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Chivas USA Begins Preparing for SKC

April 30, 2013 - Major League Soccer (MLS)
Club Deportivo Chivas USA News Release


After getting two days off following the match against the San Jose Earthquakes, Chivas USA returned to training on Tuesday morning ahead of the 10th match of the 2013 MLS season where the Red-and-White will face Sporting Kansas City on Sunday, May 12 at 2 p.m. PT at Sporting Park.

Starting off the day at 9:30 am at The Home Depot Center's Field 6, the Red-and-White squad was joined by two key members of the team; forward Julio Morales made his return to camp after being out one week due to international duty with Mexico's U20 National Team, while Juan Agudelo, who is still undergoing treatment for a hamstring strain, returned to camp for a light training session with the team.

Following a light jog around the field, and a series of stretching exercises to kick-off the day, the Red-and-White continued working on their conditioning in eight different stations previously set up on the field, where the players alternated in each station, testing the players' physical strengths.

For a little over 40 minutes, training continued with alternate exercises; the team began working on aerobic exercises consisting of sprints on one half of the field, with 10-second rest intervals between each sprint. Following this exercise, training continued with an inter-squad scrimmage in reduced spaces where both teams needed to sum up 10 constant passes without allowing the rival to gain possession, which caused a notable demand from the teams in order to come out on top in the exercise.

To conclude the day's training, the Red-and-White held a final set of stretching exercises on the east side of the field. At around 11:30 am, the team concluded the first of five training sessions that will prepare them for Sporting Kansas City.

Chivas USA will continue their preparation with a scrimmage against the Los Angeles Misioneros FC on Wednesday morning at The Home Depot Center's Field 6 ahead of their next 2013 MLS season match.

Homegrown Delgado going for more

Marco Delgado waited patiently for nearly seven months to make his debut at The Home Depot Center. Appearing for the first time on the bench for Chivas USA in the 2013 MLS season, the 17 year-old Glendora native heard Coach Chelis call him from the sideline. This was his moment, the moment where he would finally get to play in front of his family, friends, and fans.

"This time, I felt more prepared, I wasn't as nervous as when I made my professional debut in Canada. I felt more comfortable, all my nerves were settled and I felt like I was more prepared," said the midfielder, better known as "Marky" among friends, teammates and fans.

Delgado signed with the club in early April of last year after playing with Chivas USA's U18 team, making him the youngest player to ever sign with the club, making his debut in Chivas USA's match against Vancouver Whitecaps FC at BC Place on October 3. With five minutes of playing time he got in his home debut against the Earthquakes, Marky was able to make a difference on the field, having one offensive play that ended in a save for goalkeeper Jon Busch.

Now that Delgado has finally made his home and season debut, there's no stopping now, according to the young player. Delgado is determined to continue working hard, adding minutes to his résumé, and get what every good player yearns: a goal.

"As a competition, on the right side, we have Bowen, Avila plays on the right as well; they're two great players that are skillful, strong, more experienced so I have to compete with that, but I'm working my way up there. I want to get a goal, more playing time and have more fans," Delgado jokingly finalized.

Rivera excited with MLS debut

Ever since he began his soccer adventure in the American league with the Red-and-White, midfielder Jose Manuel Rivera had different objectives in mind. The first of which was to make his debut with the Chivas USA jersey and the second to have good performances that would lead to his regularity with the team.

As of today, the first objective has been met. Jose Manuel Rivera made his debut in Week 9 against the San Jose Earthquakes coming onto the field in the 80th minute, replacing Carlos Alvarez, marking a before and after in his professional career.

"I felt very happy; it was something that made me feel content and with lots of joy. I was happy and excited to make my debut with Chivas USA because it was something that I've been waiting for ever since I got to the United States and once it happened, it made me feel very proud," the midfielder reminisced.

"With each game, we observe the level that there is here in MLS and personally, I'm very happy, it's something that has always interested me that I like. Even though it was a complicated and challenging game for us against San Jose, I felt very good coming onto the field and I gave my all to do my best," he added.

Aware that his 10 minutes in the 2013 MLS season are just the beginning, Jose Manuel Rivera said that now that he's made his debut, he has to work twice as hard; the persistence and performance in the training sessions before each match is what will earn a player a spot in the Red-and-White starting line-up.

"My objectives are clear, I want to continue playing, and I want to keep trying to help the team. When I have my chance to come into the game, I'm going to give it my all so that that way, my performance can lead to more minutes in my favor. We have to continue working and waiting, because once you're called up, you have to be ready to perform, each time working to be better and score," the Mexican midfielder finalized.

Bowen, in pursuit of goals

Long after he had knocked in his left-footed strike that momentarily gave Chivas USA a one-goal advantage in Saturday's match against conference rival San Jose at home, and the final minute of play ticked away in the physical 2-2 draw between the in-state rivals, forward Tristan Bowen was still unaware that he had scored his first goal for the Red-and-White.

Bowen has made six starts in seven appearances for the Rebaño Angelino this season and hopes this is only the beginning of a personal scoring run as the Rojiblancos travel to face Sporting Kansas City on Sunday in their third road match of the season.

"I was a bit surprised to find out it was actually my first one in Chivas USA. It feels good, but I would have taken three points instead", says Bowen at the end of the tuesday's practice.

In his fifth year in MLS, Bowen is no stranger to scoring, as the Los Angeles native already had two career goals under his belt coming into this season. And Bowen knows all too well that it only takes one tally to get on a hot streak and continue to find the back of the net for the Red-and-White.

"In the past when I've scored goals they have come in bunches," Bowen added. "I've noticed that things do come in bunches for me, so hopefully that is the case here. I don't think I've been as aggressive as I could be in front of the goal. You have to shoot to score, and that is what the coaches have been telling me."

Though the second-year Goat says he feels more comfortable and preference attacking the opposing team's net as a winger, Bowen, at five-feet-eleven, knows that he has the ability to get into dangerous spots and create opportunities up top as a forward - the position he has made all seven appearances at.

"Where ever the coaches need me at, that is where I'm going to be," Bowen said. "At the end of the day, I'm here to help the team and my job is to perform. I take it as a compliment that the coaches believe I can play up top as well as on the wing."

And perform Bowen and the team has. Going into Sunday's match at Sporting Park, Head Coach Jose Luis Sanchez Sola's Rebano Angelino is tied for fourth-highest points in the Western Conference with 11 and have the third-most goals scored in MLS with 12.

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