PRO SOCCER NEWS: Chivas USA NEWS With An EYE on MLS and CHIVAS ACADEMY
MLS Chivas USA update for September 27, 2011 - Chivas USA finally returned to The Home Depot center after an absence of over a month as they faced off with Western Conference power house Real Salt Lake before a crowd of over 14,000.
Goats Receive The Philadelphia Union This Sunday At The Home Depot Center; Chivas USA Dominate Toronto FC And Gain Three Points; Red and White Battle Back In Nation’s Capitol And Achieve A Point With Draw
GOATS LOOK TO START OCTOBER AS THEY FINISHED SEPTEMBER: Chivas USA will start off the month of October at The Home Depot Center and the last of their three regular season games as the Philadelphia Union travel to the left coast next Sunday the 2nd. The match is set to kick off at 5:00 pm PT, and will broadcast on Prime Ticket and KWHY Channel 22 as well as W Radio 690 AM. For information on the game, please visit cdchivasusa.com
CHIVAS USA SHUTOUT NORTHERN NEIGHBORS 3-0 AT HDC: On a brisk Saturday evening at The Home Depot Center in Carson before 14,357 fans, Chivas USA was poised to pick up three points. With a confident stride and focused look, the Goats faced off with Toronto FC, in a battle on the pitch for their playoff hopes to stay on point! Head Coach Robin Fraser’s Rojiblancos wasted little time in taking the lead as Juan Pablo Angel would take the lead as team goal scorer as well (6 with Chivas USA and 3 for Galaxy). Fraser’s squad, who dominated in every facet of the 3-0 victory, knows the remaining games are crucial if they are to clinch a playoff berth. The Goats came out fiercely defending their home turf, from the opening whistle, the Rojiblancos consistently held possession and kept the action in their final third, as they frustrated a Reds team which appeared throughout the match to not be able to keep up with the Red and White’s attack. With this victory Chivas USA sums 35 points as they remain in 7th place and still in the hunt for a playoff berth.
RED AND WHITE BATTLE BACK IN DC AND GET A 2-2 DRAW: On a rainy, hot and humid evening in our Nation’s Capitol Chivas USA set out last Wednesday the 24 with one goal in mind, one game at a time. With just 4 matches left at the time, the focus is on making the playoffs. So on that night before 14,849, the Red and White would not walk out empty handed. The final score, a 2-2 draw only partially reflected the intense action that took place on the pitch for over 90 minutes. The Goats played this game with the passion and tenacity that is necessary to qualify for the play-offs and this is just what the doctor ordered to light the fuse for Chivas USA. This tie keeps the Goats right in the hunt for the post season, but more importantly it gives them confidence.
CHIVAS USA HOSTED ITS FINAL HEART SOCCER CAMP AT THE HDC: This past Saturday Chivas USA hosted its final HEART Soccer Camp of 2011 as it received children with Autism Spectrum Disorders and their siblings. The event supported Autism Speaks Los Angeles and FirstSteps For Kids, both organizations dedicate themselves to improving the lives of children diagnosed with Autism, and other related disorders. “With statewide services and recreational programs being severely cut, we are very grateful to Chivas USA for creating this event,” said Phillip Hain, Executive Director of the Los Angeles Chapter of Autism Speaks. “We currently have legislation (SB946) pending in Sacramento that will require health plans and insurers to cover various behavioral health treatments, so anything that helps relieve the financial situation of our families makes a big difference to their well-being.” Certified Chivas USA coaches and qualified volunteers lead children in a series of drills that had them practicing a variety of basic soccer techniques designed to teach them about teamwork, give them an opportunity to interact socially, and take part in a fun, group sport-activity. “We are thrilled to partner with Chivas USA and Autism Speaks for the HEART Soccer Camp. FirstSteps is dedicated to providing opportunities to children impacted by Autism and we are thankful that huge organizations, such as Chivas USA, have created camps for children with disabilities,” stated Dr. Jennifer Harris, FirstSteps Executive Director.
