CHIVAS USA LOOKS TO GET BACK ON TRACK AGAINST RSL ON SATURDAY:
Chivas USA starts a four-match homestand and a set of eight straight games in the Los Angeles area when the Red-and-White face Real Salt Lake this Saturday, June 14, at 7:30 p.m. PT at The Home Depot Center. With a 1-0 loss to the New York Red Bulls last Thursday, Chivas USA is looking to get back on track, having won three straight before the New York match. The match against Real Salt Lake will be the second meeting between the teams this season, after Chivas USA won 3-1 over RSL in the Red-and-White's home opener on April 5. Chivas USA currently sits in fourth place in the West with a 4-5-2 (W-L-T) record, while RSL is two points back, in sixth place, with a 3-5-3 record. A special Kid's Pack is available for this weekend's game, starting at just $14; for each adult ticket purchased, one child (16 or under) gets into the match free. For information on the match, or to purchase tickets, please call 1-877-CHIVAS-1 or visit www.cdchivasusa.com.
CHIVAS USA STARTS RUN OF EIGHT MATCHES AT HOME: Chivas USA is about to begin a run of eight straight matches in the Los Angeles area, starting with four straight MLS games at home. First, the team plays RSL on June 14, followed by a Thursday night matchup against Cuauhtémoc Blanco and the Chicago Fire on June 19, a rematch with the Red Bulls on June 28 and ending against the San Jose Earthquakes on July 5. The Red-and-White then play 'at' the Los Angeles Galaxy at The Home Depot Center on July 10. Next comes the Red-and-White's three SuperLiga group matches, starting with CONCACAF Champions Cup winner Pachuca, on July 13, then recently crowned Mexican First Division champ Santos on July 16, and closing with the New England Revolution on July 20. The Pachuca and Santos matches will be played at The Home Depot Center, while Chivas USA will face the Revolution at a Los Angeles-area location to be determined. The homestand ends when the team travels to Chicago to face the Fire on August 2. For more information on any of the matches, or to purchase tickets, please call 1-877-CHIVAS-1 or visit www.cdchivasusa.com.
REAL SALT LAKE UPDATE: Real Salt Lake sits in sixth place in the Western Conference with 12 points and a 3-5-3 (W-L-T) record, and is coming off a win and a tie in its last two matches. On Saturday, the team drew 0-0 at home to the Kansas City Wizards, and captured a 3-1 victory over San Jose a week earlier. Argentine midfielder Javier Morales has led the RSL offense with two goals and six assists, while midfielder Kyle Beckerman and forward Fabian Espíndola each have scored three goals this year. Nick Rimando has played every minute in net for the Utah side, earning two shutouts and posting a goals-against-average of 1.55.
SERIES HISTORY: Since both Real Salt Lake and Chivas USA entered the league in 2005, the teams have squared off 12 times in league play, with the Red-and-White holding a decisive edge in the season series, with seven wins, two losses and three ties. Chivas USA has not lost to RSL since the teams' first season in the league, with the Red-and-White owning a record of five wins and three ties since the beginning of 2006, and currently carrying four consecutive wins against Salt Lake. All time, Chivas USA has scored 25 goals to RSL's 12, with Ante Razov leading the team with four, and Sacha Kljestan leading the Red-and-White with five assists. Andy Williams has scored three times against Chivas USA, leading RSL. Brad Guzan has been in net for each of the Red-and-White's seven victories over the fellow 2005 expansion side.
CHIVAS USA TO LEARN CHAMPIONS LEAGUE FIRST ROUND OPPONENT ON JUNE 11: Chivas USA will learn its opponent for the Preliminary Round of the inaugural CONCACAF Champions League 2008-09 in a draw to be held by CONCACAF, the governing body of soccer for North and Central America and the Caribbean, on June 11. The Preliminary Round of the new regional championship will be played over two legs, with first-leg matches being played from Aug. 26-28 and second-leg matches taking place from Sept. 2-4. Should Chivas USA advance from the opening round, the Red-and-White would play in the six-game, round-robin Group Stage, to be played from Sept. 16 - Oct. 30. Four Major League Soccer teams have qualified for the tournament, with D.C. United and the Houston Dynamo qualifying directly to the Group Stage, and the New England Revolution learning its preliminary round opponent on the same day as the Red-and-White. For more information on the tournament, please visit the CONCACAF website.
