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Academy Insight: Kleiban Honored to Have the U14s Entrusted to Him

December 3, 2013 - Major League Soccer (MLS)
Club Deportivo Chivas USA News Release


As an amateur player growing up in Southern California, Chivas USA Youth Development Academy Coach Brian Kleiban says he considered himself a very good player. However, when the midfielder ventured to his parents' native Argentina to tryout for different clubs, Kleiban recalls that he was hit with the reality that in a setting such as soccer powerhouse Argentina, he was simply an average player.

Kleiban soon made the transition to what has now become his new passion: coaching.

After years of coaching and learning at the local academy level, Kleiban landed with Chivas USA's well-known and successful Youth Development Academy under Director Sacha van der Most, who is in his second stint with the Red-and-White organization. Entrusted to the SoCal native is one of the Rojiblancos' most coveted crop of elite youngsters as the Under-14 squad's head coach, which he says is an incredible feeling to be given that duty to continue developing the youth.

"As a coach my goal is to help all these boys that are super talented, way beyond what I was, to open the doors for them to be successful and live their dream," said Kleiban. "Whether that is getting a college scholarship to get an education and better their lives or even get to the professional level.

"Everybody here feels passionate about this sport. It really is full-time that we are at this. The objective is to take Chivas USA's youth and do something never seen before in this country, from playing-style, to producing professionals, to dominating every single age group."

For now, Kleiban's U14s are unbeaten in U.S. Soccer's Development Academy play, with their year finale set for this Saturday and are led by stellar prospects in each sector of the pitch. Yet, the idea at the Academy is to not just develop the young Goats' play on the field, but help develop them as young men and potentially future pros.

The Red-and-White's vision and project would not be possible if not for the commitment and effort by the youngsters and their parents, the coach says. Parents often make the long trip from different parts of the city to the Bell Gardens Sports Complex for the evening sessions on a consistent basis.

"The commitment is unbelievable," said Kleiban, who turns 34 this month. "Obviously the parents are the ones driving them, but on every given day I would say I have 95 percent attendance. The only excuse or positive reason for missing practice is anything to do with school. Other than that, this needs to be [top priority].

"That's the culture that we build, it's up to us as the instructors, as the coaches, as the mentors to build that culture from day one all the way from the youngest. If they do it from the youngest, by the time they reach 16, 17, 18, they are like mini professionals and are ready to make that jump."

As a club, Chivas USA's staff has laid the foundation to a plan of training and style of play that will be stressed from the youngest academy squad all the way up to the First Team, which can essentially work as a pipeline for developing even more Homegrown talent.

As much as any new young coach, Kleiban says he has learned from his mentors that the energy and messages that he projects are indeed what his players absorb.

"The team that you put on the field is a direct reflection of you. This group of boys plays with a passion, with energy, with excitement, with everything we are working on every single day in training to build that culture. It brings a smile to my face when somebody recognizes that. But at the end of the day it's not me playing, it's them playing and executing, and they are doing a fantastic job."

Academy Recap: Triumphant weekend for Chivas USA

It was a successful weekend for Chivas USA Youth Development Teams in San Diego as they continued action in the U.S. Soccer Development Academy. All three teams returned to Los Angeles with three positive points apiece. Below is a recap of the weekend's action:

The Red-and-White's U16s began the game by falling behind 2-0 to the San Diego Surf U16s at the San Diego Polo Club, but were able to storm back with three unanswered goals for the 3-2 comeback win. The victory represents the fourth of the season for the squad and allowed the team to move up from sixth place into the top five spots of the Southwest Division. Chivas USA's U16 Team will participate in the upcoming USSDA Winter Showcase in Florida, where their first match is set for Thursday, Dec. 12 at the Premier Sports Complex.

Led by the participation of First Team members Marky Delgado and Caleb Calvert, Chivas USA's U18 Team returned to their winning ways, earning a last-minute one-nil shutout over the Surf U18s. Calvert, who ended the 2012/2013 season as the top goal scorer in the nation for the U16 category, returned to USSDA action and scored in the last minutes to give the team their third victory of the season. The First Team duo will participate in additional Academy games ahead of the start of Chivas USA's preseason in mid-January. The U18 Team will also begin preparations to head to Florida for their participation in the USSDA's Winter Showcase that is set to begin on Wednesday, Dec. 11.

Chivas USA's U14 squad extended their unbeaten streak to 13 games this weekend as they defeated the Surf U14s, 3-0, in convincing fashion on Sunday afternoon. The Red-and-White did not have a good start, however, battling in the first half to gain control of the game. But in their first minute of the second half, Leonides Cuteno notched the opening goal that would lead the young Goats' to the three-goal victory. Gabriel Lamas and Xavier Perez would also score in the 60th and 75th minutes, respectfully. The U14s will visit Strikers FC next Saturday, Dec. 7 at 10 a.m. at Irvine Valley College in their last game of the year.

For all the latest news on Chivas USA's Youth Development Academy, follow us on Twitter: @ChivasUSAYouth & @cdchivasusa .

Huerta focused on succeeding with Chivas USA

Starting in September of this year, Chivas USA introduced a brand new team onto the new U.S. Soccer Development Academy U14 Category. Since their start of the season on Sept. 7, the team has enjoyed plenty of success, becoming the only team in their category to be unbeaten in league play.

One of the players behind that success is forward Matthew Huerta, who at just 14 years of age has become a key member of the team. After successful stints with other local club teams and emerging from Red-and-White tryouts, Huerta says he is happy to be with Chivas USA's Youth Development Academy.

"I like the atmosphere of it, having a professional environment. It just feels better," Huerta said about the Chivas USA Youth Development Academy. "We play with a different mentality as my other teams and have more intensity and take the sport more seriously."

The Red-and-White U14 Team currently holds a 13-game unbeaten streak, which is the same number of games that Huerta has played this season (seven as a starter). In those 13 games, the Sylmar, Calif. native has tallied five goals, tying him with three teammates as the top goal scorers on the team.

"I think throughout the games, being undefeated and taking this responsibility, it does bring us together. I think that's important for a team. To play together on the field, you have to be close to each other off the field," the young player said.

The Chivas USA Youth Development Academy strives to have great talent on the field, but has also taken the steps to see success in its players' grades, something that Huerta knows very well. Aside from his success on the field, the Sylmar High School Freshman enjoys similar success in the classroom with a good Grade Point Average and takes his schooling seriously in order to further open opportunities in his bright future.

"If you want to stay here, you have to look professional on and off the field. So I think it's important to keep my grades up and do well in school," Huerta finalized.

Follow Huerta and the Red-and-White's U14 Team's success on Twitter: @ChivasUSAYouth & @cdchivasusa .

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