Hope for a new stadium for Chivas USA?

Yes, but Chivas USA tried to field only Mexican players. They may be straying away from that now, but the damage is already done.

 

Really, they did that? When?

 

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/236546-what-is-a-chivas-anyway

 

Quoting Bleacher Report is never an advisable way to support a point.

 

I'm pretty sure Matt Taylor was in their opening game roster, so if they did, it wasn't for very long...

 

And they all had the same fate in the NASL, at the same time, "working out" exactly the same, with their names being equally culpable.

 

This.

 

Here's something that will blow your mind. And it is a true story straight from Chivas USA's director of marketing. They didn't do their first English language advertisement until their 4th season of existence.

Leave it to a Toronto fan to not know dick about anything prior to 2005. The league was doing just fine and they didn't leverage Vergara to keep the league afloat. Are you aware that Dave Checketts and Real Salt Lake joined the same year? Did they leverage him to keep the league afloat too?

No they didn't. They thought they could field a team comprised primarily of Guadalajara reserve team bench warmers and dominate MLS. They new before they ever wrote their check that MLS rules limited the number of international players on their squad.

They also were very interested in starting up academies and fielding Mexican Americans, but at the time MLS didn't have the academy rules in place that they have now.

For a complete history of MLS, I suggest avoiding sites like bleacher report and MLS rumors and actually pay attention to some of the older guys on here like Stan Collins, El Jefe, Jasonma, etc.

 

Brad Guzan was their first draft pick.

 

LA Galaxy trying to sink Chivas USA's battleship?

http://www.goal.com/en-us/news/1110...for?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

AEG wants to put an NFL team there instead.

 

I don't know what to believe at this point, but the Chargers are denying Phil Anschutz has purchased or is going to purchase the San Diego Chargers so he can move them to LA.

 

They didn't succeed, but that was their goal when they first entered the league. I know it's not now. Either way you slice it.....Mexican, Mexican-American, Guadalajara reserve squad......it's not a very great marketing tool.

 

Again, Brad Guzan was their first draft pick. Ever.

 

I concur that "Chivas USA" sounds horrible and "Chivas anything" alienates Mexican-Americans who dislike Chivas -- it'd be like a baseball team in Florida called the Florida Yankees. Plenty of Yanks fans down there, and plenty of Mets, Bosox and Phillies fans too.

They should've done something like "International" or even "LA Aztecs." But the dye is cast for now. (Strange that Vergera clings to the silly "Chivas USA" and KC changes from the acceptable "Wizards" to the ultra-lame "Sporting".)

That being said they could re-orient themselves as the "Hispanic team" for California -- not just in marketing but in style and players too.

 

Sounds like the two groups with plans to build a stadium are going for the same team. I really hope AEG wins, since their downtown stadium is a much better option.

 

It sounds to me like that has more to do with this:

When a team is serious about moving, it rarely leaks stuff, let alone announcing it.

 

They haven't announced anything, just refused to deny stuff. I agree that this does smell of negotiating tactic (give us a new stadium or we'll leave). The fact that there are two groups trying to build an NFL stadium in LA, both of which say they'll start building as soon as they can get a team to move, and the Vikings have two suitors, makes me think they are actually looking at this as a plan B if a new stadium in MN isn't built.

 

Oh, no question. There is nothing I would love more as a Lions fan than to see Vikings fans get dicked like that, but when push comes to shove, I can't see whatever Minnesota state or municipal authority that can be held responsible for their leaving doing anything but caving.

This looks to me like the beginning of the transition from push to shove.

 

And Thomas Rongen and some other Dutch guy whose name I forgot were their first two coaches. "You're not much if you're not Dutch," as they say in the Chivas boardroom.

They wanted to have a team composed of mostly Latino players. Due to foreigner restrictions they could have a few Mexicans, but most of the rank and file had to be US citizens. The problem was that pretty much any of the Latino players who were capable of playing at the MLS level were already in the league, playing for other teams. Surely they would have loved to have Carlos Bocanegra, but Chicago wasn't going to just give him to Chivas because, well, they really wanted him.

 

As far as marketing, you're right. I agree with you. As far as how they intended to build their squad, you are completely wrong in every way shape and form.

I was there. Interviewing players, coaches, owners, GMs, etc from day 1. You are wrong.

And for the guy above the other dutch coach was Hans Westerhoff (sp)

 

That's one of those immortal BigSoccer myths that just can't be killed, not matter how hard you try, no matter how much logic and reason is brought to bear. Chivas was going to be a "feeder club," and MLS by extension a "feeder league," causing much wailing and gnashing of teeth. Chivas was also going to forbid the English language from being spoken in the team offices and on the field in practice. Classic ethnic fear mongering.

Now that none of it came to pass, it's all "...but they WANTED to!"

 

Chivas didn't take it to the extreme of no English in the front office, but it was Spanish first English second. Even on their outgoing messages when you got their voicemail.

And like I said earlier in this thread, their first English language marketing efforts didn't come until year 4.

They definitely went out of their way to make their identity that of a Mexican team. But on the field they knew that was going to be impossible from day one.

 

This isn't entirely accurate, as Bocanegra had left for Fulham the winter before Chivas USA was founded