Chivas USA Weekly Update: July 21, 2008

Published on July 21, 2008 under Major League Soccer (MLS)
Club Deportivo Chivas USA News Release


For the first time this season, Chivas USA will go more than 10 days without playing an official match, as the Red-and-White play their next game on August 2 in Chicago. After an exciting three matches in SuperLiga, Chivas USA finished tied for second in its group, but did not advance to the semifinals since Pachuca held the tiebreaker. The MLS All-Star Game, which features Chivas USA defender Jonathan Bornstein, will be held at BMO Field in Toronto this Thursday at 4:00 p.m. PT, and will be aired live on ESPN and TeleFutura. The Red-and-White currently hold a 6-6-4 (W-L-T) record, good for third in the Western Conference and just two points behind first-place Real Salt Lake, who have played 18 games to Chivas USA's 16. The team will next head on the road for two games, first facing Chicago on August 2, followed by Kansas City on August 9. Chivas USA then returns home for the third and final Honda Super Clásico of the season, facing the Los Angeles Galaxy on August 14 at The Home Depot Center. For tickets to the match, please call 1-877-CHIVAS-1 or visit www.cdchivasusa.com.

FUNDACIÓN CHIVAS DE CORAZÓN USA TO HOLD SECOND ANNUAL GOLF TOURNAMENT TOMORROW: Fundación Chivas de Corazón USA, Chivas USA's charitable organization that helps provide educational, athletic, and recreational opportunities for the youth of the Greater Los Angeles Area, will hold its second annual Golf Tournament tomorrow, Tuesday, July 22. The event begins at 8:30 a.m., and takes place at Wilson Golf Course in Griffith Park in Los Angeles, and will include Chivas USA players, team officials, local media members and other guests. In addition to the tournament, there will also be a live auction/raffle to help raise money for the Fundación. Spaces to play in the tournament have been filled, but Fundación is still accepting monetary donations and items for the live auction. There is also a wait list in case spots become available at the last minute. For more information, please contact Alicia Mendoza at 1-310-630-4569 or amendoza@cdchivasusa.com.

EXCITING SUPERLIGA COMES TO A CLOSE FOR CHIVAS USA: Despite earning a 1-1 draw against the MLS-leading New England Revolution in its third and final Group Stage match on Sunday, Chivas USA did not advance to the semifinals of the competition. Though the Red-and-White finished tied on points with SuperLiga defending champion Pachuca in Group B, the Mexican First Division side held the head-to-head tiebreaker and advanced ahead of Chivas USA. The 1-1 draw against the Revolution in Fullerton, Calif. saw Ante Razov score his sixth goal in as many games for Chivas USA, but Shalrie Joseph headed in an equalizer with 12 minutes left in the match to earn the point, and the top spot in Group B, for the Revolution. Chivas USA finished its participation in SuperLiga 2008 with a 1-1-1 record, losing to Pachuca 2-1 in its first match, then beating Santos, current Mexican First Division champions, by a 1-0 score, before the match against New England. Ante Razov is currently tied with Houston's Stuart Holden and Atlante's Luis Gabriel Rey for the goalscoring lead in the tournament, with three.

SPECIAL ‘VERANO MLS' SESSION ON TUESDAY AT BELL GARDENS: Major League Soccer and Chivas USA's exciting summer soccer program, Verano MLS, enters its final week at Bell Gardens, and will host a special session this Tuesday, July 22. In its second edition, Verano MLS is a free summer soccer program giving youth ages 8-12 a free opportunity to play pick-up-style soccer twice a week in a safe and controlled environment. The program will run from 3:00 - 5:00 p.m. on selected dates in June and July. In the second-to-last session in Southern California, Tang will be on hand with samples of new flavors, and will also provide participants with a chance to meet acclaimed young actor Adrian Alonso, star of the recent hit "La misma luna" (Under the Same Moon). The full schedule of Verano MLS dates is below:

2008 Verano MLS presented by Tang Schedule - Chivas USA Location: Bell Gardens Sports Center (8000 Park Lane, Bell Gardens, CA, 90201) Dates: June 10, 12, 17, 19, 24, 26 (First Group)

July 8, 10, 15, 17, 22, 24 (Second Group)

Time: 3:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. each clinic date

CHIVAS USA'S SACHA KLJESTAN NAMED TO UNITED STATES OLYMPIC TEAM: Chivas USA midfielder Sacha Kljestan has been named to head coach Peter Nowak's 18-player team that will represent the United States at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, the United States Soccer Federation announced last week. Kljestan, 22, has been a key member of the United States Under-23 squad that qualified for the Beijing Olympics in March, and has served as the captain of the team at various times throughout qualifying. In MLS this season, Kljestan has orchestrated the Chivas USA offense, leading the team in both goals (5), and assists (4). Goalkeeper Brad Guzan was also named to the U.S. Olympic Team as one of three players over the age of 23 allowed on the roster. Last week, Chivas USA and Major League Soccer agreed to a fee with Aston Villa for Guzan's transfer to the English Premier League side, pending approval of his British work permit.

