPMENT ACADEMY SEASON ENDS FOR CHIVAS USA THIS SATURDAY
The Chivas USA Youth Teams will each close their Development Academy seasons this Saturday, June 21, playing Arsenal FC at the University of California-Riverside. The Chivas USA U-16 Team will play at 11:00 a.m., while the U-18's will follow at 1:00 p.m. These matches will be the final games for the teams in the first Development Academy season, with the U-18's looking to climb into a third-place tie with Pateadores with a win, and the U-16's will attempt to take sole possession of 5th place in its division. The teams will then travel to a showcase event in North Carolina at the end of June, and will begin the 2008-09 season in the Development Academy in the fall.
CHIVAS USA U-18'S ON THREE-MATCH WINNING STREAK
The Chivas USA U-18Team has won its last three matches in impressive fashion, and now sits in fourth place in the Southern California Division of the Development Academy with a record of 14-9-3 (W-L-T). The Red-and-White first beat the Irvine Strikers in an exciting 6-3 win on June 7, with both Polo Morales and Victor Sanchez scoring twice, and Julio Garcia and Armando Rocha completing the scoring for the team. The next day, goals from Jesse Paredes and Polo Morales gave the U-18's a 2-1 victory over Cal Odyssey, with both games taking place at the Santa Ana Bowl in Santa Ana. This past Saturday, the U-18's continued their strong play with a 3-0 shutout of De Anza Force at the Dan Young Soccer Complex, also in Santa Ana. The team will conclude its season this Saturday at the University of California-Riverside at 1:00 p.m. against Arsenal FC.
CHIVAS USA U-16'S UNDEFEATED IN LAST SEVEN MATCHES
The Chivas USA U-16 Team has not lost a match in more than a month, and has four wins and three ties in the span. The team drew 1-1 on June 7 against LAFC before winning two matches in a row, beating Cal Odyssey 1-0 on June 8 and De Anza Force, also 1-0, this past Saturday. Andy Lopez scored against LAFC, while Roberto Romo and Jaime Cano scored the game winners against Cal Odyssey and De Anza. With its great recent run, the team has moved up to a tie for fifth place in the Southern California Division of the Development Academy, with a record of 10-8-8. The team closes its season next Saturday against Arsenal FC at the University of California-Riverside.
'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)
Dates: June 10, 12, 17, 19, 24, 26 (First Group)
July 8, 10, 15, 17, 22, 24 (Second Group)
Time: 3:00pm - 5:00pm each clinic date
SCHEDULE FOR 2008 CHIVAS USA SOCCER CAMPS AND TRYOUTS
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
Type Date Time Age Groups Cost Location
Mini Camp June 26-27 6-9 p.m. Born 1991-94 $75 Bell Gardens Sports Center
Mini Camp July 17 9 a.m. - 3 p.m. Born 1994-96 $75 Bell Gardens Sports Center
Mini Camp July 18 9 a.m. - 3 p.m. Born 1991-93 $75 Bell Gardens Sports Center
Summer Camp July 28-31 9 a.m. - 2 p.m. Born 1991-94 $200 Bell Gardens Sports Center
Mini Camp August 29-30 6-9 p.m. Born 1991-94 $75 Bell Gardens Sports Center
CHIVAS USA U-18'S FAHMIAN AND ELMASRI SIGN LETTERS OF INTENT
A pair of Chivas USA U-18 players have signed National Letters of Intent to join the soccer programs at NCAA Division I Universities. Defender Rod Fahmian has decided to attend UC Santa Barbara, which has been one of the top programs in the nation in recent years. UCSB also boasts many alums playing professional soccer in both MLS and abroad, including Chivas USA goalkeeper Dan Kennedy, who played for the Gauchos from 2001-2004. Another Chivas USA U-18 defender, Omar Elmasri, has decided to play for the University of San Francisco under head coach Erik Visser. USF is a perennial contender for the West Coast Conference championship and NCAA tournament berths, and has alum Rob Valentino on the New England Revolution's roster.
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)
Number Name Position Birthdate Hometown
3 Nikolas Acosta MD 4/26/1989 Temecula, CA
12 Gildardo Aguirre GK 2/19/1989 Northridge, CA
4 Omar Becera DF 9/20/1990 San Diego, CA
5 Jose Diaz DF 1/25/1991 Fontana, CA
2 Omar Elmasri DF 9/5/1990 Arcadia, CA
18 Erick Escobedo MD 7/16/1990 Bell Gardens, CA
19 Rod Fahmian DF 4/26/1990 Riverside, CA
11 Mario Ledezma FW 12/17/1990 Sylmar, CA
8 Hector Molina MD 11/5/1990 Van Nuys, CA
7 Leopoldo Morales FW 3/6/1990 Bellflower, CA
16 Michael Muniz DF 1/12/1990 El Monte, CA
14 Jesse Paredes MD 4/1/1990 Los Angeles, CA
1 Juan Quiroz GK 3/4/1990 Inglewood, CA
10 Armando Rocha FW 4/14/1989 Huntington Beach, CA
9 Arnaldo Salazar FW 10/16/1989 Norwalk, CA
13 Hugo Sanchez DF 9/10/1990 Los Angeles, CA
17 Victor Sanchez FW 8/23/1990 Huntington Park, CA
6 Cesar Zamora MD 5/27/1991 Sylmar, CA
Head Coach: Sacha van der Most van Spijk
Assistant Coach: Refugio Mancilla
Chivas USA Under-16 Team Roster (As of April 1, 2008)
Number Name Position Birthdate Hometown
3 Cesar Arenas DF 9/5/1991 Fontana, CA
5 Jaime Cano MF 5/26/1992 Inglewood, CA
10 Carlo Chueca MF 3/23/1993 Palm Sprigs,CA
6 Clayton Eaton MF 5/24/1991 Norco, CA
1 Antonio Flores GK 1/4/1992 Paramount, CA
17 Brian De La Fuente FW 7/1/1992 Lynwood, CA
12 Mario Gonzales GK 3/8/1991 Huntington Park, CA
9 Yohel de Jesus FW 8/28/1992 Santa Ana, CA
16 Brian Llamas FW 9/10/1991 Wilmington, CA
7 Andy Lopez FW 12/21/1991 Los Angeles,CA
8 Oliquer Olivar MF 2/10/1991 Winnetka, CA
2 Kelsy Paredes DF 4/12/1991 Los Angeles, CA
11 Jorge Ramirez FW 5/23/1991 Upland, CA
4 Briant Reyes DF 3/6/1991 Downey, CA
13 Angel Rodriquez MF 3/2/1992 Moreno Valley, CA
20 Roberto Romo FW 5/21/1991 Paramount, CA
14 Carlos Torres, Jr. DF 8/27/1992 Compton, CA
15 Steve Torres DF 1/2/1991 Pomona, CA
18 Alberto Velazquez FW 4/30/1992
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.
