Chivas USA Prepare for New Zealand MNT

October 11, 2013 - Major League Soccer (MLS)
Club Deportivo Chivas USA News Release


Chivas USA completed their second and final day of preparation on Friday for their international friendly against the New Zealand Men's National Team programmed Saturday at the StubHub Center's Track and Field Stadium. The Rojiblancos will be away from League competition for two weeks in part to accommodate FIFA qualifying match dates and will return to Major League Soccer action at Real Salt Lake on Oct. 23.

The Goats kicked off their training session with a team jog around the SHC's Field 6 before completing a series of stretches for initial warm-ups. The team then moved on to incorporate ball work into their morning duties by first going through individual dribbling and afterwards participating in games of torito.

The group then united to culminate the session with a nine-on-nine match in reduced space under the guidance of Head Coach Jose Luis Real. The competition was comprised of different challenges and rules, such as limiting the number of touches a player could have or regulating the valid ways a squad could tally a score. After approximately 30 minutes of competition, the group concluded training with a cool-down session and supplementary stretches.

Saturday's 2 p.m. (PT) match will be key for the Rojiblancos to maintain game shape and rhythm heading into their final two matches of the 2013 campaign. The All Whites are preparing to face the fourth-place team in CONCACAF for a chance to secure one of the final spots at 2014 World Cup in Brazil. Their North American tour will likewise serve as a training tool to prepare for the two-leg playoff, which will likely come against Mexico or Panama.

miCoach Series: Part 2 of 2

Training and competing at a professional level requires athletes to be at the top of their physical capabilities. The demands are so high at this level that a single second of movement can mark the difference between defeat and victory. To monitor and analyze the performance data on athletes is a tool that provides information to strength and conditioning coaches and athletes that help them make better decisions in their training methods.

In Chivas USA's training, adidas' miCoach has been one of those tools that have been used by the Red-and-White to monitor and analyze the efficiency of all exercises done in training and the efforts and improvements made by each player.

"It's an interesting system that they devised," said forward Tristan Bowen about miCoach. "Obviously It's a good machine for the coaches, they get to see exactly how far guys are running, how intense they are running and their hearth-rate. It covers a wide variety of important data that is beneficial for the player and the coaching staff."

To participate in a league as competitive as Major League Soccer, it requires players to be able to react and correct their mistakes the quickest way possible and be ready to move on to the next game. Goalkeeper Dan Kennedy, who currently leads the league for most saves this season with 104, knows this very well. Kennedy understands that having the ability to track what is working and what is not during a training session is essential in order to have a good performance in goal.

"[The device] helps to be able to go out an evaluate your training levels and not only your movements, but how far and how fast you move and correlate it with your heart rate and take it a step forward and rate how you actually felt that day. It's peak performance," said Kennedy.

The miCoach system not only has the benefit of using it during training sessions, but can also be implemented to gather information during games. And this makes a difference, the players say.

"It's definitely something you can wear during the games, as opposed to a traditional heart rate monitor. The referees don't have a problem with it. It-s more functional than a normal heart rate strap and wearing a watch, it's a lot more safe and it's just a lot more convenient," added Bowen about the use of miCoach in games.

This system continues to be at the trial stages and under development for all MLS teams, but within a couple of years, could work for hundreds of teams for the development of their players to be informed with respect to their performance.

"It's the way of the future, and I think they're just starting to scratch the surface with it. The leaps that they made with the miCoach system have been tremendous compared just with a heart rate monitor. I'm most excited where it is probably going in the next years and use this information to create a healthier team," Kennedy concluded.

All eyes on CSL Teams and Generation adidas Cup

Chivas USA Youth Teams participating in the Coast Soccer League will have a full weekend as the season continues. With the exception of the U14/15 Team participating in the Generation adidas Cup, all U.S. Soccer Development Academy Teams will have a bye weekend before facing the LA Galaxy next Saturday, Oct. 19.

The following is a preview of each game set for this weekend:

Looking to get back on the positive track, Chivas USA's U13 Team will host CUSC 99 Blue this Saturday at 8 a.m. (PT) at the University of California, Irvine's Field 3. Last weekend, the youngest Goats fell short as they took two consecutive losses despite putting out great performances. But their next rival didn't have it easy in their last match either, falling 2-0 to FC Deportivo Panteras last Sunday. Currently sitting in 10th place, the U13 Team will have to fight to move up in the standings as the team reaches mid-season.

Having a double match weekend once again will be Chivas USA's U15 squad. Up first, the Red-and-White will look to regain their unbeaten streak as they visit Albion SC on Saturday at 8 a.m. (PT) in UC Irvine's Field 2. The young Goats enter this match after being defeated 1-0 in both games in the first double-match session of the month last weekend. Meanwhile, Albion enters the game with a 1-0 loss to IE Surf Mosaquites last Sunday, same team that defeated the Red-and-White last Saturday.

Continuing with the action on Sunday, the U15 squad will visit DMS11 Academy, hoping to earn yet another three points that will allow them to move up in the standings. DMS11 Academy enters the weekend with two positive wins, a 3-2 win over Oxnard Wave Premier and a 2-1 victory over Valley United Dema. This match will be played on Sunday, Oct. 13 at 8 a.m. (PT) at UC Irvine's Field 3.

Closing action on Saturday evening, Chivas USA's U23 squad will be fighting to earn their 14th consecutive victory as they host LA Misioneros at the Bell Gardens Sports Complex's Turf Field. Last Saturday, the Red-and-White earned a 5-1 win with a solid performance from the team. Having only played one game in the season, LA Misioneros took a 2-0 loss to Doxa Italia last Saturday, ending up in ninth place in the overall standings. With last weekend's draw between Corinthians USA with So-Cal Real FC, Chivas USA's U23 squad moved up to first place in the standings with nine points, 14 goals in favor and two against. The U23's fourth match of the season is set to kick-off at 7 p.m. (PT).

Chivas USA participates in Generation adidas Cup

The U14/15 Team will participate of the 2013 Generation adidas Cup throughout the entire weekend, kicking off the activity on Friday with the 1997 & 1998 category facing Club Tijuana in a friendly scrimmage at 3 p.m. (PT). On Saturday afternoon, that same group will play their first official match, going up against the Portland Timbers at 12 p.m. (PT). They will then conclude their participation on Monday as they go against fellow California team, the San Jose Earthquakes.

Meanwhile, players from the 1999 & 2000 category will start off the tournament on Friday going up against the San Jose Earthquakes. The group will close activity on Monday morning going up against Seattle Sounders. All the games will be played at University of California, Irvine.

Make sure to stay updated on Chivas USA's Youth Development Academy following us on Twitter: @ChivasUSAYouth & @cdchivasusa .



Major League Soccer Stories from October 11, 2013


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