Welcome to this week's Chivas USA Youth Soccer Update, a roundup of Chivas USA's groundbreaking youth development program, including the Chivas USA Under-18 and U-16 teams (where the region's best talent compete, free of cost to the players, in the prestigious U.S. Soccer Developmental Academy) and the Chivas and Chivas USA Soccer Academies. For more information on Chivas USA's youth development program, please visit www.cdchivasusa.com.
CHIVAS USA U-18 AND U-16 TEAMS TO KICK OFF DEVELOPMENT ACADEMY SEASON THIS WEEKEND:
The Chivas USA Under-18 and Under-16 teams will open their Development Academy seasons this Sunday, Sept. 28, hosting the San Diego Surf at Cerritos College. The U-16's will square off at 10:00 a.m. PT, while the U-18's will play immediately afterwards, kicking off at 12:00 noon PT. The matches will be the first in the 2008-09 Development Academy season for the Red-and-White, though the teams recently played a pair of friendlies against their counterparts from the United States Youth National Teams at The Home Depot Center. In those matches, the U-18's earned a 3-3 draw against their U.S. opponents, while the U-16's put up a valiant fight but ultimately fell by a scoreline of 2-0. Full rosters for Chivas USA's U-18 and U-18 Teams can be found in the latest Chivas USA Youth Soccer Update at www.cdchivasusa.com.
WHERE ARE THEY NOW? FORMER CHIVAS USA U-18 PLAYER OMAR ELMASRI HELPING STRONG USF DEFENSE:
The NCAA season is now in full swing, and the University of San Francisco's first-year defender Omar Elmasri, a member of the Chivas USA U-18 team in 2007-08, has started all six matches for the Dons. Elmasri has been an important part of a defensive unit that has given up just five goals in the first six games of the season; after starting the year with four straight 1-0 losses, the team has earned a 1-1 draw and 2-0 victory in its last two matches. The last two results helped the team win the 2008 BMW/Nike Soccer Challenge, which was held in San Francisco last weekend.
CHIVAS USA ANNOUNCES YOUTH TEAM ROSTERS FOR 2008-09 DEVELOPMENT ACADEMY SEASON:
The Chivas USA Under-18 and Under-16 Teams, which will compete in the upcoming 2008-09 U.S. Soccer Development Academy season, have been announced and will play their first official matches next weekend against the San Diego Surf. The rosters for each team are below:
Chivas USA Under-18 Team: 2008-09 U.S. Soccer Development Academy Roster (As of Sept. 25, 2008)
No. Name Pos. Birthdate Hometown
13 Cesar Arenas DF 9/5/1991 Fontana, CA
Alex Barahona FW 6/2/1990 Los Angeles, CA
11 Orr Baroush FW 11/29/1991 Reseda, CA
4 Omar Becerra DF 9/20/1990 San Diego, CA
15 Jose Diaz DF 1/25/1991 Fontana, CA
6 Clayton Eaton MF 5/24/1991 Norco, CA
17 Andy Lopez FW 12/21/1991 Los Angeles, CA
21 Jordan Maman GK 2/5/1991 Manhattan Beach, CA
5 Hector Molina MD 11/5/1990 Van Nuys, CA
Jose Monteroza MF 10/27/1991 Los Angeles, CA
7 Leopoldo Morales FW 3/6/1990 Bellflower, CA
10 Jesse Paredes MD 4/1/1990 Los Angeles, CA
16 Anders Perez MD 10/3/1991 La Habra, CA
1 Juan Quiroz GK 3/4/1990 Inglewood, CA
20 Roberto Romo FW 5/21/1991 Paramount, CA
9 Victor Sanchez FW 8/23/1990 Huntington Park, CA
2 Steve Torres DF 1/2/1991 Pomona, CA
3 Edwin Velásquez DF 3/16/1991 Bell Gardens, CA
8 Cesar Zamora MD 5/27/1991 Sylmar, CA
Head Coach: Sacha van der Most
Assistant Coach: Refugio Mancilla
Chivas USA Under-16 Team: 2008-09 U.S. Soccer Development Academy Roster (As of Sept. 25, 2008)
No. Name Pos. Birthdate Hometown
8 Jaime Cano MF 5/26/1992 Inglewood, CA
1 Cesar Castillo GK 5/26/1992 Bell, CA
6 Daniel Castro MF 4/24/1992 Los Angeles, CA
15 Manuel Cazares MF 3/8/1992 Panorama City, CA
10 Carlo Chueca MF 3/23/1993 Palm Springs, CA
9 Yohel de Jesus FW 7/27/1992 Corona, CA
11 Bryan De La Fuente FW 7/1/1992 Bell, CA
5 Jaime Frias DF 2/18/1993 Moreno Valley, CA
18 Roberto Garcia FW 1/12/1992 Sylmar, CA
12 Jose Godoy GK 5/22/1992 Los Angeles, CA
19 Angel Gonzalez DF 6/4/1992 Chula Vista, CA
13 Jordan Gutierrez DF 10/18/1993 West Covina, CA
17 Jonathan Hernandez FW 3/13/1992 North Hollywood, CA
2 Jose Maldonado DF 1/22/1992 La Verne, CA
3 Edder Navarro DF 6/14/1993 Los Angeles, CA
4 Angel Rodriguez MF 3/2/1992 Moreno Valley, CA
14 Carlos Torres Jr. DF 8/27/1992 Compton, CA
16 Allan Valencia MF 4/7/1992 South Gate, CA
7 Jose Velasquez FW 4/2/1992 Mission Hills, CA
20 Jorge Virgen FW 6/18/1992 Ontario, CA
Head Coach: Samuel Rivas
Assistant Coach: Miguel Ramos
'KICK-IT' THIS SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 27 AT STONER RECREATION CENTER IN WEST L.A.:
'Kick-it at the Park L.A. with Chivas USA' continues this Saturday, September 27, with a clinic at Stoner Recreation Center, located at 1835 Stoner Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90025. A series of four, 90-minute clinics kicks off at 9:00 a.m., followed by clinics at 10:45 a.m., 1:00 p.m. and 2:45 p.m. Run in conjunction with the City of Los Angeles Department of Recreation and Parks, 'Kick-it' is a series of clinics that emphasize physical fitness, sports, and education for as many as 400 children at each of 40 locations throughout the year. A five-dollar fee gets participants 90 minutes of instruction, a voucher for a free ticket to a Chivas USA game, a t-shirt, soccer ball, and Certificate of Completion. Most recently, Chivas USA held a clinic at the Westchester Recreation Center at 7000 W. Manchester Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90045 on Sept. 20. For more information on the program, or to register for a clinic, visit www.kickitatthepark.com.
ABOUT THE U.S. SOCCER DEVELOPMENT ACADEMY:
The U.S Soccer Development Academy is a nationwide youth development initiative, organized by the U.S. Soccer Federation, featuring 74 of the top youth teams in the country competing in a league system at both the U-18 and U-16 levels. The season will run from September of 2008 until June of 2009. The 74 youth programs, including one U.S. Youth National Team in each age group, are divided into eight regions, each of which will send a single qualifier to the national finals to be held at The Home Depot Center after the regular season concludes in late June. For more information on the U.S. Soccer Developmental Academy, please visit www.ussoccer.com.
