He went out on loan to Jaguares de Chiapas and then to second devision sides Club Tijuana and Indios de Ciudad Juarez and now two years later he finds himself back in Los Angeles with the Red and Whites although Chivas de Guaguajara still has the right to his contract.

Now 25 years old Mendoza has matured.” In the two years that I was in Mexico, I learned many things both on and off the field,” said Mendoza in a press conference ahead of Chivas USA’s season opener against Sporting Kansas City. “Personally, I have returned as a much more mature person.”

While Mendoza has tweaked a couple of things, his former club has gone through a serious remodel ... “It’s a completely different team [from when I left],” he noted.

New head coach Robin Fraser has brought in players like Alejandro Moreno, Jimmy Conrad, Tristan Bowen and Heath Pearce among others that would not only help solidify the defense but also give the attack a much-needed boost.

The club started off strong in the preseason, snagging two consecutive wins. However, things quickly turned and Chivas USA lost five of their next seven matches, six of those shutouts. So obviously the team needs someone to create and or score goals.

Mendoza maintains that the squad has “great potential on offense.” Perhaps what the slumbering attack needs, then, is the fiery spark the midfielder used to display when he roamed the middle of the pitch for the Goats from 2005 to '08.

It’s a tall order, but it’s a challenge that Mendoza has dealt with before and one which he’ll gladly deal with again.

“The responsibility I take on with this club will be big,” Mendoza said. “It’s a new challenge for me, but one that I’m prepared for mentally. I learned a lot in Mexican soccer and I hope to contribute my best. I want this Chivas USA team to be a protagonist like it was when I was here, and I want it to return to the league’s top sports.”

 “It’s a new chapter in my life," he said. "All I can say is the team worked very hard during preseason and [Saturday] will be a great test to see what we’re made of and how far this team can go.”

FRANCISCO MENDOZA

Nombre/Name: Juan Francisco Mendoza Martínez

Número/Number: 6

Posición/Position: Mediocampista/Midfielder

Nacido el/Born: 1985-04-29, El Salto, Jalisco, México

Residencia/Hometown: El Salto, Jalisco, México

Nacionalidad/Citizenship: México

Peso/Weight: 60 kg /145 lbs

Estatura/Height: 1.68 m / 5'6"

Último Equipo/Last Team: Indios de Ciudad Juarez (México)

Adquisición/Acquired: Adquirido a préstamo de Chivas de Guadalajara el 9 de marzo de 2011/Acquired on loan from Chivas de Guadalajara on March 9, 2011