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Farfán, Happy to be Home

May 21, 2013 - Major League Soccer (MLS)
Club Deportivo Chivas USA News Release


Being back in California playing in front of a home crowd, Chivas USA midfielder Gabriel Farfan had no other word to describe the moment than "amazing." Although the final score was not in favor of the Red-and-White, Farfan is happy with his first appearance with Chivas in none other than at The Home Depot Center.

And adding to the experience, the Farfan family drove up from San Diego to watch Gabriel make his debut with the club, something that boosted the midfielder's morale.

"I felt good. Obviously, everyday I'm making improvements and I'm getting more adapted to our style here at Chivas. I thought I did well for my first day. My family was able to be here and they were really excited to see me perform out a home jersey instead of an away one for a change," Farfan said.

With the tremendous joy of having Gabriel live closer than before, Gabriel's mom made the two-hour drive to see her son make his club debut.

"I'm extremely happy to see my son Gabriel play with Chivas USA. We're going to be able to attend all home games, surrounded by our families and my best friend Maria, Eric Avila's mom! My sons and my daughter are my life and I'm very happy to have them near," Gabriel's mom Kathy Stopani-Ollier said.

After making his debut with the team, Farfan returned the next day to take part of Chivas USA's first Reserve League match of the season, kicking-off against Real Salt Lake on Monday morning at The Home Depot Center's Track and Field Stadium.

As if Farfan had been part of the squad since preseason, the 24 year old midfielder has already adapted well with his teammates. In Monday's reserve game, Farfan played all 45 minutes and was able to notch his first goal with the club in the 23rd minute of the game.

"I think training translates to a game pretty quickly. Hopefully I can put in a performance, like the one today with the first team," Farfán finalized.

Kennedy: "We gotta work through this"

Chivas USA goalkeeper and captain Dan Kennedy made his return to MLS action last Sunday after complying with a one-game suspension in the Red-and-White's match at Portland Timbers the previous Sunday. Although Kennedy was anxious for his return and hoped to come out of the game with a clean sheet, Chivas USA was not able to defeat Real Salt Lake and took a disappointing 4-1 loss.

With the loss, the Goats have now lost three consecutive games, something that upsets Kennedy tremendously.

"We gave up the goal earlier in the first half, which is never how you want to start a game out, but we definitely rallied back, got back in the game. In the second half we felt we could make some pressure, get our chances and put a goal in and get in really good shape and we did the same thing. Those two early goals really hurt our momentum and our objective for the game plan," Kennedy told cdchivasusa.com.

The Goats' leader knows his role in the locker room is to lift up the group and their motivation and confidence, two aspects that have been very much damaged the past few weeks. In other to do so, Kennedy focuses on working hard every day.

"I need to show them with work, it's not much about what you but what you do," explained the Captain. "The seasons go very cyclical. There are times you work hard and get good results, and others when you get cold and you have to grind down some games. We just need to remember that this is not the end of the world, and work hard to get out of it."

The Red-and-White will hit the road this weekend to visit the Colorado Rapids on Saturday at Dick's Sporting Goods Park. The objective for Kennedy and the rest of the group is clear, Chivas USA must return to LA with three more points added to the team in the Western Conference standings. And Kennedy knows what the team must work on in order to achieve that objective.

"Making sure the results don't take away from who we are and what our abilities are. Confidence plays a big role in this, and we need to make sure we still have that, and we don't get these results get our personalities down. We gotta work through this," he finalized.

Training Report: Rojiblancos begin prepping for Colorado rematch

Chivas USA returned to full practice today in preparation for Saturday's rematch against Western Conference rival the Colorado Rapids at Dick's Sporting Goods Park. The 6 p.m. (PT) match is the second of three meetings between the clubs this season, as Colorado took the first meeting in April by the minimal difference.

The morning session began with a team trot around The Home Depot Center's Field 6, while the goalkeepers worked individually with their position Coach Daniel Gonzalez. The Red-and-White net minders warmed up with light foot-work exercises implementing touches from five yards apart. Afterwards Gonzalez shot at goal from ten yards out, alternating between each post.

The Red-and-White then completed a series of core strengthening exercises for 15 minutes under the guidance of Strength and Conditioning Coach Osvaldo Scansetti. The drills were done using soccer balls for added balance, resistance and coordination.

The squad was then divided into two groups, with those who participated in Monday's Reserve League win over Real Salt Lake's Reserves completing a timed jog for 15 minutes. Those who saw action in Sunday's League match ran through a series of strength and agility drills using weights and trampoline stations. The stations also included short hurdles and step drills.

The players transitioned into ball work from inside the 18-yard box. The striking drills were elevated in competition when the squad began a one-on-one challenge from each wing position. After completing the high-paced drill, the morning concluded with a cool-down session consisting of stretches.

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