Full Confidence

Published on October 3, 2013 under Major League Soccer (MLS)
Club Deportivo Chivas USA News Release


For Francisco Palencia, Director of Soccer at Chivas, the decision made by ownership to assign Jose Luis Real at the helm of Chivas USA not only marked a turning point in the style of play on the field, but also in the Red-and-White locker room. A squad into which, according to the former player, "G-ero has injected that unity" that day after day continues to grow and is heading into a promising future.

Aside from that camaraderie that is felt within the locker room, Real's group also brought a very clear idea of the game: "to develop an approach of soccer defined by good possession as well as a vertical style." A methodology that serves as a model and translates from the Youth Academy all the way to the First Team; a unification that will help that youth emerge as the most successful while developing professional players.

It's for that reason that Palencia mentioned the great responsibility that he and the staff who have arrived to the Red-and-White to implement those concepts carry on their shoulders. Besides he pointed out how communication and trust on behalf of all parts are the key to running solidifying that foundation.

"[Jorge Vergara], evidently, by bringing in his work team, trusts the decisions we may have on the soccer side... ...and he gives us the complete liberty to do so. Guero has a long time working in the soccer industry, Jorge knows that perfectly, and he's truly convinced of the style of play that Chivas wants," Palencia explained.

A style that continues growing with Palencia's experience, who can often be seen giving instructions and tips on the training field. It's that familiarity of both styles of play, having been part of both Chivas Guadalajara and Chivas USA's rosters, that allows the group to complement both strategies in order to create a more offensive style of play and the ball possession that it hopes to gain.

"I played here with the team, I played with Chivas Mexico, so I also know about the style of play that we want to set up. Naturally, with Guero now here, he has injected a soccer style that is more balanced but at the same time looking to get at the opposing goal the fastest way possible," the former player said.

The importance of this change is that it is one that both coaches and players have full confidence in, along with the direction the Red-and-White club has taken since the beginning of the season.

"I think that [the players] have a great disposition. They are people who are always willing to work. We know where we want to go and they are convinced of that and that makes unifying the group much easier."

That unity, the commitment to teamwork and the positive diligence to continue fighting that the Red-and-White players possess, are just a glimpse of the tip of the iceberg of results that will bring better outcome in the 2014 season.

"G-ero has installed that group unity as one of the foundations to the work on the pitch, aside from the camaraderie in the locker room, where everyone gets along," Palencia added. "It helps a lot that the team is little by little picking itself up and that we put it once and for all, in the upcoming season, where it deserves to be - among the top in Major League Soccer."

Villafaña, motivated to win

If there's a Red-and-White player that knows about the rivalry between Chivas USA and the LA Galaxy, it's none other than midfielder Jorge Villafaña. Since joining the Goats back in 2007, Villafaña has witnessed 18 match-ups between both Angelino clubs.

Now that Chivas USA prepares for its third and final duel against the Galaxy in the 2013 edition of the SuperClásico, Villafaña knows what could be expected from the cross-hall clash.

"It's a great rivalry. From what I remember ever since I joined the institution, it has been a game where it doesn't matter how you're doing [in the standings], whether you're on top or in the bottom, you play at your max. It's different and obviously it's because of the rivalry and you always come out for those games with all the intensity and willingness to win," Villafaña commented to cdchivasusa.com

Even though each game in the SuperClásico is taken with seriousness, Villafaña says that this Sunday's match will be more special since the Galaxy is looking to add the most points possible and earn a berth in the playoffs, and a victory in favor of the Red-and-White could keep the opponent sidelined in the postseason.

"We take it as it is, a very important game, and aside from it being important, it's more relevant because [Galaxy] are still in the [playoff] qualification zone and I think if we get a good result and we do what we know how to do, we're going to play spoiler to them," the midfielder added.

Winning is something that both Chivas USA and the Galaxy haven't been able to do in the last four games, as each club took a 1-0 loss in their last game in Week 31. This Sunday, three points would symbolize an improvement for the Red-and-White, while for the Galaxy, three points would be golden in their mission to secure their ticket to the playoffs.

"Our motivation is always to win, but we want to improve game-by-game, we want to finish well and why not earning a win against them and ruining their chances of making it to the playoffs," Villafaña finalized.

The third and final meeting of the SuperClásico derby will be played this Sunday at 2 p.m. (PT) at the StubHub Center and will be broadcast live on KDOC-TV (English) and UniMas (Spanish). Game action can also be followed in Spanish on W Radio 690 AM.

Red-and-White conclude their second consecutive work day

Chivas USA completed their second consecutive training session Thursday morning at the StubHub Center's Field 6 to continue preparations for this Sunday's third and final leg of the SuperClásico against cross-hall rival the LA Galaxy.

The session kicked off at 9:30 a.m. (PT) with a light jog around the pitch before pairing up with a teammate for initial stretches. The field players then moved on to light runs for approximately 10 yards under the instructions of Strength and Conditioning Coach Armando Camacho, while goalkeepers worked off to the side with their position coach. The short distance runs were then varied with different leg movement for optimum activation.

Afterwards the squad incorporated ball work into their warm-up session by teaming up in groups of three for short touches. The team then moved on to undergo tactical work on the far half of the pitch under the leadership of Head Coach Jose Luis Real, which included ball distribution and finishing from inside the box.

The morning culminated with a three-team eight-versus-eight rotating competition in reduced space. The group that would score would remain in the competition and face the next squad with a keeper in each goal. After nearly an hour of tactical work and eight-on-eight, the Goats concluded their morning with a set of supplementary stretches.

Chivas will return on Friday for their third consecutive full squad preparations ahead of Sunday's match at the StubHub Center, scheduled to kick off at 2 p.m. (PT). The match will be televised in English on KDOC-TV and in Spanish on UniMas and can also be heard in Spanish on W Radio 690 AM.

Share: Facebook | Twitter/X | LinkedIn | Reddit | Email



Major League Soccer Stories from October 3, 2013


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

OurSports Central