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Chivas USA To Face Galaxy In Decisive Playoff Super Clásico Match

November 2, 2009 - Major League Soccer (MLS)
Club Deportivo Chivas USA News Release


CHIVAS USA TO PLAY SECOND LEG OF PLAYOFF SUPER CLÁSICO SERIES ON SUNDAY: After Chivas USA and the LA Galaxy played to a 2-2 draw on Sunday at The Home Depot Center, the home-and-home, total goals series continues next Sunday, Aug. 8 at 4:30 p.m. PT in what is an 'away' game for Chivas USA. The second Playoff Super Clásico will be broadcast live on ESPN2 and ESPN Deportes, with the winner going on to the Western Conference championship match against the winner of the Seattle Sounders FC vs. Houston Dynamo series. If Sunday's game ends in a draw, a 30 minute overtime will be played, followed by a penalty kick shootout if the deadlock remains. Chivas USA will be training all week at The Home Depot Center; for times and locations, see the team's schedule (below), or contact Chivas USA Communications.

RED-AND-WHITE FIGHT BACK TO EARN DRAW ON SUNDAY AT THE HOME DEPOT CENTER: Chivas USA forward Maykel Galindo scored the equalizing goal in the 50th minute as the Red-and-White came back from a 2-1 halftime deficit to earn a draw against the LA Galaxy in the first-ever Playoff Super Clásico on Sunday at The Home Depot Center. After forward Maicon Santos gave Chivas USA the early lead with a great strike in just the 4th minute, a pair of defensive miscues before halftime allowed the Galaxy to take the lead. After Galindo's goal, the Red-and-White had several chances to earn the win, but Galaxy goalkeeper Donovan Ricketts made a pair of saves to keep his team in the match. The second leg of the home-and-home series takes place on Sunday, Aug. 8 at 4:30 p.m. PT, and will be broadcast on ESPN2 and ESPN Deportes.

RECORD CROWD WATCHES FIRST-EVER PLAYOFF SUPER CLÁSICO: A record crowd of 25,218 fans were on hand to watch Sunday's Playoff Super Clásico, the largest attendance for a Chivas USA or LA Galaxy playoff game at The Home Depot Center. In playoff matches played at The Home Depot Center, the crowd was only exceeded by MLS Cup matches played at the stadium in 2003, 2004 and 2008. The attendance set an all-time high for a Chivas USA playoff game, topping the 19,711 mark set on Nov. 3, 2007 for the Red-and-White's 0-0 draw with the Kansas City Wizards.

GOALKEEPER ZACH THORNTON NAMED A FINALIST FOR PAIR OF MLS AWARDS: Goalkeeper Zach Thornton was named Chivas USA's Most Valuable Player for the 2009 season, and his standout performances throughout the year did not go unnoticed nationally, as he was named a finalist for both MLS Goalkeeper of the Year and Comeback Player of the Year. After playing just nine matches from 2007-2008, Thornton started 27 games for the Red-and-White in 2009, earning MLS-best 12 shutouts and goals against average of just 0.87, also best in the league, and setting a new team record (ahead of Brad Guzan's 0.93 mark from 2007). The Goalkeeper of the Year award will be announced on Wednesday, Nov. 4, and Comeback of the Year honors will be announced on Tuesday, Nov. 10.

CHIVAS USA AND LA GALAXY SERIES HISTORY AND INFORMATION: The 2009 MLS Regular Season ended with Chivas USA (13-11-6, 45 points) and the LA Galaxy (12-6-12, 48 points) just three points apart in the Western Conference, and the two teams qualifying for the MLS Cup Playoffs in the same season for the first time. After the Galaxy won the MLS Cup in Chivas USA's inaugural season in 2005, the Red-and-White have gone on a run of four straight postseason appearances, while the Galaxy missed qualification until this season. All-time, Chivas USA has a 3-11-6 record against the Galaxy (including U.S. Open Cup and MLS Cup Playoffs), and the Red-and-White will be looking for their first win against the in-stadium rivals since Sept. 13, 2007.

CHIVAS USA ANNOUNCES SEASON ENDING AWARDS: Before the final game of the regular season, the Red-and-White announced their 2009 Season Ending Award Winners. Goalkeeper Zach Thornton led the way, being named the team's Most Valuable Player, while Jonathan Bornstein earned Defender of the Year honors. Claudio Suárez won the 'Spirit of Chivas USA' award for the second straight year, while Jesse Marsch was named the club's Humanitarian of the Year and Eduardo Lillingston won the team's Budweiser Golden Boot, leading the team with eight goals. The award for Suárez was his fourth consecutive prize, as he won the team's Defender of the Year in 2006 and 2007, and has since captured two straight 'Spirit of Chivas USA' awards. Zach Thornton finished the season with a stunning 0.87 goals against average and 12 shutouts, and joins the elite company of Ramón Ramírez (2005), Ante Razov (2006), Brad Guzan (2007) and Sacha Kljestan (2008) as Chivas USA's Most Valuable Player.

