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Rojiblancos Look to Even 2013 SuperClasico Series

October 5, 2013 - Major League Soccer (MLS)
Club Deportivo Chivas USA News Release


Chivas USA enter Sunday's third and final leg of the SuperClásico against cross-hall rival the LA Galaxy looking come away with a split in the series and in the process play spoiler in the defending league champions' playoff quest. LA is tied at 45 points with the Colorado Rapids for the final two playoff spots in the Western Conference standings and a win by the Red-and-White could leave the Galaxy in danger of being leaped by Colorado and position the trailing San Jose Earthquakes (44 points) to do the same.

A single goal has separated Chivas and the Galaxy this season, as the sides played to a 1-1 draw in March with the Goats serving as the away side in the matinee match. Despite playing a man down beginning in the 40th minute when former center back Joaquin Velazquez was sent off after he was issued a red card on a questionable call that was later rescinded by an independent review committee, the Red-and-White came back from a goal down and delivered the equalizer in the 89th minute on Rookie midfielder Carlos Alvarez's first career score in his MLS pro debut.

The Galaxy responded with a 1-0 victory in the second leg of the derby in June thanks to Gyasi Zardes' eventual game-winner in the 44th minute to give his side the one-game advantage in the season series.

However, LA will face a Red-and-White side much different than the one they squared off with in the previous two meetings. Since their rematch the Rojiblancos have added several key contributors to the squad, including striker Erick Torres, who quickly ascended to the team-lead in goals with seven, as well as two-time World Cup veteran Carlos Bocanegra, who has helped solidify Head Coach Jose Luis Real's back line.

The second leg of the SuperClásico marked only Real's second match at the helm with just days to prepare for his home debut. Since then, "El G-ero" has led the Rebaño Angelino to a 3-2-3 record at the StubHub Center. In addition, the Goats have also been buoyed by an influx of depth in the attacking third in midfielder Bryan de la Fuente, who has made eight starts since joining the club while tallying a pair of scores and forward Matthew Fondy, who has become one of Real's first options off the bench to add a threat up top next to Torres.

On the flip side, the Galaxy head into the match without their head man, as Bruce Arenas will serve a league-imposed one-game suspension. Like the Rojiblancos, Arena's club does not come into the match in best form, as the Galaxy have come away with one victory in their last five league games dating back to late August. The Goats have dropped two consecutive games and will look to deliver their first win against their cross-hall rival since May of 2012.

The 30th all-time installment of the SuperClásico is scheduled to kick off at 2 p.m. (PT) at the StubHub Center with the Rojiblancos serving as the visiting side and will be televised in English on KDOC-TV and in Spanish on UniMas. Game action can also be followed in Spanish on W Radio 690 AM.

Real wishes to conclude the best way possible

After a week of hard work in the training sessions, Chivas USA are ready to move on and close the season the best way possible. The week helped Red-and-White Head Coach Jose Luis Real, his coaching staff and the team reflect and correct the errors made in last week's match where the Goats were three minutes away from earning a draw against the San Jose Earthquakes.

"We've been close to getting a result," Real commented. "However the other part motivates us, it encourages us to think that one side is getting better and better; the functioning of the team, the ideas on the field and the style is getting better every time."

With the third SuperClásico of the season against the LA Galaxy, Chivas USA will be looking for two things, finish the season on a high note, and give their fans the happiness of a victory against cross-hall rivals. In order to do that, the Red-and-White will have to fight against a Galaxy that is determined to earn the most points possible to make it to Major League Soccer's Playoffs.

"We haven't stopped recognizing that Galaxy is a great team; they have a great coach, with really great players. Logically we have to recognize, to everything that is important as is the institution, but we have to do out thing. We are going to, first of all, see our work, and see what each of us have to do. And finally, the only way to face another important opponent as is the Galaxy, is to work as a team," Chivas USA's Head Coach added.

Even though the season is about to conclude for Chivas USA, the team doesn't stop working hard to face the last remaining rivals at its best and show off the ideas that the team has been working on in the past few months with "G-ero" Real.

"It's a group that works very well, they train very well, and that deserves better results than the ones on the table. It's a team that isn't where it's at at its will, we've made mistakes, but without a doubt, the quality of the team goes beyond the points that we have and in this case, without any options, we always have to close the best way possible, looking to end that task that has been given to me to instill the foundations to continue," Real 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 UniMás (Spanish). Game action can also be followed in Spanish on W Radio 690 AM.

