C.D. Chivas USA

Chivas USA
C.D. Chivas USA.PNG
Full name Club Deportivo Chivas USA
Nickname(s) Red-and-White, Goats
Goats USA, Rojiblancos
Rebaño Angelino
Founded 2004
Stadium The Home Depot Center
Carson, California
(Capacity: 27,000)
Owners Mexico Jorge Vergara
Head Coach United States Martin Vasquez
League Major League Soccer
2009 Western Conference: 4th
Overall: 6th
Playoffs: Quarterfinals
Home colors
Away colors
Current season

Club Deportivo Chivas USA is an American soccer club based in the Los Angeles suburb of Carson, California, that participates in Major League Soccer.

The club, founded in 2004, plays its home games at The Home Depot Center, sharing it with fellow MLS club, the Los Angeles Galaxy. The official colors of C.D. Chivas USA are red, white, and blue, the same as parent club C.D. Guadalajara, one of the most widely-supported and successful teams in Mexico. In Spanish, chivas means goats, and is the nickname of CD Guadalajara.

Contents

History

Founded on August 2, 2004, as Major League Soccer's then-eleventh team, Los Angeles-based Club Deportivo Chivas USA has achieved some success in just five seasons in MLS. In 2007, the Mexican-owned club finished first in the Western Conference, qualifying for the playoffs for the second year in a row.

The club is owned by Jorge Vergara Madrigal, owner of CD Guadalajara, and Antonio Cué Sánchez-Navarro and is a subsidiary of Chivas USA Enterprises LLC, which is led by Cué and club President and CEO Shawn Hunter.

Chivas USA kicked off its inaugural season in Major League Soccer at The Home Depot Center with a 2-0 loss to then MLS Cup Champions D.C. United on April 2, 2005, under the guidance of Chivas USA’s first head coach Thomas Rongen. After a 1–8–1 start (their sole win coming against fellow expansion club Real Salt Lake), Thomas Rongen was named Chivas USA's sporting director and assistant coach Javier Ledesma became the club's interim head coach. On June 3, 2005, Hans Westerhof was named Chivas USA's second head coach. After a disappointing season, Westerhof did not return to coach the team in 2006.

On November 23, 2005, Bob Bradley, the most successful manager in Major League Soccer history, became Chivas USA’s third head coach, replacing Hans Westerhof. Under Bradley, the 2006 season saw a major turnaround for Chivas USA. The team finished the 2006 season with a 10-9-13 record and earned a spot in the Western Conference playoffs. Bradley was named MLS Coach of the Year, becoming the first two-time winner of the award and Chivas USA defender Jonathan Bornstein was named 2006 Gatorade Rookie of the Year. After the season ended, Coach Bradley was named interim head coach of the US men's national soccer team and head coach of the U.S. men's Olympic soccer team by the U.S. Soccer Federation, and was replaced by Chivas USA’s fourth head coach, Predrag "Preki" Radosavljevic.

The team’s third season, under Preki, was the most successful to date. Chivas USA goalkeeper Brad Guzan was named MLS’s Panasonic Goalkeeper of the Year for the 2007 season. On November 7, 2007, Preki was named MLS Coach of the Year for 2007 after the first-year manager led the Red-and-White to a 15-7-8 record and first place in Major League Soccer’s Western Conference. In January 2008, Preki signed a multi-year contract with Chivas USA securing his position as head coach for the 2008 season.

2007 Playoffs

Chivas finished the 2007 MLS season atop of the Western Conference. However, they lost in the Conference Semifinals of the MLS Cup 2007 playoffs to the Kansas City Wizards, who were the conference's #4 seed under new MLS seeding rules despite being in the Eastern Conference.

Supporters Groups

Chivas USA enjoys a built-in supporters group known as Legión 1908. With chapters all over the world, the Legión is international. The Los Angeles chapter (legion-Kalifas), boasting 1,500 registered members, is the third largest behind the Mexico City (largest) and Guadalajara chapters. The Legión can be seen spotted wearing their red and white, singing and swaying en masse behind the goal in Section 122 at home games.

The Union Ultras is the official Chivas USA supporters group boasting over 150 members that exclusively support Chivas USA. They sit directly across from the legionarios, behind the other goal in Section 101. The Union Ultras (some of whom are former Legión members) support Chivas USA exclusively, as opposed to Chivas de Guadalajara/Chivas USA by default.

Team Jersey

Chivas USA's home uniform bears the same vertical red-and-white stripes of Club Deportivo Guadalajara, and red sleeves, worn with blue shorts and blue socks.