BORNSTEIN TO PARTICIPATE IN SECOND CONSECUTIVE MLS ALL-STAR GAME: Chivas USA defender Jonathan Bornstein was named last week to the MLS All-Star Team as one of three replacements for the players that will miss the All-Star Game due to Olympic commitments. Bornstein, a 23-year-old defender, was the MLS Rookie of the Year in 2006. A relatively unknown player entering his rookie season in 2006, he proved his versatility and catapulted his career to become a regular for the U.S. Men's National Team, and was also named to the MLS All-Star Team in 2007. The game takes place on Thursday, July 24, at 4:00 p.m. PT at BMO Field in Toronto, and will be broadcast live on ESPN in English and TeleFutura in Spanish.

RAZOV ON SCORING TEAR: Chivas USA's all-time leading goalscorer Ante Razov has found the golden touch in recent weeks, and has scored in the last six games for the Red-and-White. Razov notched Chivas USA's only goal in all three of the team's SuperLiga matches, and also scored in each of the previous three MLS matches, bringing his total to one goal in each of the last six games. In addition to the quantity of goals, the MLS Original is also bringing quality, as his previous two MLS goals, against San Jose and Los Angeles, were both named Sierra Mist Goal of the Week, as voted by fans nationwide. Razov now has a total of 113 goals in MLS play, trailing only D.C.'s Jaime Moreno (118) on the all-time scoring chart.

‘KICK-IT' THIS SATURDAY, JULY 26 AT NORMANDIE RECREATION CENTER IN LOS ANGELES: ‘Kick-it at the Park L.A. with Chivas USA' continues this Saturday, July 26, with a clinic at the Normandie Recreation Center at 1550 South Normandie Avenue in Los Angeles. A series of four, 90-minute clinics kicks off at 9:00 a.m., followed by clinics at 10:45 a.m., 1:00 p.m. and 2:45 p.m. There is also a clinic on Wednesday at the Hollywood Recreation Center at 1122 Cole Avenue in Los Angeles, though that clinic has already been filled. Run in conjunction with the City of Los Angeles Department of Recreation and Parks, ‘Kick-it' is a series of clinics that emphasize physical fitness, sports, and education for as many as 400 children at each of 40 locations throughout the year. A five-dollar fee gets participants 90 minutes of instruction, a voucher for a free ticket to a Chivas USA game, a t-shirt, soccer ball, and Certificate of Completion. Most recently, Chivas USA held a clinic at the Baldwin Hills Recreation Center 5401 Highlight Place in Los Angeles on July 19. For more information on the program, or to register for a clinic, visit www.kickitatthepark.com.

CLAUDIO SUÁREZ AND JONATHAN BORNSTEIN NOMINATED FOR "TECATE PREMIOS DEPORTES": Chivas USA defenders Claudio Suárez and Jonathan Bornstein have been nominated for awards in the first annual "Tecate Premios Deportes" (Tecate Sports Awards), announced by Univision, the most-watched Spanish-language television network in America. The nominees have been selected for their talent, character and perseverance, as well as their contributions to and impact on the Hispanic community. The awards take place on Monday, July 14, at the historic Pasadena Civic Auditorium in Pasadena, California, and will be broadcast on the Univision Network on Sunday, July 27th. Suárez and Bornstein were each nominated by fans, online at Univision.com, to be part of the All-Star Soccer Team of the Year; Suárez at center back and Bornstein at left back.

LAST CHANCE FOR CHIVAS USA SOCCER CAMPS AND TRYOUTS: Chivas USA's Soccer Camps, which also double as tryouts for the Chivas USA Youth Teams, are down to the final session, which will take place on August 29-30 at the Bell Gardens Sports Center in Bell Gardens, Calif. This camp gives players a chance to receive professional instruction from Chivas USA coaches, and could potentially lead to an invitation to join the Chivas USA U-18 or U-16 Teams, which participate in the United States Soccer Development Academy, or the highly competitive U-15 Team.