Bocanegra faces opponent, former teammate with same intensity

After nearly a decade in European soccer, defender Carlos Bocanegra felt the time was right to return to Major League Soccer, the place that gave him his professional start out of UCLA in 2000. In four seasons with the Chicago Fire, the Southern California native stacked up an impressive list of awards, including Rookie of the Year and two-time Defender of the Year honors, to go along with his appearance in the MLS Cup title game in his first campaign.

When the opportunity to acquire the two-time World Cup veteran and former U.S. Men's National Team captain presented itself through the league's allocation process, Chivas USA jumped at the opportunity and landed the center back. The Rojiblancos brought Bocanegra in to anchor a struggling back line and to provide some added leadership and experience on the pitch alongside goalkeeper and captain Dan Kennedy for Head Coach Jose Luis Real's club.

With Sunday's SuperClásico finale a day away, Bocanegra will look to bounce back from a leg injury that kept him out of last week's 1-0 home loss to the San Jose Earthquakes. Despite being out of the playoff picture, the defender says that the Rojiblancos are set on making it a rough road for their remaining three opponents in the 2013 campaign.

"Obviously the Galaxy are a good team," Bocanegra said. "They come in looking to get a win and make a playoff push. So it's an important game for us. It's a good benchmark to show how far we've come and how far our team has progressed. So we need to step on the field on Sunday and put out a good showing and show them that it's not an easy road to the playoffs through Chivas."

Bocanegra has made nine starts since joining the Red-and-White in mid-July, helping lead the Rebaño Angelino to a record of 3-5-3 while sitting out two games during that span. Since his arrival, however, the Goats have yet to deliver Real his first road win, and come Sunday, the defender will look to hand "El Guero" his first away three points against a Galaxy attacker he has gotten to know very well throughout the years.

Sunday's match will mark the first time Bocanegra and midfielder Landon Donovan square off in an MLS match since 2003, when the attacker was a member of the Earthquakes and Bocanegra in his final season with Chicago. As a duo that would go on to become two of the most important elements on the national team, who are arguably the two most celebrated players ever at their respective positions for the Stars and Stripes, the SoCal products have surely come to learn the ins and outs of one another's game.

Asked if there would be any added emotion over lining up against his former U.S. teammate, the defender mentioned that the Red-and-White were taking on the challenge as intensely as they do for every other opponent.

"On the field we don't think about that too much. He's an opponent this week. It's kind of like going up against any other team and any other players."

However, as someone who has gone up against Donovan in countless scrimmages and practices throughout their stellar careers, Bocanegra will surely share his insight with his new teammates and look to give his club any advantage he can to secure a win against their cross-hall rival.

"I try to discuss every player," Bocanegra added. "They have a lot of good players on that team. With the Landon's, the Clint Dempsey's, Robbie Keane's, the good strikers in the league, it's more about containing them and getting some help because normally, eight out of ten times good guys in the league, if they get you one-on-one with some space, they're going to be able to beat you, which most attackers throughout the world do.

"So it's all about a team effort, and everybody helping each other on the field, which is what we need in general to get a result against the Galaxy."

Kennedy, excited for the SuperClásico

The third and final SuperClásico is just a few days ahead and Chivas USA have had five days to prepare to face cross-hall rival, the LA Galaxy, this Sunday at the StubHub Center. While the Goats will be looking to close the season on a high note, the Galaxy will be looking to earn the most points possible that will get them to the 2013 Major League Soccer Playoffs.

One of the veterans of the SuperClásico is Chivas USA goalkeeper and team captain Dan Kennedy, who on his sixth season with the Goats will be ready to face the first of three games remaining in this year's calendar.

"We're excited; it's a good time of year to have it," Kennedy said. "It's a very important game for them. We feel that we've had a pretty good strong performance last weekend and it was unfortunate not to get a better result. We're going to put it on the field and this is one of those games where they're always a little crazy, great atmosphere and we have everything to win in it."

Throughout the week, the team has been preparing for the SuperClásico with a great effort as well as that special feeling that surrounds a derby.

Kennedy made his debut with Chivas USA in 2008, playing in nine games for the Red-and-White, but it wasn't until the 2010 season that the team captain took part in his first SuperClásico. Since then, Kennedy has been the man at goal for what is considered the biggest games of the season.

"I enjoy matching up against them, particularly the last few years they've come off a couple of championships and it's a great way to measure ourselves and to showcase what we have against one of the best teams in the league," Kennedy 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 UniMás (Spanish). Game action can also be followed in Spanish on W Radio 690 AM.

