CARSON, Calif. – On Saturday, Chivas USA had a distinguished guest in the audience for their 3-2 defeat to Sporting Kansas City: Chivas USA co-owner Jorge Vergara, a Mexican soccer tycoon and owner of Chivas de Guadalajara.
After the Rojiblancos struggled to finish from the run of play in their home opener, Vergara did not dismiss the idea that a potential transfer between clubs could come later in the season.
“It’s possible,” Vergara said. “We’re looking to see which players can come up to Chivas USA in the summer and who would really make a difference here.”
A move like this is not uncommon for Chivas USA, who have seen a number of players with ties to the Mexican club join the ranks at the Home Depot Center.
[inline_node:331276]Currently, Chivas USA have two players with ties to the sister club: back-up goalkeeper Sergio Arias and starting left winger Francisco “Panchito” Mendoza (at right) are both on loan from Guadalajara.
Vergara has also levied praise on the rebuilding project that new head coach Robin Fraser and GM José Domene have begun at Chivas USA.
Fraser spent several days in Guadalajara to meet with the owner in early February to discuss the team and reportedly impressed the owner with his vision for the team, while Domene remains in constant contact with Vergara as well as fellow co-owner Antonio Cue on player acquisitions and development.
“[Fraser] was in Guadalajara recently and we talked for several hours about the team, our goals, and what we want to achieve for Chivas USA,” Vergara said. “I like him a lot. I believe that he is the right guy for this team and I’m confident that he is going to do a great job with Chivas USA.”
Though the owner said he believes that the Rojiblancos are trending upward, there was one aspect of the club that he said should continue to improve: the academy.
Under the new regime of Fraser and Domene, a greater emphasis has been placed in expanding the role of the youth system and making it more integral to the first team — much like the Guadalajara system, which has produced noteworthy players such as current Manchester United forward Javier Hernández.
“It’s not as easy as you think to develop young players,” Vergara told MLSsoccer.com. “It’s a difficult task to have young kids because of their attitude, physical attributes and techniques. We need to improve it and make it better so we can have more young prospects.”
Adam Serrano covers Chivas USA for MLSsoccer.com. He can be reached at adam.m.serrano@gmail.com and on Twitter: @adamserrano
