PAIR OF DEVELOPMENT ACADEMY MATCHES THIS WEEKEND AT THE SANTA ANA BOWL:
The Chivas USA Youth Teams will each play a pair of important Development Academy matches this weekend. First, on Saturday, the U-16's and the U-18's will square off against the Irvine Strikers in a Southern California division matchup. The Strikers' U-16 team is in 2nd place in the division, while the Irvine U-18 team sits in 7th place. On Sunday, both teams will face the Cal Odyssey of the West Division, whose U-16's are 4th in the West, and U-18's are in 5th. All matches will take place at the Santa Ana Bowl in Santa Ana, with the U-16's kicking off at 11:15 a.m. and the U-18's following at 1:15 p.m. on both Saturday and Sunday.
CHIVAS USA U-16'S CONTINUE STRONG RESULTS WITH WIN AGAINST LAFC: A week after earning a win and two draws at the 2008 Spring Showcase for Development Academy teams in Rockford, Ill., the Chivas USA U-16 Team took another victory this past Sunday, beating LAFC 3-2. The Chivas USA U-16's returned from 1-0 and 2-1 deficits and got two goals, including the game winner, from Jorge Ramirez, and another from Yohel de Jesus to earn the victory. The team, with a record of 8-8-7 (W-L-T) sits in 7th place in the Southern California Division of the Development Academy, ten points back of LAFC and just four behind the 6th place Nomads Soccer Club.
CHIVAS USA U-18'S FALL TO LAFC: The Chivas USA U-18 Team was unable to overcome a tough LAFC team this past Sunday at the Santa Ana Bowl. After going down 1-0 on a counter attack in the first half, Chivas USA fought back but could not find the equalizer. LAFC doubled its lead 10 minutes into the second half, and added a third goal to close out the game 3-0. It was the second loss of the season for the U-18 team to LAFC, who sit in first place of the Southern California Division of the Development Academy with a 18-2-2 record. The Chivas USA U-18 Team sits in 5th place in the division with a 11-9-3 (W-L-T) record.
FORMER CHIVAS USA YOUTH TEAM PLAYERS HELPING THE FIRST TEAM: Chivas USA midfielder Jorge Flores, a former member of the Chivas USA Youth Teams who joined the club after winning the Sueño MLS tryout in 2007, has played in four consecutive MLS games for the Red-and-White. Coming in as a substitute against D.C. United on May 17, Flores scored his first career goal, then notched the game-winner a week later in Colorado against the Rapids. Flores then volleyed home the eventual game winner in a 2-0 win over the Columbus Crew at home on May 31, but was unable to grab a fourth goal in a 1-0 loss to the New York Red Bulls on June 5. Gerson Mayen, a former Chivas USA Youth System player, has been on the bench for a pair of Chivas USA games, and is one of four players who has played in all five of the Chivas USA Reserves matches in 2008. Along with other Chivas USA Youth System alums William Molina and Eder Robles, Mayen played the full 90 minutes in the Chivas USA Reserves in the team's last game, against the Colorado Rapids Reserves on Sunday, May 25. Robles assisted on Anthony Hamilton's goal in the 2-1 loss.
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.
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
