CHIVAS USA U-18'S FAHMIAN AND ELMASRI SIGN LETTERS OF INTENT:
A pair of Chivas USA U-18 players have signed National Letters of Intent to join the soccer programs at NCAA Division I Universities. Defender Rod Fahmian has decided to attend UC Santa Barbara, which has been one of the top programs in the nation in recent years. UCSB also boasts many alums playing professional soccer in both MLS and abroad, including Chivas USA goalkeeper Dan Kennedy, who played for the Gauchos from 2001-2004. Another Chivas USA U-18 defender, Omar Elmasri, has decided to play for the University of San Francisco under head coach Erik Visser. USF is a perennial contender for the West Coast Conference championship and NCAA tournament berths, and has alum Rob Valentino on the New England Revolution's roster.
CHIVAS USA U-16'S UNDEFEATED AT DEVELOPMENT ACADEMY SPRING SHOWCASE: The Chivas USA U-16 team earned a win and two ties this past weekend at the 2008 Spring Showcase for Development Academy teams in Rockford, Ill. The event featured all 126 Development Academy teams, and the Chivas USA U-16's and U-18's both faced off against South Charlotte SA, Miami FC Kendall, and the Columbus Crew. The U-16's had a great weekend, starting off with a commanding 4-0 victory over South Charlotte. The team then drew 1-1 with Miami FC and 3-3 with Columbus. Jorge Ramirez scored twice for the U-16's, who got goals from seven different players on the weekend. The Chivas USA U-16's are in currently in seventh place in the Southern California division of the Development Academy, with a record of 7-7-6 (W-L-T).
MIXED BAG FOR CHIVAS USA U-18'S AT SPRING SHOWCASE: The Chivas USA U-18 Team opened its participation in the Spring Showcase with a dominant 5-1 win over South Charlotte before tying Miami FC 2-2 and falling in its last match to the Columbus Crew by a score of 2-1. The team was missing several players and used the help of a number of U-16 Team members to help throughout the weekend, and played well in each game. Julio Garcia, new to the team, scored a goal in each game, and Jesse Paredes added a pair of his own. The Chivas USA U-18's now sits in fifth place in the Southern California division of the Development Academy, with a record of 10-7-3 (W-L-T), just one point behind Real So Cal.
FORMER CHIVAS USA YOUTH TEAM PLAYERS HELPING THE FIRST TEAM: Chivas USA midfielder Jorge Flores, a former member of the Chivas USA Youth Teams who joined the club after winning the Sueño MLS tryout in 2007, has scored in two consecutive MLS games for the Red-and-White. Coming in as a substitute against D.C. United on May 17, Flores scored his first career goal, then notched the game-winner a week later in Colorado against the Rapids. Gerson Mayen, a former Chivas USA Youth System player, has been on the bench for a pair of Chivas USA games, and is one of four players who has played in all five of the Chivas USA Reserves matches in 2008. Along with other Chivas USA Youth System alums William Molina and Eder Robles, Mayen played the full 90 minutes for the Chivas USA Reserves against the Colorado Rapids Reserves this past Sunday. Robles assisted on Anthony Hamilton's goal in the 2-1 loss.
DEVELOPMENT ACADEMY MATCHES THIS SUNDAY AT THE SANTA ANA BOWL: The Chivas USA Youth Teams will each play LAFC this weekend in an important Southern California division matchup in the Development Academy. The U-18's will have a tough task ahead of them, as LAFC currently sits in first place in the Southern California division with a record of 15-1-1, and have defeated the Chivas USA U-18's once this season, earning a 3-2 win on March 29. The LAFC U-16 team currently has a record of 11-3-5 (W-L-T), with one of the three losses coming to Chivas USA on March 29. The games will be played this Sunday, June 1, at the Santa Ana Bowl in Santa Ana, with the U-16's kicking off at 11:15 a.m. and the U-18's following at 1:15 p.m.
JOSE DIAZ RETURNS FROM DUTY WITH UNITED STATES U-18 TEAM: Chivas USA U-18 Team defender Jose Diaz (Fontana, Calif.), played an important role for the United States U-18 National Team at the Lisbon International Tournament last week in Portugal. Playing the full 90 minutes in a tune-up match against the SL Benfica Reserves and the opening match of the tournament against Norway, both 2-0 losses, Diaz was then rested for the U.S.'s 1-0 win over Portugal, before starting the final match against Sweden and playing 45 minutes in a 1-0 loss. Diaz, who joined the Red-and-White youth system through the inaugural Sueño MLS tryouts in 2007, was one of 18 players included on the squad for the tournament.
CURRENT CHIVAS USA U-18 AND U-16 ROSTERS: The rosters for Chivas USA's U-18 and U-16 Teams in the Development Academy were fixed on April 1 and will not undergo changes until after the end of the U.S. Soccer Developmental Academy's 2007-08 season this summer. Full team rosters are listed below:
