| Full name | Club Deportivo Chivas USA | ||
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| Nickname(s) | Red-and-White, Goats Goats USA, Rojiblancos Rebaño Angelino |
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| Founded | 2004 | ||
| Stadium | The Home Depot Center Carson, California (Capacity: 27,000) |
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| Owner | Jorge Vergara | ||
| Head Coach | Robin Fraser | ||
| League | Major League Soccer | ||
| 2010 | Western Conference: 8th Overall: 15th Playoffs: DNQ |
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| Website | Club home page | ||
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| Current season | |||
Club Deportivo Chivas USA is an American professional soccer club based in the Los Angeles suburb of Carson, California that competes in Major League Soccer (MLS), the top professional soccer league in the United States of America and Canada.
The club became MLS's eleventh team upon their expansion into the league in 2004 (following the demise of Tampa Bay Mutiny and Miami Fusion several years previously), and was intended to be seen as a "little brother" to its parent club Guadalajara, one of the most widely supported and successful teams in Mexico. In Spanish, chivas means "goats", and is the nickname of CD Guadalajara.
Chivas USA plays its home games at The Home Depot Center in Carson, which it shares with its rival, the Los Angeles Galaxy. 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.
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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 six 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.
In 2005, 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, former MLS Coach of the Year Bob Bradley 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. 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.
In 2008 Chivas USA competed in their first official international tournament, playing Pachuca in the 2008 SuperLiga. Jonathan Bornstein and Sacha Kljestan were named to the MLS All-Star team. Goalie Brad Guzan became the first Goat to transfer to a European first division club. The Red-and-White clinched a playoff berth for the third consecutive season, losing to Real Salt Lake in the first round. Kljestan scored the U.S. Soccer Goal of the Year while playing in the 2008 Beijing Olympics. He was also named to the MLS Best XI, and was selected as U.S. Soccer’s Young Male Athlete of the Year.
Jonathan Bornstein and Sacha Kljestan competed with the U.S. National Team in the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup in South Africa. Chivas USA goalkeeper Zach Thornton was named to the 2009 MLS All-Star Team. The Red-And-White made the MLS Cup Playoffs for the fourth consecutive season, playing the Los Angeles Galaxy in the first round. Chivas USA announced the Team Award Winners, naming Thornton the team’s Most Valuable Player. Thornton was also named the MLS Goalkeeper of the Year and MLS Comeback Player of the Year, and he was nominated to the MLS Best 11. Martín Vásquez was named the team’s head coach after serving as an assistant coach from 2005-2007.
Kljestan and Bornstein were named co-captains for the 2010 season. During the World Cup break Kljestan signed a deal with Belgian club Anderlecht, leaving Chivas USA after parts of five seasons. Bornstein played in the 2010 FIFA World Cup, starting in two matches for the United States as they made it to the Round of 16. On October 27, the team released head coach Martín Vásquez from his contract. On November 2, president and CEO Shawn Hunter announced he was stepping down. On December 14 the club's vice president of soccer operations, Stephen Hamilton revealed he too, was leaving his post. Both he and Hunter will continue to serve in advisory roles for the club. After Hamilton stepped down, Jose L Domene was named Interim General Manager. On January 4, 2011, Robin Fraser became Head coach of Chivas USA.
Chivas USA's home uniform mirrors that of their parent club, Guadalajara, with a red-and-white striped shirt, blue shorts and blue socks. Chivas USA have worn a variation of this kit since their inception (with slight variations in trim, stripe width, number of stripes, and other minor details), and usually complement this with a dark blue away uniform.
The club badge is also virtually identical to that of Guadalajara, featuring the shield of the city of Guadalajara, but omitting the eleven stars (representing the eleven league titles won by Guadalajara) around the outside of the logo.
Chivas USA plays its home games at The Home Depot Center, on the campus of California State University, Dominguez Hills in Carson, California, approximately 10 miles south of downtown Los Angeles. The venue's title sponsor is home-improvement retailer The Home Depot. Built in 2003 as the home stadium for Los Angeles Galaxy, the "HDC" is a 27,000-seat soccer-specific stadium, the second of its kind in the MLS,[1] but has hosted other sports such as rugby and football. Since they began play in 2005, Los Rojiblancos have shared the stadium the Los Galacticos, with whom they compete for the Honda SuperClasico. This arrangement and those of the NFL Jets and Giants in the New Meadowlands Stadium and NBA Lakers and Clippers in the Staples Center are the only cases in the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Canada of two teams of the same league sharing a venue.
