Showing posts with label MLS shirts. Show all posts

#41 Chivas USA (Home, 2008/2009)



Chivas USA is probably one of the best examples when it comes to the differences between soccer in the States and football pretty much elsewhere. Imagine you own one of the most successful clubs in Mexico... Next step? To put it also in the Major League Soccer! No promotion needed, you're straight into the main league. Nice move, I guess.

So that's what happenned. Jorge Madrigal, Chivas Guadalajara owner, thought it'd be a great idea to invest in the growing american league, so he started Chivas USA, based in Los Angeles. The team never got brilliant results (yet), but one can say they're a decent side in the MLS.


Funny thing is that Chivas USA actually do not have a single mexican player this season. It'd be predictable they'd not only look for some mexican talent to send there, but also would loan some younger players from Guadalajara to the USA outfit. They never did, and actually there never seems to be a connection between both clubs apart from the name, the colours and the owners. They do have (and had) some talented players with them: Juan Pablo Angel, Francisco Palencia, Bornstein or Claudio Suarez. And they once were coached by Bob Bradley, surely a good manager.

They were also blessed with the talent of Zach Thornton, a huge goalkeeper that spent a few months with Benfica but failed to make any appearence. Crazy times.


CD Chivas USA obviously shares the crest of Chivas Guadalajara.



They use this cool red-and-white striped kit, which is the same as the mexican and original Chivas:


The USA one actually has a cool design, nice job by Adidas. I think they still sponsor every single team in the MLS, and actually sometimes you do find some quite cool kits in american soccer. Mine was a nice eBay finding, it was used but in almost mint condition, and also great price. I've been trying to get more american clubs kits, but they're either quite expensive or the shipping is absurdly overpriced. Unfortunetly quite normal these days on eBay.



They are not doing really well this season, but eh, who cares? They won't be relegated anyway. That's a really unfair systeam over there if you ask me. I guess it makes sense in the USA, but it's hard to imagine a league where your failure has no consequences at all.

Axel Torres once said football has to be democratic, and stated:

In football it has to be possible that if a team wins every single game in the next 6 or 7 years, they'll be crowned as champions in the top league.

Makes sense indeed. Something that does not happen in the MLS or the A-League, for example. Hope that changes soon.
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#1 Los Angeles Galaxy (Away Shirt, 2006)


This was one of the first shirts i bought, back in 2006 or 2007. I bought it in New York. I spent a few weeks in the US with my parents (and my younger brother), and while i was there, i was desperatly looking for a nice shirt from an american club.

The funny thing is that LA Galaxy weren't popular back then. Well, at least not in Europe. Beckham was still playing in Real Madrid, so you wouldn't read much news about them here in Portugal. To be honest, i guess most people didn't even know there was a team named LA Galaxy. Which is a pretty cool name for a football (not soccer, my dear american friends) team, like almost every other team name in the US. Houston Dynamo, Chicago Fire, Colorado Rapids, San Jose Earthquakes, Kansas City Wizards... Fuck yeah. If i was a football player, i wouldn't want to play against teams that proudly call themselves "Earthquakes". 

Anyway, so I was walking around in NY, and everytime i saw a sports shop, i'd get in and ask for some american "soccer" football jerseys. And everytime i'd have the same answer: "uh, we don't have any, i think it'll be pretty hard to find those". "Not even something from NY Metrostars?", i'd ask. "Nah", they'd say. Not cool. Back then, soccer was not unknown to them, but people didn't know much about local clubs, and didn't pay much attention to the MLS. Beckham wasn't there yet, remember? And their national team wasn't brilliant either. I think things are a bit different know, and I bet it wouldn't be a problem to find a LA Galaxy shirt in NY.

Ok, back to the purchase story. So, i was walking around in some obscure NY area, and there was this huge Adidas store. I went there to have a look, but I wasn't actually hoping things would be different there. I was wrong! There were like 7 or 8 shirts there, mostly away shirts. One of those shirts was this one.


It's a pretty cool shirt, in my opinion. Definitly the best among those i could choose from. As you can see, it still has the old Galaxy crest. Also, the legendary Cobi Jones played for them for quite a few years, so my first instinct was obviously to buy this one. 
Here's Cobi Jones playing for Galaxy. Nice hair, Cobi. He looks like a young Henrik Larsson.

So, a few years later Beckham joined LA Galaxy, and their name was on the headlines. I hope my shirt is now more valuable because of that.





A few days later i went to Washington, and i actually saw a DC United shirt for sale. It was way too big for me, though. XXL, i believe. Freddy Adu was their star back then. That's how i know it was a long time ago: Adu was still a promising youngster. 



More to come soon.
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