Chivas USA Weekly Update

Published on May 4, 2009 under Major League Soccer (MLS)
Club Deportivo Chivas USA News Release


MOMS GET IN FREE THIS SATURDAY AS FIRST-PLACE CHIVAS USA HOSTS REAL SALT LAKE: Chivas USA has a special Mothers Day celebration planned for this Saturday night, as all Moms get in free to the Red-and-White's match against Real Salt Lake at The Home Depot Center. First-place Chivas USA (6-1-1, 19 pts) currently sits in first place in MLS, six points ahead second-place Seattle Sounders FC. As part of Saturday's festivities, Chivas USA will also give eleven lucky Moms the opportunity to participate in the 'Jerseys Off Our Backs' program after the game, where they will be presented with game-worn jerseys from the players that finish the match. For more details, or to enter to win, please call Chivas USA at 1-877-CHIVAS-1 or visit the 'Jerseys Off Our Backs' booth in the ChivaTown fan zone at The Home Depot Center. Tickets to the match can also be purchased by visiting cdchivasusa.com.

SOUTH TORRANCE HIGH SCHOOL GIRLS SOCCER IN THIS WEEK'S 'YOUTH SOCCER SPOTLIGHT': The CIF Champion South Torrance High School girls soccer team is this week's Youth Soccer Spotlight, following a 26-4-3 (W-L-T) season where the team scored 99 goals and gave up just 14. Coached by Brad Gomez, the team earned 24 shutouts in 33 games, and also won the South Bay Holiday Classic and the North Orange County Classic. The Youth Soccer Spotlight is a program that debuted this year and features a local soccer team or club at every home game for the Red-and-White this season. The team will be highlighted on Chivas USA broadcasts, as well as on the field prior to the game, and will even get the chance to have a team photo on the Red-and-White's bench. For more information on the Chivas USA Youth Soccer Spotlight, or to sign your team up, please contact Chris Wode at cwode@cdchivasusa.com, or by calling 310-630-4581.

AGAINST RSL, CHIVAS LOOKS TO AVENGE 2008 PLAYOFF LOSS: Chivas USA has an all-time record of 8-3-3 against fellow 2005 expansion club Real Salt Lake in the regular season, but in last year's playoffs, RSL earned a 1-0 win in Utah and a 2-2 draw at The Home Depot Center to end the Red-and-White's season. RSL's Armenian striker Yura Movsisyan, who went to high school and college in Pasadena, Calif., scored a 90th minute goal in the first leg of the home-and-home series, giving Salt Lake a key advantage. In regular season action, Chivas USA is 6-1-1 at home against Salt Lake, with the only loss coming in a 1-0 setback last June 14. Sacha Kljestan has notched five assists against RSL, and Salt Lake Original Andy Williams leads RSL with three goals against Chivas USA.

RED-AND-WHITE EXTEND LEAD ATOP MLS WITH VICTORY AT SAN JOSE: Chivas USA forward Justin Braun took advantage of a San Jose Earthquakes miscue in the 53rd minute to score his first goal of the season, giving the Red-and-White a 1-0 victory on the road. It was the second consecutive trip to San Jose where Braun scored the only goal of the match, with the previous 1-0 victory coming on Oct. 11, 2008. Zach Thornton made six saves to earn his league-leading sixth shutout of the season, and Jonathan Bornstein earned his first assist of the season on Braun's goal as the Red-and-White moved to 6-1-1 on the year, good for 19 points, six ahead of second-place Seattle Sounders FC.

CHIVAS USA YOUTH PRODUCT GERSON MAYÉN LEADS MLS IN ASSISTS: Chivas USA's Gerson Mayén played the final 11 minutes of Saturday's 1-0 win at San Jose, and though he did not register an assist, the 20-year-old midfielder still leads MLS in the category. Last week against FC Dallas, Mayén earned his fourth assist of the season, feeding Alecko Eskandarian for the Red-and-White's second goal in a 2-0 win over FC Dallas. Mayén made his MLS debut in Chivas USA's second game of the season, a 2-0 win at FC Dallas on March 29, and also earned his first assist in the match. A former member of the Chivas USA U-18 Team, Mayén has played 7 games this season (starting 3).

GOALKEEPER ZACH THORNTON EARNS LEAGUE-LEADING FIFTH SHUTOUT: Starting with a diving stop just 90 seconds into Saturday's 1-0 win at San Jose, and closing with a total of six saves on the night, Chivas USA goalkeeper Zach Thornton earned his league-leading fifth shutout of 2009. Continuing his stellar play so far in 2009, Thornton now leads MLS in shutouts, saves, wins, and has a goals against average of just .38, good for second in the league behind Seattle goalkeeper Kasey Keller. Thornton's clean sheet on Saturday gave him a total of 63 shutouts in his career, moving him into sole possession of third place on MLS' all-time shutout list, behind Kevin Hartman (80) and Joe Cannon (65).

