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Vilchez ready for his return

May 9, 2013 - Major League Soccer (MLS) - Club Deportivo Chivas USA News Release

After being a part of the starting eleven for Chivas USA in the first two games of the 2013 Major League Soccer season Peruvian defender Walter VÃ-lchez left the fields due to an MCL injury suffered in the second game of the season against FC Dallas. For the first time this week since March 10th, the defender returned to full training along with the First Team. The Red-and-White never really replaced Vilchez on the field, and now that he's recovering, the Peruvian could return to action this weekend against the Portland Timbers at JELD-WEN Field.

The demand during training is high, and in order to meet Chivas USA Coach Jose Luis Sanchez Solá's demands on a daily basis, a player must be in tip-top shape.

"I was told I could join the rest of the team for training, so this week I could be eligible for the coach," commented VÃ-lchez. "I've been working in getting better physically so I can be of use for the team."

Playing a major part of Vilchez' recovery has been the work put in by the medical staff and their dedication in the rehabilitation process. However, the Red-and-White defender acknowledges that part of his improvement has been due to his teammates and coaching staff's motivation and support.

"We've been working well; the medical staff has made a great effort," explained Walter. "In the physical aspect, I'm feeling better every day. Outside the injury, having teammates like the ones I do motivated me to be back soon."

Chivas USA face now a tough game against the Portland Timbers, a crucial match in the Western Conference set for this Sunday at 2 pm PT at JELD-WEN Field. VÃ-lchez has full confidence in Solá's group.

"I feel like we could do more because we have the capacity to do so. This is a team that has a lot more to offer because we have players in good conditions both physically and technically," Walter Vilchez concluded.

Chivas look to extend their already positive streak against Timbers

Chivas USA will look to match last year's three-peat against the Portland Timbers when they travel to JELD-WEN Field for this Sunday's match, part of MLS Week 11 action. In the five encounters against the Timbers since they joined the League in 2011, Chivas come up on top, holding a 4-1-0 (W-L-T) record, and a +3 goal difference.

Last season, the Red-and-White took nine points from the Timbers, defeating them in their three match-ups, scoring four goals and receiving only one.

In the first encounter, the Goats took a 2-1 victory over the Timbers in Week 5 of the 2012 season with goals from Alejandro Moreno and Nick LaBrocca.

In Week 18, Miller Bolaños notched his first goal with Chivas USA and in Major League Soccer giving the Red-and-White's a 1-0 win over the Timbers at The Home Depot Center. Ten days later, Chivas repeated the dose, but this time defender Danny Califf notched the winning goal for the Goats.

This season, the Timbers are off to a better start than last year. For their past eight games, the Timbers have not lost, holding a 3-1-6 record so far. In a midweek game, the Timbers travelled to face FC Dallas on Wednesday where they were able to earn a 1-1 draw.

The Goats will look to keep their winning streak this Sunday against the Timbers, while breaking Portland's current unbeaten streak in MLS.

Purdy's return to Portland

Steven Purdy is going back to the city that he once called home for two years. As Chivas USA face the Portland Timbers this Sunday, May 12th at JELD-WEN Field at 2 pm PT, the Red-and-White defender will be making his return to Portland, something that Purdy describes as "exciting."

"I played there for the last three years so it's going to be great to see a lot of familiar faces and be back in Portland," said Purdy on this Sunday's match. "It's a great city, and so it is playing in JELD-WEN Field, which probably has the best atmosphere in MLS. It's going to be a great time and a great experience to be on the visiting team."

Last season, the Goats faced off with the Timbers on three occasions, and in all three, the Red-and-White were able to take nine points. Although the results were positive for Chivas, most players know that the stadium and fan atmosphere at JELD-WEN Field is like no other in MLS; Timbers fans support their team win or lose, rain or shine throughout the entire 90 minutes. A perfect witness of that is Steven Purdy.

"Timbers are definitely going to strive off the energy from the fans, so we're going to need twice the energy, all the momentum will be on their side," added Purdy. "We just need to get out there, play our game, match the energy, and take advantage of our opportunities. They've been playing pretty well recently so we're going to have to play a pretty good game to get a good result."

But in order to get another positive result against Portland, Chivas USA will have to break down each player. And in order to do that, they need crucial information on key match-ups. Something that Purdy has already provided to his fellow teammates.

"I know a lot of the players personally and on the field. I know some of their tendencies and during the week, I've shared some of this knowledge with my teammates. It's important for us to have this information so we can have an advantage for this game. This is going to be a great game and I think we have everything that we need to get a good result," he concluded.

Training Report: Chivas continue their preparations

Chivas USA completed its second consecutive morning practice session ahead of its Saturday departure to Portland for a crucial Western Conference showdown Sunday beginning at 2 p.m. (PT) at JELD-WEN Field.

The session kicked off with stretching and a light team trot around Field 6. Once broken up into smaller groups, the players continued to loosen up with a series of drills through cones and short hurdles under the instruction of strength and conditioning coach Osvaldo Scansetti. The cones were positioned as to allow the players to sharpen their cutting and explosion technique.

The team was then split into two groups on opposite ends of the field to simulate work in the attacking third. The drill consisted of a three-on-two attack approaching the 18-yard box with the objective of the three attacking players finishing the play with a score or the two defenders denying the threat and clearing out the ball. Before each play initiated the attackers first completed a short hurdle drill before advancing to meet the ball, while the defenders volleyed a header before sprinting out the meet the attacking players.

Thursday's session culminated with an 11-on-11 scrimmage that ran nearly the length of the field and under the guidance of Head Coach Jose Luis Sanchez Sola for close approx 50 minutes. After which the team concluded the day with a cool down session that consisted of stretching.

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