CHIVAS USA HOSTS D.C. UNITED THIS SATURDAY ON DISNEYLAND RESORT NIGHT:
Chivas USA will face D.C. United this Saturday night, May 17 at 7:30 p.m. PT at The Home Depot Center in a match presented by The Disneyland Resort. Free team posters and Mickey Mouse Ears will be distributed to fans while supplies last, and Mickey Mouse will make special appearances on the field prior to the game and at halftime. The match will be broadcast live nationally on Fox Soccer Channel and Fox Sports en Español, and the local radio broadcast will be on W Radio 690 AM, with pregame shows starting 30 minutes before the game on FSC and W Radio.
The match also features the top two scorers in MLS history, in D.C.'s Jaime Moreno (115 goals) and Chivas USA's Ante Razov (110 goals). Moreno and Razov, along with Red-and-White midfielder Jesse Marsch, are three of the four remaining MLS Originals, having played in all 13 seasons since the league's inception. Both D.C. and the hosts are hungry for a victory, as D.C. sits in last place in the Eastern Conference with a record of 2-5-0 (W-L-T), while Chivas USA is in sixth place in the Western Conference, just four points out of first place, with a 1-4-2 (W-L-T) record. For more information on the match, or to purchase tickets, please call 1-877-CHIVAS-1 or visit www.cdchivasusa.com.
UNITED UPDATE: D.C. United most recently dropped a 2-0 decision at home to the Chicago Fire on May 8, leaving the team with two wins and five losses in the first seven matches of the season. The team's scoring has been paced by Jaime Moreno, who has three goals (two on penalty kicks) and three assists, while Designated Player signing Marcelo Gallardo has two goals, including a Goal of the Week volley in week five. In net, UCLA grad Zach Wells has a goals-against-average of 1.67 in six games.
SERIES HISTORY: Chivas USA has never beaten D.C. United in the six meetings between the two teams, earning one draw, on September 6, 2007 at The Home Depot Center, along with five losses. Christian Gomez, now with the Colorado Rapids, led D.C.'s all-time attack against Chivas USA for D.C., leading in both goals, with four, and assists, with three. United has 13 goals in the six games, while the Red-and-White have four, scored by four different players (Claudio Suárez, Maykel Galindo, Ante Razov and Lawson Vaughn). San Jose is the only team other than D.C. that Chivas USA has never defeated, as the Earthquakes earned two wins and two draws against the Red-and-White in 2005, and the two teams have not yet met since San Jose rejoined the league at the beginning of this season.
CHIVAS USA'S PRACTICE IN THE COMMUNITY SERIES VISITS BELL GARDENS: As part of its continuing commitment to the community, Club Deportivo Chivas USA of Major League Soccer will conduct its second Practice in the Community this Sunday, May 18 at the Bell Gardens Sports Center, with the team beginning practice at 9:00 a.m. PT. The second in Chivas USA's season-long series of monthly community practice sessions, the team's Sunday morning practice, hosted by the City of Bell Gardens Recreation and Community Services Department, will give fans the unique opportunity, free of cost, to come out and watch, up close, the practice session of a professional soccer team. Following Sunday's practice session, which will last approximately an hour and include the participation of Chivas USA's full squad, the team will hold an autograph session on the field until 11:00 PT.
CHIVAS USA DROPS TIGHT DECISION TO THE REVOLUTION: In a hard-fought match on Sunday, May 11 at The Home Depot Center, the Red-and-White fell 2-1 to the New England Revolution. Despite dominating the early portion of the match, Chivas USA fell behind Kenny Mansally scored his second goal of the season to put New England ahead 1-0. The Revolution gained a two goal advantage in the 59th minute when Taylor Twellman celebrated his season debut by scoring, and Chivas USA was only able to pull one goal back when Justin Braun earned his first MLS goal in injury time of the second half. Defender Bobby Burling and midfielder Daniel Paladini both earned their MLS debuts in the match, which was the first time New England beat Chivas USA outside of Foxboro Stadium in Massachusetts.
PREVIEW AND POST-GAME VIDEOS ON CHIVAS USA'S OFFICIAL BLOG: Chivas USA's official blog, 'Dentro del Rebaño' (or 'Inside the Flock') is online with updated content from the team, including video previews of upcoming games, as well as post-match videos. Media and fans can find a wrap up of Sunday afternoon's match with New England, featuring interviews with Head Coach Preki, midfielder Paulo Nagamura, and defender Bobby Burling, who made his MLS debut on Sunday. Later in the week, two preview videos (one in English, one in Spanish) will give additional information and interviews about the match with D.C. United. Check http://chivas-usa.blogspot.com today for the latest information on Chivas USA!
