CARSON, Calif. - Chivas USA today marked an important milestone in its player development efforts, as the MLS expansion club officially opened the doors of the Chivas USA Soccer Academy at The Home Depot Center. Attending the Academy's inaugural session, overseen by Chivas USA Director of Football Dennis te Kloese and his team of instructors, were more than 80 soccer players between the ages of 5 and 12, along with dozens of proud parents.
"One of Chivas USA's goals as an institution is to cultivate among young players the emotion and passion of the world's most beautiful game," said Antonio Cué, President and Co-Owner of Chivas USA, who was on hand for the afternoon session. "Among the participants in Chivas USA's Soccer Academy, we hope to find the next Héctor Cuadros, Brad Guzan or Carlos Salcido."
Also in attendance were Chivas USA Senior Vice President and General Manager Whit Haskel, Director of Sport Thomas Rongen, Head Coach Hans Westerhof, Assistant Coach Javier 'Zully' Ledesma, and goalkeeper Martín 'Pulpo' Zúñiga.
The Chivas USA Soccer Academy, which uses the same training methodology as Club Deportivo Guadalajara in Mexico, will hold weekly sessions on Wednesdays and Fridays from 5:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. at The Home Depot Center. For more information on the Chivas USA Soccer Academy, please send an email to futbolacademy@cdchivasusa.com.
Under the direction of Chivas USA Director of Soccer Dennis te Kloese, the Chivas USA Soccer Academy will be run by the following instructors:
Miguel Ramos Nuñez - A former player in Club Guadalajara's Juveniles and Primera 'A' teams, Ramos was a scout for Guadalajara in Ciudad Guzmán, Jalisco, and is a licensed coach in Mexico's Segunda and Tercera divisions.
Samuel 'Sammy' Rivas - A professional player with Jalisco (1977-1980), Chivas Guadalajara (1980-1985) and Tigres (1987-1989), as well as the Selección de Jalisco, since 1989 Rivas has resided in Lakewood, California and coached youth teams in the United States.
José Refugio Mancillas - A professional player in Mexico and the United States - with Chivas Guadalajara (1967-1970) and Skyhawks of the Greater League of Los Angeles (1971-1980) - Mancillas has been a head coach of several teams in the United States, where he has resided since 1970.
Paolo Duran - Born in the United Status, Duran played for Citrus College from 1999-2000 and has his coaching license from the U.S. Soccer Federation. He has worked for Gladstone High School and with the soccer leagues of Baldwin Park and West Covina.
Sacha van der Most - Born in the Dutch city of The Hague, van der Most played for several teams in the Netherlands, Belize and the A-League of the United States. He has experience as a coach of youth teams and summer camps in the United States. A resident of Downey, California, for the past five years, van der Most speaks Dutch, Spanish and English.