CHIVAGIRLS APPEARED ON ABC TELEVISION SHOW ‘EVERYDAY HEALTH’: Chivas USA’s dance squad the ChivaGirls were featured this past weekend on the ABC television show “Everyday Health” along with the “Sparkle Cheerleaders” and the host of the show Ethan Zohn (formerly of the show “Survivor”). The ChivaGirls are Major League Soccer’s (MLS) first dance team. They perform at all Chivas USA home games from March through November at The Home Depot Center. The ChivaGirls interact with fans of all ages, and represent Chivas USA in the Media and community events. Each week, ABC co-hosts Laila Ali, Ethan Zohn, and Jenna Morasca bring you inspiring stories of people who have been affected by a health crisis and who are now "paying it forward," delivering a message of hope and healing to others with that condition. Whether it’s surprising a cheerleading squad for children with disabilities with an appearance from one of their celebrity idols, or coordinating a Flash Mob to raise awareness for cystic fibrosis, the Everyday Healthteam is there to make these dreams come true, and this time, the ChivaGirls will be part of it.
Chivas Usa Head Coach – Robin Fraser – On Saturday’s match against Toronto FC: “I felt that we started out very well. We were aggressive, we put ourselves into some good spots behind them and we were able to put some dangerous service in the box. I thought it was a very good start for us, getting a goal relatively early was good for our confidence. From there, I thought we were pretty solid; we had a few up’s and downs throughout the game. We bent a few times this year and broke, in and a couple of times we bent but didn’t break and we were able to re-group and come back and finish very strong. To see [the team] start a game well and finish a game well, I think, is a good statement for us at this point and the points are critical. It’s definitely what we needed. If you look at our last several games, I think the D.C. game aside, we put ourselves in position to get points and through mistakes and broken plays; we’ve definitely let a few things slip away. To win would’ve been great, but to win convincingly is good for our confidence. Looking into our next couple of games, I think this is huge for us.”
Chivas USA Forward – Juan Pablo Angel - On the match, his performance and the playoffs: “In the last four or five games we’ve put ourselves in a difficult position, conceding goals that we should not have. Today was about getting three points. We played a very good 35 minutes. We took the foot off the pedal a little bit, but late in the second half we found the game again. I’m finding my game. I’m getting the ball more often in places that I’m good at. I know what I’ve been doing throughout my career and that has not changed. I’m here and I’m proving it again, and I’m delighted. The only thing we can do is control ourselves, what we do on the field. It’s late in the year but you never know what can happen. We have to give it the best try until the end of the year.”
EYE ON YOUTH
Weekly Chivas USA Youth Development, Academy, and Soccer School Activity and Information
In Their Second Week Of Action In The Southern California Developmental Soccer League, All Chivas USA Youth Academy And Developmental Teams Were In Action Over The Weekend.
