CHIVAS USA TRAVELS TO COLUMBUS TO FACE THE CREW: A week after capturing its first victory of 2008 in its Home Opener, Chivas USA hits the road to face the Columbus Crew on Saturday, April 12 at 4:30 p.m. PT (7:30 p.m. ET). The match will be broadcast on television on FSN Prime Ticket, with the pregame starting at 4:00 p.m. PT. Local radio broadcast will be on W Radio 690 AM. Chivas USA has a 3-1-2 (W-L-T) record against the Crew all-time, including a 1-0-2 record at Crew Stadium. The two teams last squared off on July 14, 2007 at The Home Depot Center, and Chivas USA took a 2-1 victory, getting an own goal from the Crew and a strike from forward Ante Razov.
RED-AND-WHITE TO RETURN HOME AGAINST FC DALLAS ON APRIL 20: The team returns to Southern California from Columbus for a match against Duilio Davino and FC Dallas on Sunday, April 20, at 5:00 p.m. PT. The two teams have already squared off once in 2008, with the teams tying 1-1 on the opening weekend of the season in Frisco, Tex. Tickets for the game, starting at just $14, are available by calling 1-877-CHIVAS-1 or by visiting www.cdchivasusa.com.
RED-AND-WHITE WIN HOME OPENER: Propelled by goals from former Real Salt Lake strikers Atiba Harris and Alecko Eskandarian, Chivas USA leapt atop the Western Conference with a 3-1 victory over fellow 2005 expansion side Real Salt Lake on Saturday night in front of a raucous 17,251 fans at The Home Depot Center. Sacha Kljestan opened the scoring for Chivas USA in the 32nd minute after receiving a through ball from forward Maykel Galindo. Harris gave the Red-and-White a two-goal lead in the 55th minute off a pass from Kljestan, but RSL pulled a goal back from a Kenny Deuchar header just two minutes later. Eskandarian iced the game in injury time after taking a Raphaël Wicky pass, dribbling around RSL goalkeeper Nick Rimando, and scoring the game's final goal. The win gives Chivas USA a 1-0-1 record (W-L-T) so far in 2008, and the Red-and-White are sitting atop the Western Conference with four points, one point ahead of Los Angeles and Colorado, who each have a win and a loss so far this season.
COLUMBUS CREW UPDATE: The Columbus Crew has a win and a loss so far in the 2008 season, each by scores of 2-0. In the team's first match of the season, the Crew hosted Toronto FC and got goals from Adam Moffat and Alejandro Moreno in their victory. This past week, the team traveled to New York and gave up two goals in the first eight minutes to the Red Bulls. Moreno was the team's leading scorer in 2007 with 7 goals, but much of the offense came through Argentine attacking midfielder Guillermo Barros Schelotto, who had 5 goals and 11 assists last season.
CHIVAS USA RESERVES DRAW 1-1 WITH RSL RESERVES: The Chivas USA Reserves drew 1-1 with the Real Salt Lake Reserves in a game played Sunday morning in the Track and Field Stadium at The Home Depot Center in Carson. Midfielder Kraig Chiles gave the Red-and-White the lead in the 14th minute of the match when he struck a low shot after receiving a pass from forward Anthony Hamilton. The Red-and-White held the lead all the way until second half injury time, when Salt Lake midfielder Matias Cordoba struck back to earn the draw. The Chivas USA Reserves have now played two 1-1 draws in their first two games of the season after earning the same result against FC Dallas one week ago. The team's next match will be against FC Dallas again on Monday, April 21, the day after the Chivas USA first team's next home match, against the Texan side on Sunday, April 20, at 5:00 p.m. PT. A full match report can be found here.
LAUSD ENTERS PARTNERSHIP WITH CHIVAS USA: Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) officials announced a partnership last Wednesday with Chivas USA to start the "Imagine More. Be More!" Internship Program. This will offer students at Carson High School the opportunity to gain work experience in career fields such as sales and sports marketing, media relations and public affairs. "This is a great initiative and one that we want to replicate District-wide," said Superintendent David L. Brewer III. "I want to thank Chivas USA for its enthusiasm in making this program a reality and I'm eager to see the benefits it will bring to students at Carson High." The internship program was developed to support the Sports Education Recreation and Fitness (SERF) Small Learning Community at Carson High. SERF provides students with a rigorous, standards-based curriculum that can lead to pathways into a wide array of sports-related careers.
'KICK-IT' THIS SATURDAY, APRIL 12 AT HANSEN DAM RECREATION AREA: 'Kick-it at the Park L.A. with Chivas USA' continues this coming Saturday, April 12, with a clinic at the Hansen Dam Recreation Area at 11770 Foothill Boulevard in Los Angeles. 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 Harvard Recreation Center at 1535 W. 62nd Street in Los Angeles on April 5. For more information on the program, or to register for a clinic, visit www.kickitatthepark.com.
