Chivas USA U-23 Crowned State Champions

Published on August 5, 2013 under Major League Soccer (MLS)
Club Deportivo Chivas USA News Release


Chivas USA's U-23 Team were crowned State Champions on Sunday evening after defeating Corinthians USA Pomona United at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. The win represents the Academy's first big title since 2005.

Chivas USA's U23 team earned their spot in the Final State Championship after defeating North Cal Premier League side Vacaville Premier 3-1 on Sunday afternoon in the Semifinal. The goals in favor of the Red-and-White started coming in early in the game. In the sixth minute, the referee called a foul in favor of the Goats at the 18-yard line. Jose Gomez took the shot and simply chipped it over the wall and into the back of the net for the 1-0 for Chivas. Just before the end of the first half, Christopher Santana gave the Goats a bigger lead, notching the second of the match. A few minutes into the second half, another foul outside the box allowed Chivas USA to score their final goal. Gomez put the ball into the box, where Tarek Morad simply headed the ball into the back of the net, sealing the three-goal win and a spot in the Final game for the Red-and-White.

After going scoreless for 44 minutes in the Final match, the first goal came in the dying minutes of the first half when Javier Castro sent in a ball that was deflected in by a Corinthians defender. Coming back into the second half, the Red-and-White battled to score, but in the 84th minute, Bryan de la Fuente received a great pass in the 18-yard line, and his shot became the second goal of the game. The match was not over yet. As in the last minute of it, a foul inside the box gave Chivas USA a penalty kick that Anthony Dheming buried in for the final 3-0 win.

Chivas USA's U23 Team will now begin prepping up for their next tournament that will kick off in September. For all the latest news on Chivas USA's U-23 Team and the Youth Academy, follow us on Twitter: @cdchivasusa.

Chivas USA U-23, undefeated champions

Smiles were all around as Chivas USA's U23 Team took a 3-0 victory over Corinthians USA Pomona United on Sunday evening in San Luis Obispo. Not only was the match planned to be hard fought, but a victory would also mean a lot to the young Red-and-White squad as they would extend their unbeaten streak to 12 games as they won the State Championship.

"It was a game that the guys had been waiting for for a while. They concentrated on the game, they did what they had talked about, give 100% in the final game. I think we dominated 60-70% of the game, created a lot of opportunities and I think the guys deserve this. They played good soccer and I thought that they did their best to earn it," Coach Sammy Rivas said after the game.

The young Goats truly did put up a fight to win the championship game and earn the club's first youth title since 2005. According to the statistics provided by SoccerMeter US, the Red-and-White had 19 shots on goal (four for Corinthians), and maintained a 61% possession throughout the game. Even though the first goal didn't come until the last minutes of the first half, it didn't take long for the Red-and-White to do what they do best in every game: score and then explode with more goals.

"The first half was hard because the other team was well organized, strong, they had good players, created good opportunities and it cost us to adapt to their system. We were able to recognize their weaknesses and we used that to our advantage and that's what led the guys to succeed," the U23 coach added.

This season, Chivas USA's U23 had only one player starting and going all 90 minutes in their 10-game unbeaten streak and that's team captain and defender Omar Elmasri. The Arcadia, Calif. native not only helped lead the group overall, but he also was the head of the defense with the league-best lowest number of goals received throughout the tournament.

"I feel accomplished," said Elmasri. "It's not easy sometimes; you have ups and downs, but it feels good to end in a high note. I think I can speak on behalf of the guys when I say we're all very happy and we've all worked well together. We have good chemistry, we've never had any fights in the team, and we're all really cool guys, friends. A lot of us have played together for a while, so they all responded to my leadership," Elmasri said.

Chivas USA's U23 team will return to training next week to begin preseason for their next tournament. For all the latest news and updates on Chivas USA's U23 Team and Youth Academy, follow us on Twitter: @ChivasUSAYouth & @cdchivasusa .

In the mind of Real: a bright future is ahead of Delgado

In April of 2012, Chivas USA signed the youngest player ever to endorse a professional contract in the history of the club at 16-years, 10-months and 17 days old. Since then midfielder Marco Delgado has fought hard to establish himself in the Red-and-White starting-11 under Head Coach Jose Luis Real.