SACHA KLJESTAN EARNS SIXTH CAP WITH NATIONAL TEAM: Chivas USA midfielder Sacha Kljestan appeared as a substitute for the United States in the team's 0-0 tie with Argentina yesterday at Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. Kljestan entered the match in the 74th minute for Eddie Johnson, and was dangerous in attack for the United States, coming close to getting the match-winning goal for the U.S. against the world's number one ranked team. The match was the final friendly for the U.S. before it starts World Cup qualifying this Sunday at The Home Depot Center against Barbados at 2:00 p.m. PT. In the previous two friendlies before the Argentina match, against Spain and England, Chivas USA goalkeeper Brad Guzan played the second half, earning his sixth and seventh caps, playing solid in net in both games. A squad for the match against Barbados will be announced this week.
CHIVAS USA DROPS CLOSE MATCH TO NEW YORK: Chivas USA's three match winning streak came to an end last Thursday when the team fell 1-0 to the New York Red Bulls at Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. Colombian forward Juan Pablo Angel scored his second goal of the season off a header in the 75th minute for the game's only goal, and despite a strong performance from the Red-and-White, the team could not get a goal to tie the game. Goalkeeper Brad Guzan made two saves in the match after arriving from Spain just hours before the game, returning from duty with the U.S. National Team where he played the second half in a 1-0 loss to Spain on Wednesday, June 4. The Red-and-White will look for revenge when they face the Red Bulls again on June 28 at The Home Depot Center.
'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
CHIVAS USA TO BEGIN U.S. OPEN CUP PLAY ON JULY 1: The United States Soccer Federation announced on Wednesday the dates for the opening rounds of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, with Chivas USA playing its first match in the tournament on July 1. The first round will take place on June 12, when 32 lower division teams play, followed by another round, on June 26, in which the 16 winners from the first set of games face off. The eight victors from those games will then face eight MLS clubs, including Chivas USA. The Red-and-White will learn its opponent after June 26, and more information about the time and the location of the match will be announced soon.
'KICK-IT' THIS SATURDAY, JUNE 14 AT BALBOA PARK IN ENCINO: 'Kick-it at the Park L.A. with Chivas USA' continues this Saturday, June 14, with a clinic at Balboa Park at 17015 Balboa Blvd. in Encino. 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 Pan Pacific Park at 7600 Beverly Blvd. in Los Angeles on May 24. For more information on the program, or to register for a clinic, visit www.kickitatthepark.com.
DIRECTOR OF SOCCER DENNIS TE KLOESE 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 Dennis te Kloese, Director of Soccer for Chivas USA, about Jorge Flores, a former member of the Chivas USA youth system, as well the upcoming soccer camps and Chivas USA Youth Team tryouts that the team will be running. The show will also feature a preview of the match against Real Salt Lake with the opportunity to win tickets to the game. All this and more on 'Pasión Chivas USA.'
CHIVAS USA PLAYERS ELIGIBLE FOR ALL-STAR VOTING: Twelve Chivas USA stars have been announced as eligible for selection to the 2008 MLS All-Star Team, which will take on English Premier League side West Ham United on July 24 in Toronto. Fans can vote online by visiting www.MLSnet.com before July 2, and the All-Star 'First XI' will be announced on July 10. The Chivas USA players eligible are goalkeeper Brad Guzan, defenders Jonathan Bornstein, Claudio Suárez, Shavar Thomas and Lawson Vaughn, midfielders Sacha Kljestan, Jesse Marsch, Francisco Mendoza, Paulo Nagamura and Raphaël Wicky, and forwards Maykel Galindo and Ante Razov.
EXCLUSIVE 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. Check soon for a video of a shooting contest between forward Maykel Galindo and Head Coach Preki, as well as preview videos (one in English, one in Spanish) for the match against Real Salt Lake. Check http://chivas-usa.blogspot.com today for the latest information on Chivas USA!
TEAM INJURY UPDATE: Chivas USA's 1-0 loss to New York on Thursday saw the return of defender Jonathan Bornstein (L knee LCL sprain) to the squad and started the match on the bench, though the defender did not appear in the game. In addition to Bornstein, Lawson Vaughn (facial fractures) and Raphaël Wicky (R ankle sprain) have begun training and are returning to fitness after their injuries. Still out of the lineup last week were defender Alex Zotinca (R knee ACL surgery), and forwards Alecko Eskandarian (L groin strain) and Maykel Galindo (R groin strain).
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.
CHIVAS USA BIRTHDAYS: Chivas USA defender Jim Curtin, an offseason acquisition from Chicago who has played seven games (starting six) as a center back this season, will celebrate his 29th birthday on Monday, June 23rd. Midfielder Kraig Chiles, a rookie out of San Diego State University, celebrated his 24th birthday on May 14.
