The Bandido Report.

Bandido...you rock thanks for the update and pics.

 

I think you are right about the Chivas USA fans issue. Because the LA Galaxy are ten years old, have a couple championships under their belt, and have Beckham coming in soon, they have a pretty good monopoly on most of the area's soccer fans who wanted to support an MLS team from the founding of the league and probably most of the news fans to league in the area jumping on the MLS bandwagon in a few months (except for maybe a few Scots who show up to root against the icon of modern English football) when Beckham shows up. Thus, it made sense a couple years ago to tap into the large Chivas fan base in Southern California and hope that folks nostalgic for a real Chivas game would show up for the US fascimilie. In essence... they did just the opposite of the what happened here in Houston.

Houston Dynamo - tapped into large bunch of soccer fanatics of all stripes/backgrounds/nationalities/etc. who wanted to see quality soccer and/or the MLS come to town

Chivas USA - tapped into bunch of soccer fans who really wanted to support the real Chivas but live too far away, and for the most part would never have followed MLS otherwise because the Galaxy had already been there for a decade and they hadn't started yet. Their passion for this Chivas is related to how much it satisfies that need to feel like they're supporting the real Chivas.

Problem: This Chivas plays in MLS under an MLS salary cap with MLS rules limiting the number of foreign nationals to the roster. Therefore... I don't see how Chivas USA can be competitive long term if it limits itself to just players (even if we're just talking about the starting 11 or most of the starting 11) from Mexico or those who are citizens/legal residents of the United States that could claim at least for public relations/image purposes to be "Mexican-Americans." It's hard enough in the MLS to put together a roster of quality players to win week in/week out when you can bring in players from all over the world to supplement whatever players you can scrounge up here in the USA. So here's the catch 22. Unless MLS changes the rules and allows Chivas USA to have as many foreign players as they want on the roster Chivas USA can either 1) have a predominantly Mexican or Mexican-American roster - staying true to the real Chivas identity - and have a cruddy team in the process that can't compete for championships and people lose interest in because they stink, or 2) they can put the best team of field regardless of the ethnic/cultural/national background of the players and have the team feel less like the real Chivas to the fans who need them to feel more like the real Chivas to remain interested in them. But it seems to me they can't have it both ways unless the 5-7 best American-born Mexican-American soccer players in the world (and right now I couldn't even name who they are to be honest) ALL decide to go play for Chivas USA (and still keep the 1 or 2 world class Mexican players like they had last year).

Obviously, what they've been doing - and what I seem them continuing to do - is to try and have it both ways. They will put the best team on the field that they can regardless of ethnicity/nationality (high quality players like Ante Razov and Sacha Kljestan) so they can win some games, grab a handful of high quality/high profile Mexican players from the real Chivas (so they can win games AND appear more Mexican), throw in a handful of players with Hispanic-sounding surnames for appearances sake, and hope.

 

I wondered why no Lesion 1908 at the game too, apparently it was just as simple as MamiGoats were on TV at the same time vs. Atlas. Way to go, you hardcore supporters!...

 

That would probably have alot to do with the Chivas/Chivas USA fans here in the Houston area not showing up. But I got to thinking over lunch that what I was implying about Chivas USA fans (I'm talking about the fans in California who go to the games every week - not the ones here in Houston who are half a continent away from both LA and Guadalajara) in my pre-lunch posts wasn't totally fair. Regardless of why many people may have originally become Chivas USA fans (including many who did so only because they were fans of the original Chivas)... many are true die hards for Chivas USA now two years after its inception... especially those people that live in the LA area near the Home Depot Center who go the games in person... and they probably care just as much about their team as we do ours. While I still agree with Bandido that straying too far from the traditional Chivas identity would likely alienate a noticable chunk of the team's more casual fans who go watch the MLS version of the team to get their real Chivas fix... I'm sure that a large chunk of Chivas USA fans would continue to support their team (after having so for two full seasons now) no matter who was on the pitch. I guess the million dollar question now would be just how large would that chunk of people be?

Anyway... it also got me thinking... how great it would be if Chivas USA were to play the mother club in a meaningful competition (CCC/Superliga) at Home Depot Center... and how interesting it would be to see how many of the Chivas USA season ticket holders/regular supporters would still be in the stands rooting on their MLS side rather than the team from Guadalajara. That's a match I would not miss.

 

it's simple... la legion wasn't there on saturday because they were scared.

they know that they still owe us one for dressing in orange and stealing one of our banners. they knew this saturday was payback time that's why they didn't show up.

no competition to el batallon. chivas no existes hahaha

 

I honestly hope Chivas US gets sold and rebranded.
This is the US league, and to me, it makes me worry that they had the idea at the begining of using it as a sort of minor league for them. It hasnt happend that way, and fan support will hopefully dwindle till they decide to give up on it.

Other than that, no more rebranding!

 

Sorry, Mbean....Greñas has it right

 

I too thought it was strange not to see them at the game. It's always more fun when they are around...ditto with the FUFC yank-wannabes. I say we see how this season turns out. If the trend continues, I think they ought to be worried at that point. The thing about Chivas is that, with the way they are right now, they can only succeed in large Mexican population cities, and they are all taken (LA, Chicago, here, NY). If they rebrand and move, they will be essentially starting all over, which is bad for the league (great to get rid of this shitvas, though )

 

If I was Chivas USA I would call myself FC LA!!

 

Repped !!!! lololol