TEAM INJURY UPDATE: Chivas USA will be without several players for this weekend's match against D.C. United. Defender Jonathan Bornstein is out 6-8 weeks with a sprained LCL in his left knee. Defenders Lawson Vaughn (facial injuries) and Alex Zotinca (right knee ACL reconstruction) will miss the game, as will midfielder Raphaël Wicky (right ankle sprain) and forward Alecko Eskandarian (left groin strain). Newly acquired defender Carey Talley is recovering from a right quadriceps strain and is listed as questionable for the match.
JORGE FLORES HELPS U.S. U-20 NATIONAL TEAM TO TWO WINS IN ENGLAND: Chivas USA midfielder Jorge Flores played a big part in the United States Under-20 National Team's victories in the team's two friendlies played last week in England. Flores scored the game-winner on a penalty kick in the 50th minute as the U.S. U-20's earned a 2-0 win over the Bolton Reserves on Wednesday, May 7. A day later, Flores notched an assist on the U.S.'s first goal as the team won again, beating the Manchester United Reserves by a score of 2-1. This trip is the third foreign training camp, and fifth overall, for Rongen's squad as they prepare for the 2009 FIFA Under-20 World Cup in Egypt. So far in 2008, Flores has played in more games and logged more minutes than any other U.S. U-20 player.
'KICK-IT' THIS SATURDAY, MAY 17 AT SYLMAR RECREATION CENTER: 'Kick-it at the Park L.A. with Chivas USA' continues this coming Saturday, May 17, with a clinic at the Sylmar Recreation Center at 13109 Borden Avenue in Sylmar. Run in conjunction with the City of Los Angeles Department of Recreation and Parks, 'Kick-it' is a series of clinics that emphasize physical fitness, sports, and education for as many as 400 children at each of 40 locations throughout the year. A five-dollar fee gets participants 90 minutes of instruction, a voucher for a free ticket to a Chivas USA game, a t-shirt, soccer ball, and Certificate of Completion. Most recently, Chivas USA held a clinic at the Mar Vista Recreation Center at 11430 Woodbine Avenue in Los Angeles on May 10. For more information on the program, or to register for a clinic, visit www.kickitatthepark.com.
RED-AND-WHITE YOUTH SOCCER ON THIS WEEK'S 'PASIÓN CHIVAS USA': Join Hipólito Gamboa and Rigoberto Cervantez this Thursday on W Radio 690 AM, from 6:00-7:00 p.m. PT for 'Pasión Chivas USA', the team's official weekly radio program. This week, Cervantez and Gamboa will speak with Julio Cano, Chivas USA's Soccer Development Manager, who will provide information on all aspects of the pioneering Chivas USA Youth Soccer programs. Cano will give insight into everything from nutrition to conditioning, as well as how young players can try out to join the Chivas USA Youth Teams. Listeners will also have the chance to win tickets to this Saturday's match between Chivas USA and D.C. United. All this and more on 'Pasión Chivas USA.'
PACHUCA ADDED TO CHIVAS USA'S INCREDIBLE $50 FIVE-GAME PACK: Fans looking to see Chivas USA in 2008 have an opportunity to watch the five biggest games of the season with the Chivas USA Five-Game Pack, Southern California's best sports entertainment value, with packages starting at just $50. A recent addition to the pack is Chivas USA highly anticipated SuperLiga debut on July 13 against Pachuca FC of Mexico's First Division, at The Home Depot Center. Also included in the set are matches on June 19 against the Chicago Fire, July 5 versus the San Jose Earthquakes, Aug. 14 against the Los Angeles Galaxy, and the closing game of the season, which doubles as Fan Appreciation night, Oct. 25 against the Houston Dynamo. For more information please call 1-877-CHIVAS-1 or visit www.cdchivasusa.com.
UPCOMING BIRTHDAYS: Chivas USA midfielder Kraig Chiles, a rookie midfielder out of San Diego State University, will celebrate his 24th birthday on May 14. A trio of Chivas USA players celebrated their birthdays in the month of April. Defender Lawson Vaughn turned 24 on April 11, midfielder Raphaël Wicky, a Swiss international, celebrated his 31st birthday on April 26, the day of the first Honda Super Clásico, and Chivas USA original 'Panchito' Mendoza turned 23 on April 29.