Chivas USA add finishing touches ahead of SuperClásico

Chivas USA closed out their week of preparation ahead of Sunday's SuperClásico with a final training session on Saturday morning. The Goats kicked off their work with a team jog around the pitch before completing a group stretch. The team then broke off into pairs to incorporate the ball into their warm-ups by serving off short passes at close distance.

The team then distributed the ball between three teammates to simulate give-and-go sequences before returning as part of three larger groups to compete in games of torito. The squad was then divided into two groups, with the players at the near end of the pitch competing in a possession drill in reduced space under the watch of Head Coach Jose Luis Real. The drill would vary in challenges from three-on-three to four-versus-four. The group at the far end was led by the Red-and-White manager's assistants and was comprised of finishing off crosses.

Afterwards, the two halves reunited to sharpen their set pieces with free kicks from both sides as well as free kicks. Training concluded with a series of supplementary group stretches to complete their work week and put the finishing touches on their preparations for the third and final leg of the 2013 derby against cross-hall rival the LA Galaxy.

Academy Preview

A weekend full of action is around the corner for Chivas USA's Youth Development Academy as all team's will take part of their respective leagues. Three out of six teams will play on both Saturday and Sunday, while the rest will only have one game. Fans are welcome to come out and support Chivas USA's U14/15, U15/16, U17/18 and U23's, who will all play at home at the Bell Gardens Sports Complex.

The following is a preview of each game set for this weekend:

Starting off the weekend bright and early, Chivas USA's U17/18 Team will be looking to get back on their feet as they host Real Salt Lake AZ U17/18's in their first home game of the season at 9:30 a.m. (PT) at the Bell Gardens Sports Complex Field 5. In their first two games of the year, the Red-and-White were earned a 1-1 draw with the Portland Timbers and a 6-0 loss to the Seattle Sounders FC. Real Salt Lake AZ enters the match with one game played so far in the season, a victory for the Arizona team.

On the other hand, the Red-and-White's U15/16 Team earned six points in their first two games of the season and will look to add a third this Saturday against Real Salt Lake U15/16's. The young squad started off the campaign with a 2-1 win over Portland Timbers, and on the following day, added another three points with a 3-2 victory over Seattle Sounders. With one game played so far, RSL AZ defeated their last opponent 9-0. This Saturday's match-up is set to kick-off at 12 p.m. (PT) at Bell Gardens Sports Complex's Field 5.

Looking to extend their winning streak, Chivas USA's U23 Team will host Pateadores this Saturday at 5 p.m. (PT) at Ford Park's Turf Field. The Red-and-White took two victories in their first two games, a 2-1 win over Pomona United and defeated Tustin Celtic 7-0 last Sunday. While the Goats sit in second place in the Coast Soccer League Standings, their next opponent, Pateadores, sits in last place and has yet to earn their first win.

With a double-match weekend ahead, Chivas USA's U14/15 Team will kick-off action on Saturday going up against LA Futbol Academy at 2:30 p.m. (PT) in Bell Gardens Sports Complex's Field 5. The Goats will be looking to maintain their unbeaten streak as they took a win in their first game and earned a draw in their most recent match. The LA Futbol Academy enters the match with a loss and a win, earning a 2-0 victory in their last match against Albion SC.

The following day, the Red-and-White U14/15 Team will be looking for another win as they go up against FC Golden State, also at Bell Gardens Sports Complex. Just last weekend, the Red-and-White earned a scoreless draw with Real So Cal. FC Golden State enters the match with two wins under their belt, but most recently fell 3-1 to Pateadores.

Also having a double weekend will be Chivas USA's U15 Team as they first face IE Surf Mosaquites on Saturday at 4:45 p.m. (PT) at University of California, Irvine's Field 4 and then host Fullerton Rangers White on Sunday at 3:15 p.m. (PT), also at UCI. The Red-and-White come into this weekend's games with 2-0 win over Carlsbad Elite and since the first game of the season, the Goats have shown a great improvement on the field.

Last, but not least, Chivas USA's U13 Team will also have a double-match weekend, hosting Valley United Kovalenko on Saturday at 1:15 p.m. (PT), and facing Corinthians SC on Sunday at 3:15 p.m. (PT). The youngest Goats will be looking to prove that their latest 4-0 loss was unlucky and will fight to earn three points that will move them back up in the standings.

On Monday evening, all Youth Development Teams will be present to witness Chivas USA take on the LA Galaxy in MLS Reserve League action at 7 p.m. (PT) at the StubHub Center. The players will be previously selected to play the match for the Red-and-White. For all the latest news and updates on Chivas USA's Youth Development Academy, follow us on Twitter: @ChivasUSAYouth & @cdchivasusa.

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