Results for this past weekend’s matches:
Saturday September 24
U16’s Chivas USA Academy 1 vs. United FC 2
Rancho Soccer Complex
U15’s Chivas USA Academy 1 vs. San Diego Surf Academy 3
Ranch Mission Viejo Riding Park - Showcase Game #1
U15’s Chivas USA Academy 2 vs. Arsenal FC South 1
Ranch Mission Viejo Riding Park - Showcase Game #2
U14’s Chivas USA Academy 3 vs. Exiles 1
Cal State Dominguez Hills
U14’s Chivas USA Development 3 vs. Exiles 1
Cal State Dominguez Hills
U13’s Chivas USA Development 1 vs. Exiles 0
Marina High School Huntington Beach
U12’s Chivas USA Development 1 vs. Beach FC 1
Marina High School Huntington Beach
U9’s Chivas USA Development 1 vs. Real So Cal 1
Pierce College
Sunday September 25
U14’s Chivas USA Development 1 vs. OC Revolution 3
Whittier Soccer Complex
U14’s Chivas USA Academy 0 vs. Legends FC 1
Ayala Park
Chivas USA Matches for Saturday, October 1st and Sunday, October 2nd, 2011
Saturday, October 1
§ U15 Academy vs. South Bay Force @ El Segundo HS 8:00am
§ U14 Academy vs. Arsenal @ SCDSL Showcase 8:00am
§ U17/18 USSDA vs. LA Galaxy @ Veterans Park 10:00am
§ U14 Academy vs. Nomads Academy @ SCDSL Showcase 12:00pm
§ U9 Academy vs. South Bay Force @ Yukon Elementary 12:20pm
§ U12 Development vs. Exiles Red @ CSU Dominguez Hills 12:25pm
§ U15/16 USSDA vs. LA Galaxy @ Veterans Park 12:30pm
§ U13 Development vs. South Bay Force @ El Segundo HS 12:45pm
§ U14 Development vs. Legends FC Black @ SCDSL Showcase 1:20pm
§ U15 Development vs. Rel So Cal @ North Ranch 3:05pm
§ U14 Academy vs. Nomads SC @ SCDSL Showcase 4:00pm
Sunday, October 2
§ U15 Academy vs. Exiles @ CSU Dominguez Hills 8:00am
§ U16’s Academy vs. West Coast FC@ Concordia University
§ U15 Development vs. TVSA Hawks@ Patricia Birdsall Sports Park 1:50pm
CHIVAS USA SCHEDULE: SEPTEMBER 28 – OCTOBER 3*
Wednesday, September 28 Training, 10:00 am – 11:30 am – Field 6
Thursday, September 29 Off
Friday, September 30 Training, 10:00 am – 11:30 am – Field 6
Saturday, October 1 Training, 10:00 am – 11:30 am – Filed 6
Sunday, October 2 Chivas USA vs. Philadelphia Union, 5:00 p.m. PT, The Home Depot Center
Monday, October 3 Off
Chivas USA Game Highlights
More of THE WORD FROM THE TEAMS:
CHIVAS USA - Head Coach Robin Fraser
On the game:“Really the only thought is that you can’t be up a man for that long and not score a goal. So that’s the story of the game. I thought tonight we were pretty decent the first half, energy was really good we won the ball back a lot on their end of the field were very aggressive, and as a result we created a number of very good scoring opportunities that we didn’t capitalize on and in the second half I think we didn’t play with the same sort of energy and urgency, and when you don’t do that it is difficult to find opportunities to score against an organized team.”
Coach Fraser & players discuss game against RSL
On the goal: “Are you asking me about the mistake that led to a goal? Outside of that it wasn’t that bad it was pretty good but it doesn’t matter you can play 89 great minutes as a defender and you make a mistake and obviously that’s what will be remembered.”
On making it to playoffs:“It’s still within our ability to make it, if we do the things we need to do. We have to play better we have to be more dangerous. We’re all here to win. Everyone does this to win, so when you have all these opportunities and you think you might be able to get three points and you don’t capitalize on them certainly they do hurt.”
CHIVAS USA – Forward Juan Pablo Angel
In taking advantage of opportunities: “That is the difficult part to digest in here because I think we know we were in control for pretty much the majority of the time especially in the second half, after we have to be smarter in establishing strategies. We must assure that at home we make the right decisions and we bury this game.”
On the possibility of still make the playoffs:“We still have a chance to make the playoffs, it’s still up to us but we got to make sure we take care of this type of situation in order for us to make it a better chance.”
CHIVAS USA – Forward Alejandro Moreno
On the game: “After the red card they played very well defensively and made it hard for us to find space, and especially because they were very well organized. We needed to create space, and with that create opportunity for a goal. We failed to be organized and with that came failure and by that time the game is over.”
REAL SALT LAKE – Head Coach Jason Kreis
On the key to defending 65+ minutes a man down: “I think a lot of it is tactical; 50% and 50% hard work. I think the guys have to be in the right shape, the guys have to have a real sense of the passes they’re going to allow, and the passes they’re not going to allow. On top of that, they’ve got to work extremely hard. So all of the players for me tonight, after we got them in at halftime, had a real good idea of how we wanted to defend, and all of them were willing to do the defending.”
