Wednesday, May 09, 2012
Sunday, November 28, 2010
Monday, October 04, 2010
Animosity between Chivas USA, Galaxy for real
Players promise Sunday's SuperClásico will be intense
CARSON, Calif. — There’s always a lot of hype surrounding the SuperClásico. People like to talk about how much Chivas USA and the Los Angeles Galaxy don’t like each other, about how brutal the game will be, and about how intense the rivalry is.
The thing is, those people are right. The Goats and the Galaxy don’t like each other. The games are brutal. The rivalry is real.
READ: Goats, Galaxy rekindle rivalry in SuperClásico
“These games are always a battle,” LA defender Omar Gonzalez said at a press conference on Friday afternoon. “We play in the same stadium, we practice on the same campus – we always want to beat each other.”
The Galaxy enter Sunday’s match with the best record in MLS and an assured place in the 2010 postseason. Chivas USA, meanwhile, sit in last place in the Western Conference and hold onto slim hopes of a fifth consecutive playoff appearance.
But none of that will matter for an hour and a half this weekend.
“These games are special in the sense that standings – where you are in the table – don’t really matter,” said Chivas USA left back Ante Jazic. “It’s just 90 minutes of battling and scrapping. We want to win this SuperClásico.”
The Goats haven’t been able to defeat the Galaxy since September of 2007, a statistic Chivas USA are eager to change and one that the Galaxy intend to uphold.
“This is my second year and I [I haven’t] lost to Chivas yet,” said Gonzalez. “I’d like to keep it that way.”
READ: Top 3 SuperClásicos
Chivas USA are especially keen to avenge their 2009 playoff expulsion at the hands of Los Angeles. The Red-and-White were pushed out thanks to a 3-2 aggregate score against the Galaxy.
“Being eliminated from the playoffs last year by the Galaxy was painful,” said Jazic. “The Galaxy definitely feel like they own the stadium and that Chivas are the tenants. For us, we’re still trying to earn that respect.”
Whatever the outcome of Sunday’s game, the match is likely to be a lively one. The SuperClásico never fails to disappoint when it comes to a tenacious game of soccer and an electric atmosphere.
“The atmosphere has a European flavor to it,” said Jazic. “Not just on the field, but in The Home Depot stands. Just the tension in the air is electric and everyone feels it. That’s special because it doesn’t happen often in MLS.”
Wednesday, September 01, 2010
Nagamura, Saragosa samba in Chivas' midfield...
Long-time Brazilian friends find chemistry, impenetrable vs. D.C.
CARSON, Calif. – They have known each other for 13 years and played together at three separate clubs in two different continents. They also speak the same language and call the same country home.
They are Paulo Nagamura and Marcelo Saragosa, and last Saturday evening, they were an impenetrable force in the center of the pitch for Chivas USA. The two Brazilians found instant chemistry in their first pairing of the 2010 season to help the Goats to a 1-0 victory over visiting D.C. United.
WATCH: MATCH HIGHLIGHTS
“It was good,” Nagamura said on Sunday. “Marcelo did a good job tonight, and that’s maybe one of the reasons why we scored an early goal.”
Nagamura has been a mainstay in Chivas USA’s central midfield since returning to the team this past July. The 27-year-old has been matched up with a number of different players so far this year, including Saragosa, Blair Gavin, Ben Zemanski and Michael Lahoud.
“I’ve played with three or four different guys in the middle,” Nagamura said. “But at the end of the day, it’s all about how we apply ourselves as a team.”
The starting nod was Saragosa’s seventh in a 2010 season that has seen him struggle to break into the Red-and-White’s starting XI.
“For me, it was great to get back into the first team and help earn the three points,” Saragosa said. “For the team, it’s a much-needed victory if we’re going to maintain any hope of making the playoffs. I have to keep working hard, keep my head on the field and stay ready for the chances that I get.”
Nagamura and Saragosa first met back in Brazil, where they both played in the youth system of São Paulo FC. They were then reunited in 2005 when they both played for the LA Galaxy.
“We were 14 or 15 [years old] when we first met,” said Nagamura. “I’m pretty familiar with Marcelo. We’ve known each other for a long time. We have a good relationship.”
Both players admit that their friendship off the field plays a huge role in their strong chemistry on it.
“We’ve worked together on the field a number of times and we like doing it,” said Saragosa. “Paulo is a great player and a great person, and we feel very comfortable playing together.”
It’s unclear whether Saragosa will continue to be the preferred midfield partner for Nagamura as the team travels to Seattle on Wednesday for its US Open Cup semifinal. But if the two continue to play as well as they did on Sunday evening, it’s a real possibility that Goats fans will be hearing Portuguese in central midfield for weeks to come.
“It was Portuguese in the middle of the field [on Sunday],” said Nagamura with a smile. “It’s good; people can’t understand what we’re saying. They think they do – but they don’t.”
http://www.cdchivasusa.com/news/2010/08/nagamura-saragosa-samba-chivas-midfield
Saturday, August 28, 2010
Thursday, August 05, 2010
Sunday, July 18, 2010
Saturday, July 17, 2010
Friday, June 11, 2010
Saragosa on Brazil's Chances
The World Cup is upon us, Chivas USA fans! I don’t know about you, but I am extremely excited to watch my home country Brazil play their first group match. Brazil is in what some call, “the group of death,” that includes the Ivory Coast, North Korea, and one of the World Cup favorites, Portugal. Although Brazil will be facing these strong teams, I think Brazil will do well and advance to the next round of the tournament.
The preparation matches Brazil had before the tournament showed that they’re ready to begin the World Cup, but their first round matchup against North Korea on June 15 is a tough one. I always consider the opposing team and how they stand, but I think Brazil is prepared to win. The first match is always one of the most important, because Brazil can get those first three points and go into the next match with that advantage.
Playing against Portugal is always difficult, but I hope Brazil can win. Portugal plays the same style of ‘futbol’ that Brazil plays, and they have good players like Cristiano Ronaldo and Deco so I think that will be the toughest match. Not to say that the Brazilian team doesn’t have talent; I know some guys on the team like Luis Fabiano, Julio Baptista and Kaka.
I can tell you a few things about Kaka, because we have been friends for years. Kaka is a good guy, an experienced player who brings a lot of to the national team. I think that Kaka, along with his teammates, will help Brazil win its sixth championship this year.
Aside from working as a team, Brazil needs to enter each match thinking about that specific game, not about future matches, like getting to the semifinal or final. Just like here in the MLS, Brazil needs to come into each match playing their game and focus on scoring the goals they need in order to move on to the next round.
Like many others, I can’t wait for the FIFA World Cup to begin tomorrow. It’s the event that every Brazilian gets excited about because soccer runs in our blood. I will be watching the matches in my house along with my family and friends having a good Brazilian BBQ. Wherever you are, I hope you get to enjoy the World Cup as well. Cheers!
Brazil needs to enter each match thinking about that specific game"
Marcel Saragosa
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