Chivas USA have occasionally held home games at Titan Stadium on the campus of California State University, Fullerton, and at Harder Stadium on the campus of UC Santa Barbara, such as in the US Open Cup when both they and Los Angeles Galaxy have been drawn to play at home on the same day, but this is generally a rare occurrence.
Chivas USA enjoys a built-in supporters group known as Legión 1908. The Los Angeles chapter (legion-Kalifas), boasting 1,500 registered members, but only about 20 showing up regularly to games, it 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 certain home games that they choose not to protest.
The Union Ultras is the first 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.
Black Army 1850 is the newest Chivas USA supporters group, started during the 2010 season and sit in section 138. They have a membership between 50-60 members. They do not wear the traditional Chivas USA colors, red and white. The Black Army follows some of the protocol of European Ultras, not wearing their teams colors and instead wearing black. They identify with 1850 because that is the year California and Los Angeles became officially part of the United States as a state and city. The group strives to make Chivas USA a more regional team by identifying with Los Angeles.
On May 16, 2007, Comex, Mexico’s leading paint company, became Chivas USA’s first presenting sponsor, with their name on the front of the jerseys. At the opening of the 2010 season, the team's jerseys were blank. On April 1, 2010, the new presenting sponsor, Extra,[2] was finally unveiled prior to the match against rivals Los Angeles Galaxy; Extra is a Mexican convenience store chain owned by Grupo Modelo, the makers of Corona beer.[2][3] The chain's logo appeared on the front of Chivas USA jerseys and training jerseys for the rest of that year. On February 16, 2011 Corona became the presenting sponsor for Chivas USA.[4] The "Goats" also have Home Depot, Time Warner Cable, Walt Disney, Budweiser, NAPA Auto Parts, Visa, Inc. as team sponsors.
FS West/Prime Ticket and KDOC have the television coverage rights to Chivas USA matches that are not nationally televised.[5] Delivering the most Chivas games on television, the schedule includes 15 regular season games for FS West/Prime Ticket and five to KDOC. In 2010 all 30 Chivas USA matches were broadcast in either local or national television.[5] Christian Miles is the play-by-play announcer and Allen Hopkins is the analyst.[5]
The official Spanish-language broadcast partner is W Radio 690 AM and broadcasts all 30 of Chivas USA’s regular-season games during season and KWHY channel 22.[5] The games are broadcasted simultaneously on radio and television with Hipólito Gamboa as the play-by-play announcer and Rigo Cervantez as the analyst.[5]
As of December 21, 2011.[6] Note: Flags indicate national team as has been defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Note: Flags indicate national team as has been defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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This list shows players who have played for the team in official 2011 MLS Reserve Division games, but are not part of the senior roster.[7]
Note: Flags indicate national team as has been defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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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.
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| Year | Regular Season | Playoffs | US Open Cup | CONCACAF Champions' League |
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| 2005 | 6th, West | Did not qualify | Round of 32 | Did not qualify |
| 2006 | 3rd, West | Quarter-Finals | Round of 16 | Did not qualify |
| 2007 | 1st, West | Quarter-Finals | Round of 16 | Did not qualify |
| 2008 | 2nd, West | Quarter-Finals | Round of 16 | Did not qualify |
| 2009 | 4th, West | Quarter-Finals | Round of 16 | Preliminary Round |
| 2010 | 8th, West | Did not qualify | Semifinals | Did not qualify |
| 2011 | in progress | Did not qualify | Did not qualify |
| Year | League Record | Top Scorer | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| P | W | L | D | F | A | Pts | Name | G | |
| 2005 | 32 | 4 | 22 | 6 | 31 | 67 | 18 | Héctor Cuadros | 4 |
| 2006 | 32 | 10 | 9 | 13 | 45 | 42 | 43 | Ante Razov | 14 |
| 2007 | 30 | 15 | 7 | 8 | 46 | 28 | 53 | Maykel Galindo | 12 |
| 2008 | 30 | 12 | 11 | 7 | 40 | 41 | 43 | Alecko Eskandarian Ante Razov Sacha Kljestan |
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| 2009 | 30 | 13 | 11 | 6 | 34 | 31 | 45 | Eduardo Lillingston | 8 |
| 2010 | 30 | 8 | 18 | 4 | 31 | 45 | 28 | Justin Braun | 9 |
| Total | 184 | 62 | 78 | 44 | 227 | 254 | 230 | Ante Razov | 30 |
MLS regular season only, through 2009 season
regular season / playoffs
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