CARSON -- Chivas USA has been stung four times this year by late goals that cost it a win or a draw, so there was great enjoyment derived Wednesday night from getting a a winner near the finish. Juan Pablo Angel's looping, off-balance header from Jorge Villafana's cross in the 82nd minute delivered to the Goats a 2-1 victory over expansion Montreal, prodding them to within one point of fifth place following a performance that did much to alleviate the disappointment of last weekend's loss to Real Salt Lake.
CARSON -- Jorge Villafana celebrated his call-up to the U.S. Olympic qualifying roster Monday with 90 solid minutes in a friendly against the L.A. Blues. The Goats' 1-0 defeat at Home Depot Center's Track and Field Stadium couldn't knock the smile from his face.
The Chicago Fire split a pair of games Saturday morning at Oxnard College, bringing to an end a series of 20 preseason matches involving Major League Soccer clubs in Carson and Oxnard. Three more games were played in San Luis Obispo, and Chivas USA has a ticketed game Wednesday night in San Diego against Mexico's Club Tijuana.
CARSON -- The last time the Galaxy lost three in a row? Go back to the 2008 regular season, before Bruce Arena was deeply into the rebuild that would take the club to 2009 Western Conference title (and MLS Cup final), Supporters' Shields the past two seasons and last November's championship-game triumph.
CARSON -- Brian Ching's first game against his former Houston Dynamo teammates started with a warning. His one-time (and again) nemesis Bobby Boswell told him before kickoff: “Make sure you wear your shinguards.
CARSON -- Zarek Valentin was supposed to be Chivas USA's right back of the future -- that was the plan when the club used the fourth selection in last year's MLS SuperDraft to acquire the teenage defender.
CARSON -- Chivas USA's preparations for the 2012 season began with medical exams Sunday and moves onto good, old Field 6 at Home Depot Center on Monday morning, with head coach Robin Fraser welcoming a lot of new faces -- and not all of them, by any means, under contract.
Galaxy midfielder Michael Stephens, Chivas USA defender Jorge Villafana and departing UCLA star Kelyn Rowe are headed to Home Depot Center for a U.S. under-23 national team camp that begins Sunday. The U-23s, preparing for Olympic qualifying in March, will train at HDC until Jan.
American preparations for Olympic qualifying in March continue next week in Florida, and the roster U.S. under-23 national team coach Caleb Porter has selected includes one player each from the Galaxy and Chivas USA.
Major League Soccer's annual Generation adidas tour of Europe begins Monday, and the 18-man team Sporting Kansas City coach Peter Vermes will guide includes Zarek Valentin, who would still be part of Chivas USA if he were still in the Generation adidas program.
