In Guadalajara, Mexico, the immensely popular Chivas soccer club is known as a team for the people.
Los Angeles-based Chivas USA, one of two Major League Soccer expansion clubs this season, has been a team for few people.
“If you look at the numbers in the stands, you go, ‘Well, we have to be a little disappointed obviously, with so many Mexicans in this community,”‘ said Chivas USA coach Thomas Rongen as his team prepared for its first visit to Invesco Field at Mile High on Saturday when it will face the Rapids.
Hailed by Chivas owner Jorge Vergara and MLS officials as an unprecedented venture that would give the league entrance into a largely untapped Mexican-American community, the team’s impact probably won’t be felt for years.
Chivas USA is off to a 1-4-1 start. The team has averaged 14,027 fans in three home games, not including a sold-out game against the Los Angeles Galaxy, which shares the Home Depot Center with Chivas USA. Excluding the game against Chivas USA, the Galaxy (4-1-0) has averaged 22,375 spectators in three home games.
Chivas USA has drawn less than 20,000 total in two games outside Los Angeles while fellow expansion club Real Salt Lake (1-3-2) is averaging 20,770 at home and 14,921 on the road.
MLS deputy commissioner Ivan Gazidis said he didn’t expect overnight success.
Rongen said Chivas USA needs to import more high-profile players from Mexico to legitimatize the team in the community and avoid being typecast as “just a byproduct of Guadalajara that happens to play in MLS.”
MLS restricts the number of foreign players on a team’s roster. Each team is allowed four senior internationals 25 and older, while the two expansion teams were given six “discovery” players (younger than 25) of any nationality, which they can trade.
Midfield legend Ramon Ramirez, a veteran with Chivas and the Mexican national team, was brought to Chivas USA along with six youth players to put a face on the franchise.
One of those players, Hector Cuadros, 22, said Chivas USA needs time to fuse Chivas’ style with the faster, more physical MLS game.
“In Mexico, when you’re born, you already know who Chivas is, and you already know the players and everything,” Ramirez said. “We’re building and working towards that direction.”
Ramirez said even in the U.S. he feels the pride that comes from wearing the Chivas colors and said he believes fans will respond.
“For our people to approach this game and this team, they recognize quality,” Ramirez said. “So we need the victories in order to attract more of them, not only for the team, but also for the benefit of the league.”
Chivas supporter David Campos is the director of the Denver-based Guadalajara Soccer Club. Campos said several of his friends and family who don’t normally attend MLS matches are coming Saturday to check out Chivas USA.
“I need to see good soccer skills and that way I can follow Chivas USA, too,” Campos said.
“If the Rapids have better quality players and better soccer, I will follow the Rapids. I believe people here are doing the same in the Hispanic community.”
Chivas USA file
What: MLS expansion team in Los Angeles co-owned by Guadalajara’s Jorge Vergara, who owns Chivas, 10-time winners of Mexico’s top soccer division championships.
Where: Chivas USA will make its first appearance at Invesco Field at Mile High at 7 p.m. Saturday when it plays the Rapids.
Players from Mexico: Armando Begines, D; Hector Cuadros, M; Alfonso Loera, D; Francisco Mendoza, M; Ramon Ramirez, M; Isaac Romo, F; Martin Zuniga, GK.