YOUTH UPDATE: CHIVAS USA U-16 TEAM EXTENDS UNBEATEN RUN WITH LEAGUE WIN: Chivas USA's U-16 Team remains in first place in the U.S. Soccer Development Academy's SoCal Division, earning a 3-1 win over California Development Academy on Saturday before its first loss of the season on Sunday, falling 2-1 to Cal Odyssey. The U-18's suffered a pair of losses to the same teams, falling 2-1 on Saturday and 3-0 on Sunday. Both teams now look toward a match next Sunday, Aug. 8 against Nomads SC, with the U-16's kicking off at 1:00 p.m. PT, followed by the U-18's at 3:15 p.m., with both games at Cerritos College. The rosters and full schedule for the Chivas USA U-18 and U-16 teams, which compete in the 2009-10 U.S. Soccer Development Academy, can be found here for the U-18's, and for the U-16 Team here. More information on the Development Academy can be found at ussoccer.com.

CHIVAS USA TO HOLD YOUTH TEAM TRYOUTS ON NOVEMBER 20 IN BELL GARDENS: Chivas USA will be holding tryouts for its pioneering Youth Teams on Friday, Nov. 20 at the Bell Gardens Sports Center in Bell Gardens. Players will have a chance to show their skills in front of Chivas USA's Youth Team coaches at the tryout, and will be for players born from '91-'96 on Nov. 20 at 5:00 p.m. PT. Spaces in the tryout cost $35 in advance and $40 on the day of the event, and spots are limited, so advance registration is highly recommended. Participants can register online at cdchivasusa.com, or via e-mail, fax, or mail after downloading the registration form at cdchivasusa.com. For more information on the tryout, please visit the Youth Soccer section of cdchivasusa.com, the official website of Chivas USA. Additional information is also available by contacting Julio Cano, at jcano@cdchivasusa.com or 310-630-4564.

SPECIAL PLAYOFF EDITION OF 'PASIÓN CHIVAS USA' THIS THURSDAY ON W RADIO 690 AM: Fans should tune in to a special Playoff edition of 'Pasión Chivas USA', airing this Thursday night from 5-6 p.m. PT on W Radio 690 AM. Hosts Hipólito Gamboa and Rigoberto Cervantez, who also serve as play-by-play and color commentator for every Chivas USA match of the 2009 MLS season, will review the first Playoff Super Clásico and preview the second leg of the series. The official weekly radio program of the Red-and-White, 'Pasión Chivas USA' covers everything on the Major League Soccer club, from match commentary, recent news from the team, interviews, contests to win tickets to Chivas USA matches, as well as phone calls from fans listening to the show.

CDCHIVASUSA.COM: THE TOP SOURCE FOR EVERYTHING ABOUT THE RED-AND-WHITE: With new features, videos, and articles every day, cdchivasusa.com is the top source for everything on the Major League Soccer's top team, Chivas USA. New videos are constantly added, ranging from the popular 'Chatting with Chivas USA' and 'Chatting with the ChivaGirls' series, to match previews and recaps, to other features on the team. Fans can also find articles on happenings within Chivas USA nearly every day, as well as Adrian Paul's offbeat column "Red-and-White Monday" every week. Visit cdchivasusa.com today to for all the latest news and information on the Red-and-White!

VISIT 'DENTRO DEL REBAÑO', CHIVAS USA'S OFFICIAL BLOG: Chivas USA's official blog, 'Dentro del Rebaño' (or 'Inside the Flock') contains updated content on the club, with audio quotes from players and coaches, to videos from inside the team. Check out the new-look blog at dentrodelrebano.com today for the latest information on Chivas USA!

JOIN CHIVAS USA'S NEW SOCIAL NETWORKING SITE AT MYCHIVASUSA.COM: Chivas USA has launched MyChivasUSA.com, a social networking site designed for fans of the Red-and-White. The social network was created using the Ning platform, and allows fans to customize a profile, set up blogs, add photos and videos, send messages and chat, track matches they've attended, and much more. Several Chivas USA players, including Jonathan Bornstein, as well as members of the ChivaGirls, have already set up profiles on the page. For more information, or to make your own account, please visit MyChivasUSA.com and click on the 'Sign Up' link.



Major League Soccer Stories from November 2, 2009


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