CARSON, Calif. - Chivas USA, Los Angeles' Mexican-owned Major League Soccer club, today took its official 2007 team photo at Hollenbeck Middle School in Los Angeles' Boyle Heights neighborhood. Team President Antonio Cué, players Claudio Suárez, Ante Razov, Maykel Galindo, Brad Guzan and Francisco Mendoza and Chivas USA's entire squad and posed for the team's official 2007 photo and signed autographs for students in the school's main library, while donating over 5,000 items of new and gently used soccer gear, collected by Chivas USA in 2006 through the U.S. Soccer Foundation's Passback program, to Hollenbeck students.
Thursday's photo marked the third year in a row Chivas USA will put a unique twist on the traditional sports team photograph by staging its official team photo away from the playing field: In 2006, Chivas USA visited Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California for its team photo, while in 2005, the team's inaugural season in Major League Soccer, Chivas USA's team photo was taken at Plaza Mexico in Lynwood, California.
As part of Chivas USA's commitment to the greater Los Angeles community, the club has an ongoing relationship with the Los Angeles Unified School District. Earlier this year, the team sponsored the "Imagine More. Be More!" Essay Contest, while Chivas USA continues to help LAUSD schools raise funds through its school fundraising programs. Several Hollenbeck students were named finalists in the highly successful essay contest.
Chivas USA returns home this Saturday, June 16 at 7:30 p.m. PT to face Western Conference rival the Colorado Rapids at The Home Depot Center in a battle for second place in the West. For more information, please call 1-877-CHIVAS-1 or visit www.cdchivasusa.com.