CHIVAS USA PLAYERS GIVE FANS 'THE SHIRTS OFF THEIR BACKS' IN 2008: Starting with last Saturday's Opening Day at The Home Depot Center and continuing all season, Chivas USA players will give eleven lucky soccer fans the shirts of their backs. After the final whistle of each of Chivas USA's 15 MLS home games at The Home Depot Center, all players on the field - win, lose or draw - will present Chivas USA fans with their game-worn jerseys, as a special souvenir of appreciation. "Chivas USA's fans are vital to our success," said Chivas USA President and CEO Shawn Hunter. "By giving them the shirts off our backs, literally, we show our appreciation to those who matter most to our club, while creating a new tradition which we feel is unique in professional sports." Chivas USA's 'Shirts of Their Backs' initiative is brought to fans by Frazee Paint, the club's presenting sponsor.
THIS WEEK ON 'PASIÓN CHIVAS USA': Join Hipólito Gamboa and Rigoberto Cervantez this Thursday on W Radio 690 AM, from 6:00-7:00 p.m. PT on 'Pasión Chivas USA', the team's official weekly radio program. This week's show will offer listeners the chance to win tickets for the Chivas USA match against FC Dallas at 5:00 p.m. PT on Sunday, April 20th, at The Home Depot Center. The show will feature interviews with Chivas USA players, an in-depth analysis of Chivas USA's win over Real Salt Like in the Home Opener, and a preview of the Red-and-White's upcoming game against the Columbus Crew. All this and more on this week's 'Pasión Chivas USA.'
DOUG HAMILTON MEMORIAL SOCCER CLASSIC THIS SATURDAY IN NEW JERSEY: The second annual Doug Hamilton Memorial Soccer Classic will be played this Saturday, April 12 in Hazlet, New Jersey, and features a match between Rutgers University and the University of Connecticut. The event celebrates the life of the late Doug Hamilton, brother of Chivas USA Vice President of Soccer Operations Stephen Hamilton. Doug starred on the soccer team at Raritan High School in Hazlet before going on to a distinguished career in soccer that saw him as President and General Manager of both the Miami Fusion (2000-2002) and the Los Angeles Galaxy (2002-2006). Hamilton was awarded the MLS Executive of the Year award three times and the league has since renamed the award the Doug Hamilton MLS Executive of the Year award in his honor. Hamilton passed away suddenly in March of 2006 from heart complications at the age of 43. He is survived by his wife Paige and their son Aedan. The proceeds from the Classic will go to benefit Hamilton's son.
CHIVAS USA'S OFFICIAL BILINGUAL BLOG UP AND RUNNING: Chivas USA has launched its official bilingual team blog, 'Dentro del Rebaño' ('Inside the Flock'). A reference to Chivas' nickname, 'Dentro del Rebaño' will provide insider access to Chivas USA and its players, and is designed to be a source of the latest information for both fans and media. Be sure to check out 'Dentro del Rebaño' at chivas-usa.blogspot.com today!
CHIVAS USA TO MAKE INTERNATIONAL DEBUT IN 2008 SUPERLIGA: Chivas USA is one of four MLS teams participating in the 2008 SuperLiga, the second annual tournament between MLS teams and Mexican First Division squads, and could face sister team Chivas Guadalajara in a tournament semifinal or final. The Red-and-White are in a group alongside the New England Revolution (MLS), Pachuca (Mex.) and Santos Laguna (Mex.), while the other group consists of MLS teams D.C. United and the Houston Dynamo, and Mexican teams Chivas Guadalajara and Atlante. All of Chivas USA's group stage games will take place in Los Angeles, with the team facing Pachuca on July 13 at 7:00 p.m. PT, and Santos on July 16, also at 7:00 p.m. PT, both in The Home Depot Center, before playing New England on July 20 in Los Angeles at a stadium to be determined. The tournament runs from July 12-August 5, and the winning team earns a $1 million prize.
INJURY UPDATE: Forwards Maykel Galindo (offseason hernia surgery) and Alecko Eskandarian (left groin strain) are continuing their return from injury and played an important role against Real Salt Lake this past weekend. Galindo started and played 77 minutes, assisting Sacha Kljestan on the team's first goal, and was replaced by Eskandarian, who scored the Red-and-White's third goal in second half injury time. Defender Lawson Vaughn was a late scratch from the Salt Lake game after straining his left hamstring the day before the match. Chivas USA's all-time leading scorer, Ante Razov, continues to rehabilitate an injured left calf, while defender Alex Zotinca recently underwent reconstruction surgery on his right ACL, and will be out for 6-9 months.
APRIL BIRTHDAYS: A trio of Chivas USA players will celebrate their birthdays in the month of April. Defender Lawson Vaughn, who enjoyed a breakout season in 2007, turns 24 on April 11, the day before the Red-and-White's game at Columbus. Offseason signing Raphaël Wicky, a Swiss international midfielder, celebrates his 31st birthday on April 26, the day that Chivas USA and the Los Angeles Galaxy play the first Honda SuperClasico of 2008. Finally, Chivas USA original 'Panchito' Mendoza will turn 23 on April 29.
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 Plan, Southern California's best sports entertainment value, with packages starting at just $50. A recent addition to the Plan is Chivas USA's is the July 13th match against Pachuca FC of Mexico's First Division. Also included in the set are matches on June 19 against the Chicago Fire, July 5 versus the San Jose Earthquakes, August 14 against the Los Angeles Galaxy, and the closing game of the season, which doubles as Fan Appreciation night, October 25 against the Houston Dynamo. For more information please call 1-877-CHIVAS-1 or visit www.cdchivasusa.com.
