Chivas USA Go for Split in Season Series

September 28, 2013 - Major League Soccer (MLS)
Club Deportivo Chivas USA News Release


Chivas USA and the San Jose Earthquakes will renew one of Major League Soccer's few in-state rivalries when the sides square off in the 19th all-time installment this Sunday. The Red-and-White will host the Quakes in the third and final leg of the season series, where the Goats will look to come away with three points at home and secure a split in the series, while throwing a wrench in San Jose's playoff push.

The Rojiblancos have gradually begun to turn the SHC into a difficult place to secure points for opponents, as they are currently riding an unbeaten streak in six out of their last seven matches, including three wins in that span. San Jose enters the match with a one-game edge in the season series after taking a 2-0 win at Buck Shaw Stadium in the sides' last meeting in early August, led by Chris Wondolowski's two-goal performance.

The Quakes will look to secure three crucial road points on Sunday and remain in striking distance of the fifth and final playoff spot in the West. But Chivas have been solid when hosting their Northern California counterpart, with a record of 3-2-4 and 12 goals tallied. The Rebaño Angelino will look to add to that record by getting the ball into dangerous spaces for striker Erick "Cubo" Torres, who leads the club with seven goals.

Supporting the 20-year-old Torres will be wingers Eric Avila and Bryan de la Fuente, who have each delivered a goal in Chivas' last two matches, including the 1-1 draw at home against the Portland Timbers. However, the Red-and-White know that the key to securing a result will be to remain solid on the back line, which will be bolstered with the return of Carlos Borja from his one-game suspension for yellow card accumulation. The Red-and-White back line must limit Wondolowski's chances and not let the striker get into range. The California native has been dangerous against the Goats and delivered a series-high nine goals.

With the recent loss of Marco Delgado, who underwent knee surgery this week, Head Coach Jose Luis Real will have to choose a replacement at his left back spot. The likely candidates to fill in at that crucial position are Borja, who has made 18 starts in 22 appearances and Jorge Villafaña, who got the nod in last week's road match at Houston.

Since the clubs last faced each other, Chivas has added a trio of offensive threats, beginning with De la Fuente, who has collected a pair of scores since his arrival and fellow midfielder Carlo Chueca. The Goats also added a familiar face to San Jose in NoCal product Matthew Fondy, who spent time in the Earthquakes' camp toward the end of 2012 and in this year's preseason. The forward played with San Jose's reserves and competed in friendly matches for the Quakes before returning to USL-PRO side the LA Blues for a second season and eventually signing his first MLS contract with the Rojiblancos in late August. Fondy has made three appearances and will surely look to tally his first MLS goal against the club that passed on him.

Sunday's match is scheduled for kick off at 8 p.m. (PT) and will be televised in English on KDOC and in Spanish on UniMas. Game action can also be followed in Spanish on W Radio 690 AM and via the team's Twitter @cdchivasusa.

Chivas looking to get back in form against San Jose

After last weekend's result against the Houston Dynamo, Chivas USA are ready to turn the page and look for a positive result in the same place that has recently helped the Red-and-White, the Stubhub Center.

Even though the last result hurt the entire team, Chivas USA goalkeeper and team captain Dan Kennedy is ready to forget the match and focus on the next, a difficult duel against the San Jose Earthquakes, team looking for a spot in the Major League Soccer playoffs.

"I think that after last week's match at Houston, the team is anxious to get back out. We feel that we have something to prove and the result obviously didn't go the way we wanted it to go. We know that San Jose are getting here looking for a spot in the playoffs, and we're going to do the best we can to intervene," Kennedy told cdchivasusa.com after training.

In his short time with the Red-and-White, midfielder Carlo Chueca has shown to be that extra spark that the group needs in the attack. Even though he has yet to start with Chivas USA, Chueca has entered as a sub in moments that the team most needs it, giving passes for goal scoring opportunities and also, shooting on goal in search for his first goal with the Goats.

After being a part of Chivas USA's last match, Chueca knows that there is room for improvement and that it has what it needs to do so.

"We have to be more constant because we have a good team, with lots of talent," the midfielder said. "Right now we have a lot of desire and hunger to win our next game since we've lost our last one.

"We're ready to come out and win, we're hungry to win, we're upset that we've lost our last game and we're ready for this weekend," Chueca commented.

After five days of hard work, Chivas USA will match-up against the San Jose Earthquakes this Sunday, Sept. 29 at 8 p.m. (PT) at the StubHub Center in the second-to-last home game of the season for the Goats. The match will be televised live on KDOC-TV and UniMas, and it can also be heard on W Radio 690 AM.

Chivas USA wrap-up preparations for in-state battle

Chivas USA concluded their final training session Saturday morning at the StubHub Center's Field 6 to close out their week of preparation ahead of Sunday's Western Conference clash against in-state rival the San Jose Earthquakes.

The full squad practice kicked off with a brief plyometric warm-up under the guidance of Strength and Conditioning Coach Armando Camacho and moved on to agility drills which consisted of short hurdles. Afterwards the group increased its work tempo by competing in games of torito to increase their heart rate while incorporating touches on the ball.

Training then culminated with an 11-on-11 tactical drill that ran the full length of the pitch led by Head Coach Jose Luis Real and his assistants. The squad then moved on to work on corner kicks as well as set pieces in the final third before wrapping up the session with individual shots at goal and a series of stretches.

Sunday's match will mark the third and final meeting in the season series and will kick off at 8 p.m. (PT) at the StubHub Center. The game will be televised in English on KDOC-TV and in Spanish on UniMas. The action can also be followed in Spanish on W Radio 690 AM.



Major League Soccer Stories from September 28, 2013


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