Chivas USA

Chivas USA
Full nameClub Deportivo Chivas USA
Nickname(s)The Goats, Los Rojiblancos (The Red-and-White)
FoundedAugust 2, 2004; 19 years ago (2004-08-02)
DissolvedOctober 27, 2014; 9 years ago (2014-10-27)
StadiumStubHub Center
Carson, California
Capacity27,000 (2005–11)
18,800 (2011–12)[1]
LeagueMajor League Soccer

Chivas USA (pronounced CHEE-vahs) was an American professional football club that was based in the Los Angeles suburb of Carson, California. The club played from 2005 to 2014 in Major League Soccer (MLS) and was a subsidiary of Mexican club C.D. Guadalajara, sharing common ownership and branding.[2]

The club was the eleventh MLS team upon its entry into the league in 2004. Chivas USA was intended to be seen as a "little brother" to its parent club C.D. Guadalajara, one of the most widely supported and successful teams in Mexico. Chiva is Latin American Spanish for "goat", seen as a tough and resilient animal in Mexico, and is the nickname of C.D. Guadalajara.

Chivas USA played its home games at the StubHub Center in Carson, which it shared with its rival, the LA Galaxy. The club was originally owned by Antonio Cue and Jorge Vergara, who also owned C.D. Guadalajara. In 2014, MLS purchased the club from Vergara with plans to sell to new owners.[3]

The club ceased operations after the 2014 regular season and played their final match on October 26, 2014.[4] That same year, MLS awarded a new expansion team in the Los Angeles area under a new ownership group. They began play as Los Angeles FC in 2018; LAFC does not share any history or records from Chivas USA.[5][6][7]

  1. ^ French, Scott (March 10, 2012). "CHIVAS USA: A more intimate HDC – Soccer Blog – ESPN Los Angeles". Espn.go.com. Retrieved August 30, 2012.
  2. ^ "El noveno proyecto de Chivas USA en Futbolteca -". Archived from the original on June 29, 2013. Retrieved August 5, 2013.
  3. ^ "Chivas USA to suspend operations after MLS season, sources say". ESPNFC.com. September 29, 2014. Retrieved October 1, 2014.
  4. ^ Maurer, Pablo; Stejskal, Sam (October 27, 2020). "The short life and long death of Chivas USA". The Athletic. Retrieved February 14, 2024.
  5. ^ Baxter, Kevin (April 27, 2018). "How LAFC rose from the ashes of Chivas USA and aims to be the team of Los Angeles". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved February 14, 2024.
  6. ^ LAFC. "History | LAFC.com". LAFC. Retrieved May 29, 2024.
  7. ^ LAFC. "Records | LAFC.com". LAFC. Retrieved May 29, 2024.