Schedule of 2008 Chivas USA Soccer Camps

Type Date Time Age Groups Cost Location

Mini Camp August 29-30 6-9 p.m. Born 1991-94 $75 Bell Gardens Sports Center

‘THE STORY OF A WARRIOR' ON THIS WEEK'S ‘PASIÓN CHIVAS USA': Join Hipólito Gamboa and Rigoberto Cervantez this Thursday from 6:00-7:00 p.m. PT on W Radio 690 AM for ‘Pasión Chivas USA.' This week, Cervantez and Gamboa will have an interview with Enrique León Candiani, the author of the new book ‘The Story of a Warrior', the official biography of Claudio Suárez. Candiani will speak about the two-year process of putting together content for the book with Suárez. Cervantez and Gamboa will also give fans opportunities to win tickets to Chivas USA matches, and plus plenty more on ‘Pasión Chivas USA.'

‘SOMOS CHIVAS USA' ON KAZA AZTECA 54 THIS SATURDAY AT 1:30 P.M. PT: This week's ‘Somos Chivas USA' will air on KAZA Azteca 54 on Saturday, July 26, at 1:30 p.m. Featuring co-hosts Mara Almada and Antonio Rosique, ‘Somos Chivas USA' gives viewers an inside look at the Red-and-White, including player features, match analysis and highlights, and much more. Tune in this Saturday for ‘Somos Chivas USA!'

EXCLUSIVE VIDEOS ON CHIVAS USA'S OFFICIAL BLOG: Chivas USA's official blog, ‘Dentro del Rebaño' (or ‘Inside the Flock') is online with updated content from the team, including video previews of upcoming games, as well as post-match videos. Check soon for preview videos (one in English, one in Spanish) for the match against the Chicago Fire on August 2. Check http://chivas-usa.blogspot.com today for the latest information on Chivas USA!

TEAM INJURY UPDATE: Chivas USA received a boost on Sunday against New England when defender Lawson Vaughn, who had been out of action with left ankle tendonitis, played the final minutes of the match. Missing from the game were forward Justin Braun (L knee contusion), forward Alecko Eskandarian (sports hernia surgery), forward Maykel Galindo (sports hernia surgery), midfielder Raphaël Wicky (R ankle surgery), and defender Alex Zotinca (R knee ACL surgery). An up-to-date injury report is available here.

TRIO OF GREAT MATCHES FOR JUST $30 IN CHIVAS USA'S THREE-GAME PACK: The second half of the season is here, and fans looking to catch Chivas USA in action have the opportunity to see the three biggest games of the season in the Chivas USA Three-Game Pack. The set includes the final Honda Super Clásico against the Los Angeles Galaxy, on Thursday, August 14, as well as a California Clásico against the San Jose Earthquakes on Saturday, August 23. The third game in the pack is the last game of the season, which is also Fan Appreciation Night, on Saturday, October 25. For more information please call 1-877-CHIVAS-1 or visit www.cdchivasusa.com.

CHIVAS USA BIRTHDAYS: The Red-and-White have a pair of players celebrating birthdays in July, with both Alecko Eskandarian (July 9) and Dan Kennedy (July 22) turning 26 years old. Chivas USA defender Jim Curtin, an offseason acquisition from Chicago who has played eleven games (starting ten) as a center back this season, celebrated his 29th birthday on Monday, June 23rd, and Head Coach Preki celebrated his 45th birthday a day later on June 24.

CHIVAS USA SCHEDULE: JULY 21 - AUGUST 2*

Following is Chivas USA's latest schedule of travel, events, matches and practice sessions:

Monday, July 21: [Day off]

Tuesday, July 22: [Day off], Fundación Chivas de Corazón USA second annual Golf Tournament, 8:30 a.m. PT, Wilson Golf Course, Griffith Park, 4730 Crystal Springs Dr., Los Angeles, CA, 90027

Wednesday, July 23: [Day off]

Thursday, July 24: Chivas USA Training, 10:00 a.m. PT, Field 6

Friday, July 25: Chivas USA Training, 10:00 a.m. PT, Field 6

Saturday, July 26 - Friday, August 1: [TBD]

Saturday, August 2: Chivas USA @ Chicago Fire, 5:30 p.m. PT, Toyota Park, Bridgeview, Ill.

(TV: HDNet, FSN-West, KAZA Azteca 54; Radio: W Radio 690 AM)

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Major League Soccer Stories from July 21, 2008


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