First Youth SuperClásico of the Season

October 20, 2013 - Major League Soccer (MLS)
Club Deportivo Chivas USA News Release


It was an interesting game day on Saturday, as the first leg of this season's Youth SuperClásico took place on the auxiliary soccer fields of the StubHub Center. Although Saturday's games were described by many members of the Academy as "just another game," the intensity of the matches and goal celebrations demonstrated otherwise.

The following is a recap of Saturday's SuperClásico match-ups:

Chivas USA's Under-14 squad officially kicked off the SuperClásico on Saturday afternoon, earning a 2-2 draw with the LA Galaxy. Both teams started off on the right foot, but it was the young Red-and-White squad that demonstrated from the very first play good soccer. The young Goats had a few scoring opportunities, but in the12th minute of the game, after a hand ball inside the box, the referee called a penalty kick in favor of Chivas USA. Daniel Villegas stepped up for the kick and capitalized on the opportunity, opening the scoreboard in favor of the Red-and-White.

Just before the end of the first half, the Galaxy would come back to score the equalizer, The Goats dominated the second half and once again took the lead on a goal scored by Chris Hernandez in the 60th minute. Five minutes before the end of the match, Galaxy would find the equalizer, but the final minutes allowed both teams to fight for the win as both squads generated heart-stopping scoring opportunities. But the match would end in a deadlock. Up next, Chivas' U14s will host Arsenal U14s on Saturday, Oct. 26 at 2:30 pm at the Bell Gardens Sports Complex's Field 5.

Chivas USA's U18s went up against Galaxy's U18s looking to earn their first victory of the season. Although the team fought hard, having a great second-half performance, the clubs split points as they walked away with a 1-1 draw. Going into halftime with a scoreless draw, the Galaxy were able to tally the first goal in the 50th minute.

Four minutes later off a corner kick, Anthony Rodriguez out-jumped the rest of the players and headed home the equalizer. Although the Red-and-White had several scoring opportunities following the equalizing goal, the match finalized in a draw. Closing the month of October, the U18s will host Arsenal FC next Saturday at 9:30 a.m. at the Bell Gardens Sports Complex.

Not counting with the same luck as the previous teams, Chivas USA's U16 squad took a disappointing 6-0 loss to Galaxy's U16 Team. The Red-and-White struggled to get passed the Galaxy back line and in the 12th minute of the game, after a hard challenge from Chivas' goalkeeper inside the box, LA was able to get their first goal of the match via penalty kick. From then on, it was downhill as the boys fought hard to get back in the game, but unfortunately, their efforts did not pay off, as they recorded their second loss of the season. The group will have a week to prepare to host Arsenal FC next Saturday at 12 pm at the Bell Gardens Sports Complex's Field 5.

For all the latest news on Chivas USA's Youth Development Academy, follow us on Twitter:@ChivasUSAYouth & @cdchivasusa.

Chivas USA hold third 'Meet the Team' event

On Sunday morning, fans began gathering at the StubHub Center's Field 6 for the third 'Meet the Team' event that is held exclusively for Chivas USA season seat holders. With training kicking off at 9:30 am, fans began arriving early to watch as the team arrived onto the field for the day's training.

Prior to Sunday's event, Chivas USA held two 'Meet the Team' events with a different set of groups. Naturally, Sunday's event allowed more fans to attend as it occurred on a weekend. Fans watched carefully from the sideline as their favorite Red-and-White players complied with their third training session of the week ahead of their second-to-last game of the season against Real Salt Lake at Rio Tinto Stadium on Wednesday.

From the sidelines, fans pointed out their favorite players, calling out the entire squad by name. After an hour and a half of a demanding training session, the entire team headed to meet their loyal fans, where they eagerly awaited for autographs. Taking advantage of the event and the players' presence, fans were also able to take photos with the players, as well as coaching staff and Chivas Director of Soccer Francisco "Paco" Palencia.

Chivas USA wrap up work week with fan interaction

Chivas USA closed out their work week Sunday morning at the StubHub Center's Field 6 with a third consecutive full squad training session. The Red-and-White took the pitch at 9:30 a.m. (PT) and were joined by members of the season seat holder community as part of one of the club's many fan interaction events.

The Goats kicked off practice with a team jog around the pitch before completing a series of stretches for initial warm-ups. Players then ran through runs of about 10 yards with variations of movement for muscle activation. Afterwards the group was led by Strength and Conditioning Coach Armando Camacho in additional agility drills which consisted of short hurdles.

The session then Culminated with an 11-on-11 tactical scrimmage that ran nearly the length of the pitch under the instructions of Head Coach Jose Luis Real. The pitch was segmented into three parts while the competition emphasized defensive pressure and ball distribution. After competing for about 40 minutes, the team concluded their training with supplementary stretches.

Afterwards, players made their way over to the fan area to interact with seat holders in attendance by signing autographs and taking photos. The Goats will hold two final practices on Field 6 before traveling to Utah on Tuesday for their mid-week match against conference foe Real Salt Lake scheduled for Wednesday beginning at 6 p.m. (PT).



Major League Soccer Stories from October 20, 2013


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