Chivas USA's away uniform will be all blue for the 2010 season.

On May 16, 2007, Comex, Mexico’s leading paint company, became Chivas USA’s presenting sponsor. However, the team's jerseys were blank to open the 2010 season. Extra, a Mexican convenience store chain owned by Grupo Modelo (the makers of Corona beer)[1], was unveiled as the new jersey sponsor on April 1, 2010 prior to the match against rivals, Los Angeles Galaxy.[2] The chain's logo appears on the front of Chivas USA jerseys and training jerseys. The "Goats" also have Home Depot, Time Warner Cable, Walt Disney, Budweiser, NAPA Auto Parts, Visa, Inc. as team sponsors.

Television and radio

FSN West and FSN Prime Ticket have coverage of Chivas USA for the 2008 season. Delivering the most Chivas games on television, the schedule includes 18 regular season games and up to two post-season contests. Christian Miles and Eric Wynalda are the play-by-play announcers, with Bernardo Osuna as analyst and sideline reporter Christine Nubla.

The official Spanish-language broadcast partner is W Radio 690 AM and will broadcast all 30 of Chivas USA’s regular-season games during the 2008 season and Azteca America channel 54.

Honors

Domestic

Minor Trophies

International competition

Players

Current roster

As of August 7, 2010.[3]

Note: Flags indicate national team as has been defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Position Player
1 United States GK Dan Kennedy
4 Costa Rica DF Michael Umaña
5 Brazil MF Marcelo Saragosa
6 Canada DF Ante Jazić
7 El Salvador MF Osael Romero (on loan from Vista Hermosa)
8 Mexico MF Mariano Trujillo
9 Cuba FW Maykel Galindo
10 Mexico FW Jesús Padilla
11 United States MF Michael Lahoud
12 Costa Rica DF Darío Delgado (on loan from Puntarenas)
13 United States DF Jonathan Bornstein
14 United States MF Gerson Mayen (on loan at Miami)
15 United States MF Sal Zizzo
17 United States FW Justin Braun
No. Position Player
18 United States MF Blair Gavin
19 United States MF Jorge Flores
20 Venezuela FW Giancarlo Maldonado
21 United States MF Ben Zemanski
22 United States GK Zach Thornton
23 United States DF Carlos Borja
24 Mexico MF Rodolfo Espinoza
26 Brazil MF Paulo Nagamura
28 United States MF Cesar Zamora
32 United States FW Alan Gordon
33 Romania DF Alex Zotincă
45 Colombia DF Yamith Cuesta
77 United States FW Chukwudi Chijindu (on loan at Miami)

Notable former players

This list of former players includes those who received international caps while playing for the team, made significant contributions to the team in terms of appearances or goals while playing for the team, or who made significant contributions to the sport either before they played for the team, or after they left. It is clearly not yet complete and all inclusive, and additions and refinements will continue to be made over time.

  • Mexico Juan Pablo García (2005–2006)
  • United States Brad Guzan (2005–2008)
  • Saint Kitts and Nevis Atiba Harris (2007–2009)
  • Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Ezra Hendrickson (2005)
  • Honduras Amado Guevara (2008–2009)
  • United States Sacha Kljestan (2006–2010)
  • United States Carlos Llamosa (2006–2007)
  • United States Jesse Marsch (2006–2009)
  • Mexico Francisco Mendoza (2005–2008)
  • Honduras Ramón Núñez (2008–2009)
  • Mexico Juan Francisco Palencia (2005–2006)
  • Canada Chris Pozniak (2008)
  • Mexico Ramón Ramírez (2005–2007)
  • United States Ante Razov (2006–2009)
  • Costa Rica Douglas Sequeira (2005)
  • Mexico Claudio Suárez (2006–2009)
  • Jamaica Shavar Thomas (2007–2009)
  • Switzerland Raphaël Wicky (2008)
  • Mexico Martín Zúñiga (2005)

Head coaches

Team records

MLS regular season only, through 2009 season

Home stadiums

Year-by-year

Year Reg. Season Playoffs Open Cup CONCACAF
Champions' League
SuperLiga
2005 6th, West Did not qualify Round of 32 Did not qualify Started in 2007
2006 3rd, West Quarterfinals Round of 16 Did not qualify
2007 1st, West Quarterfinals Round of 16 Did not qualify Did not participate
2008 2nd, West Quarterfinals Round of 16 Did not qualify Group Stage
2009 4th, West Quarterfinals Round of 16 Preliminary Round Group Stage

Average attendance

regular season/playoffs

References

[4] [5] [6] [7]

External links