On what was the most impressive part of the performance: “For me, it’s just the guys believing, because it takes a lot of belief to go down a man as early as we did. It takes a lot of belief from the guys, a lot of willingness to stay together as a unit. To be through the stretch we’ve just been through, it would be extremely easy [to have not believed], and I think eighty or ninety percent of the teams in this league couldn’t have been as mentally tough as we were.”
On how proud he is of his team: “I’m really, really pleased. Just pleased with the response that we got from the group tonight, pleased that they came out with such a positive mentality, pleased that they worked so incredibly hard, and pleased that they stayed together and believed.”
REAL SALT LAKE – Goalkeeper Nick Rimando:
On the result: “It was a good one for us. We knew we could come in here and get a result, we’ve done it before. The objective was to get a zero. We know when we play good defense we’re capable of getting results on the road and that’s exactly what we did. [Saborio] came in and got a good goal for us.”
On his feelings after going down a man: “The first thing you want to do is make sure that everyone is pitching in, giving that extra ten percent. We don’t want to drop and invite them to play, we wanted to make sure to stay high. So I was trying to get our defenders and midfielders to step up and make sure we still play the same game, but with that extra ten percent [effort].”
On whether the game can be a turning point: “We had a couple bad games. I think this is a good win for sure, we showed a lot of guts for us. But we’re capable of these type of results and just this game isn’t going to turn our season around. I think it’s everybody pitching in every game.”
REAL SALT LAKE - Defender Nat Borchers:
On the red card: “It was a situation where I put myself at the referee’s mercy. I took a bad first touch, LaBrocca positioned himself well and he was in on goal, so I fouled him. I haven’t seen the replay; I haven’t seen where Tony Beltran was at the time that I fouled LaBrocca. Could have been a yellow card, definitely, but I’m definitely to blame for putting myself in the situation.”
On his teammates performance after the red card: “I thought we responded really well. It was a tough situation for them. Being a man down for sixty plus minutes in game is obviously very difficult. So I thought they really responded well, and I’m very proud of them.”
Real Salt Lake -- Nick Rimando, Robbie Russell, Jamison Olave, Nat Borchers, Tony Beltran, Arturo Alvarez (Chris Schuler 32), Kyle Beckerman, Luis Gil (Andy Williams 86), Will Johnson, Fabian Espindola, Alvaro Saborio. Substitutes Not Used: Jean Alexandre, Paulo Araujo Jr., Blake Wagner, Collen Warner, Tim Melia.
Chivas USA -- Dan Kennedy, David Junior Lopes, Michael Umana (Mariano Trujillo 46), Heath Pearce (Laurent Courtois 61), Ante Jazic, Blair Gavin, Simon Elliott (Marcos Mondaini 72), Nick LaBrocca, Jorge Flores, Juan Pablo Angel, Alejandro Moreno. Substitutes Not Used: Justin Braun, Chris Cortez, Ben Zemanski, Zach Thornton.
Referee: Kevin Stott Referee's Assistants: Peter Balciunas; Jason Cullum 4th Official: Allen Chapman Attendance: 14,127 Time of Game: 1:54 Weather: Clear and 75 degrees
Print
On a rainy, hot and humid evening in our Nation’s Capitol Chivas USA set out last Wednesday the 24 with one goal in mind, one game at a time. With just 4 matches left at the time, the focus is on making the playoffs. So on that night before 14,849, the Red and White would not walk out empty handed. The final score, a 2-2 draw only partially reflected the intense action that took place on the pitch for over 90 minutes. The Goats played this game with the passion and tenacity that is necessary to qualify for the play-offs and this is just what the doctor ordered to light the fuse for Chivas USA. This tie keeps the Goats right in the hunt for the post season, but more importantly it gives them confidence.