Delgado made his professional debut under former Head Coach Robin Fraser when he played 17 minutes in a 4-0 loss to Vancouver Whitecaps FC on Oct. 3, 2012. It wasn't though until this season that the young talent was able to find his way and become a starter for Real. It was upon the arrival of the new coach that Delgado earned his first start on June 29, and since then he's remained a starter in seven consecutive games.

A key piece in the Goats' strategy, Delgado has earned a victory and three draws with the side. It's his ability to adapt what has made him shine under the eyes of Coach Real, who uses him as "the joker" in moments when the team faces change and transition inside the pitch.

"Marky has the virtue of being a modern player who can adapt to several positions," Real described the young athlete. "He's been a 'wild-card' for us. We have used him in the back, as a forward, on one side, on the other. It's that ability to adapt that he has that helps him so much, besides his talent. He's very open to learning and I think that that indisputable talent enhances even more with his ability to adapt, which is very rare."

Despite his young age, a factor that the player sees as a challenge, being a starter has helped him improve his level of confidence and with it to maintain his work ethic and rhythm that have put his name in the starting lineup at the end of the week.

"The call comes with more responsibility," explained Delgado. "Being the youngest player on the team means I have to listen to everyone. At the end of the game, I take all that information from all the leaders on the team like Dan [Kennedy] and [Carlos] Bocanegra. They tell me to train hard, and teach me how to position my body and what spots to be in, and I feel that the information they give me helps me play better."

His disposition and positive mind, added to his ability to adapt and talent, are the qualities that turn him into a player with a very bright future ahead and in Real's eyes makes him "without a doubt, a starter at Chivas."

"I think he has a very wide future. He's a player with a very open mind and a lot of disposition, and it's that positive and strong mentality that along with his talent make him a player, that to me, has a future in the National Team," concluded Real.

Chivas USA's young squad continues to come together

Saturday's 2-0 loss to San Jose Earthquakes marked Chivas USA's 22nd match of the 2013 campaign, and the squad fielded a starting 11 with three players 20 years old and younger. Aside from Captain Dan Kennedy and center back Carlos Bocanegra, no other starter for the Red-and-White was over 25. As the Goats continue to run through the highly-competitive gauntlet that is the Western Conference, the young squad will continue developing by gaining valuable game experience and becoming a battle-tested side in the final third of the season.

Twenty-year-old striker Erick Torres has already scored twice since his arrival to the Red-and-White three games ago via loan from brother club Chivas de Guadalajara. In this short period of time, the goal scorer has shown why he was one of the most coveted prospects. Starting up front next to "Cubo" was 19-year-old Julio Morales this week. The left-footed forward made his fifth start of the season and recently returned to the Goats after his nearly two-month long stay with Mexico's U-20 National Team that competed in the FIFA World Cup in Turkey.

The past seven games, the offensive line has been accompanied by promising homegrown player Marco Delgado, who at 18-years old, has become a regular starter with the Goats. The group as a whole gives Head Coach Jose Luis Real one of the youngest tandems in Major League Soccer. The MetroStars fielded the youngest ever team to start in the history of the League with an average age of 22 years and 138 days in a game against the LA Galaxy on Jun. 19, 2004.

"I think a lot of people don't understand that we started [Saturday night] with a right back who is 18 and our forwards were [20 and 19]," said Kennedy. "So the big picture you have to realize that this group has made significant strides forward with this new coach and we've gotten some good results. We've been on the short hand on some results, but we're improving."

As the goalkeeper and captain of the Red-and-White, Kennedy is among the club's most veteran players and will surely continue to not only lead the youngsters by example but with advice and words of encouragement. When Kennedy broke in with the club, Chivas USA was comprised of players of significant experience in and outside the League such as Mexican legend Claudio Suarez and keeper Brad Guzan, who played a significant role in his development. Now it's Kennedy's time to step up and bring the leadership and encouragement Head Coach Jose Luis Real's team needs.

"It's important that when a result goes against us we don't let it weigh us down, we just learn from it and move on," Kennedy added. "I just try to give them confidence, a little pat on the back to show 'hey, yes, we can do this.'

"[The youngsters] are here because they're good and the best thing for them is playing and just learning on their own. The older guys on this team will always support our teammates. I can't say enough for how well our young players are doing."

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