Eulogy for Chivas USA

Chivas USA: a club that was supposed to capture the immense Latino population of Los Angeles, and make them as an alternative to the posh-sounding LA Galaxy. The club has been through some highs and some lows, most notably losing in the Western Conference Semifinals in all of the years they made the MLS playoffs. They have one of the best MLS affiliated academies, but they failed to capture the LA market in the way they wanted to. This is not normally a political blog, but it must be said that politics is the main reason for the unpopularity of Chivas to the intended market. Firstly, the name, without anyone knowing at the time, would alienate all Latinos who aren't Chivas Guadalajara fans, or fans of any other Mexican team. Chivas owner Jorge Vergara has come out multiple times and said that Chivas USA was supposed to be the MLS team for Latinos to come and work. They're the only team to have a website all in Spanish with Spanish-speaking beat reporters and the like. However, there was a news story from a fair bit ago about Chivas being sued for discrimination due to firing certain staff members for their inability to speak Spanish, which was definitely a black mark on the team, and also on MLS. Despite not being the biggest MLS fan (for other reasons if you've read my previous posts), I'm glad that this experiment is over. It will allow the league with its new investors to begin LA2 with a fresh clean slate and a (hopefully) vibrant base with which to draw fans. Lastly, I would like to make a special mention to the Chivas supporters group The Black Army for their unwavering support of their team even through such difficult times. I hope that when the LA2 investors come out to LA, they will have a sit-down with all of you to figure out your best solution. It's not my place to come up with a solution, but for your sake, I hope the investors have their ears open to your ideas for branding, marketing, and merchandise. If the rumors are true that Vincent Tan will get involved, then I hope that at least one of you is a Cardiff supporter so you can get the "Tan Out" banners ready.