INJURY UPDATE: VICTORINE PLAYS FIRST MINUTES: Chivas USA midfielder Sasha Victorine entered the match as a 74th minute sub for Eduardo Lillingston, making his 2009 debut, returning from microfracture surgery on his left knee on Nov. 12, 2008 to play the final 16 minutes of the match. Several more Chivas USA players are still recovering from offseason surgeries and other injuries, and are gradually returning to practice. For a full copy of the latest Chivas USA Injury Report, please visit MLSnet.com.

CHIVAS USA INJURY REPORT (As of Friday, 5/1):

Bobby Burling Sports hernia surgery Out

Alecko Eskandarian Right hamstring strain Out

Ante Jazic Concussion Out

Dan Kennedy Right knee sprain Out

Ante Razov Right ankle surgery Out

Claudio Suárez Left calf strain Out

Lawson Vaughn Left ankle surgery Out

Sasha Victorine Left knee surgery Questionable

Bojan Stepanovic Left leg contusion Questionable

Justin Braun Right knee sprain Probable

Maykel Galindo Sports hernia surgery Probable

CHIVAS USA YOUTH TEAMS TO FACE PATEADORES THIS SATURDAY IN FULLERTON: The Chivas USA U-16 Team earned 1-1 draw against Real So Cal this past Saturday at Cerritos College, while the U-18's fell to the same club by a 2-0 score. José Velasquez scored the only goal for the U-16's. Next up for both teams is a match against Pateadores on Saturday, May 9, at Titan Stadium on the campus of Cal State Fullerton. The U-16's kick off first, at 2:00 p.m., and will be followed immediately by the U-18's, at 4:30 p.m. The U-18's currently hold a record of 13-6-4 (W-L-T), while the U-16's are 9-7-7 in the 2008-09 season. For more information on the Chivas USA Youth System, please visit http://web.mlsnet.com/t120/youth.

GOALKEEPER COACH LEO PERCOVICH ON 'PASIÓN CHIVAS USA' THIS THURSDAY AT 5:00 P.M. PT: Fans can tune in to '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 preview Saturday's match against Real Salt Lake and speak with Chivas USA Goalkeeper Coach Leo Percovich, whose work with Zach Thornton has helped the goalkeeper to an MLS-leading five shutouts in eight games. 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.

DON'T MISS 'SOMOS CHIVAS USA' AFTER THIS SATURDAY'S MATCH ON KAZA AZTECA 54: Fans, don't miss Chivas USA's official weekly TV show, "Somos Chivas USA'. Featuring renowned co-hosts Mara Almada and Antonio Rosique, with reporting by renowned Chiva-expert Ramón Diaz, 'Somos Chivas USA' gives viewers an inside look at the Red-and-White, including player features, match analysis, highlights, and much more. This week's 'Somos Chivas USA' is scheduled to air on KAZA Azteca 54 in Los Angeles after the conclusion of Chivas USA's match vs. Real Salt Lake, complete with special features and commentaries on Chivas USA. Tune in this Saturday for your 'Somos Chivas USA!'

CHIVAS DE GUADALAJARA UPDATE: Chivas de Guadalajara played Puebla to a 0-0 draw at Estadio Jalisco in Guadalajara this past Saturday, in the team's second consecutive match played in an empty stadium due to swine flu concerns. As Guadalajara now heads into the final weekend of the regular season, Chivas needs a victory next Sunday at Indios, as well as favorable results from around the league, in order to qualify for the playoffs. Chivas is in third place in Group 2 of the Mexican First Division with a record of 5-6-5 (W-L-T), good for 21 points, three points behind Tecos for an automatic spot in the playoffs.

JOIN CHIVAS USA'S NEW SOCIAL NETWORKING SITE AT MYCHIVASUSA.COM: Last week, Chivas USA 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 and Alecko Eskandarian, as well as members of the ChivaGirls, have already set up profiles on the page. Chivas USA season ticket holders and members of the Union Ultras and Legión 1908 supporters groups were among a select group of members invited to join the site last week. For more information, or to make your own account, please visit MyChivasUSA.com and click on the 'Sign Up' link.

CHIVAS USA 2009 SEASON SEATS: Chivas USA's 18-game Season Seat Package is on sale via 1-877-CHIVAS-1 and cdchivasusa.com. The package includes a seat at each of the team's 11 remaining MLS home matches, as well as three bonus games to be announced. Season Seat holders also have the right to exchange unused tickets, plus a host of other benefits. For more information, or to purchase your Season Seat today, please call 1-877-CHIVAS-1 or visit cdchivasusa.com.

VISIT 'DENTRO DEL REBAÑO', CHIVAS USA'S OFFICIAL BLOG: Chivas USA's official blog, 'Dentro del Rebaño' (or 'Inside the Flock') will contain updated content on the team throughout the season. Check out chivas-usa.blogspot.com today for the latest information on Chivas USA!

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Major League Soccer Stories from May 4, 2009


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