It’s been a little while since anyone’s talked about Chivas USA, hasn’t it?
It only makes sense, considering that the club has been out of existence for almost eight months now and Major League Soccer has two expansion outfits garnering widespread attention.
But last weekend there were not one, but two moments, the second of which my limited skills sadly could not GIF-ify, involving Chivas USA alumni that fittingly represent the highs and lows that the fans of the roller coaster of a club endured over 10 seasons.
The “We scored some pretty nice goals” High:
And the “The verbal torment from fans we suffered was like a kick in the face every day for almost five years” Low (click to watch, my apologies).
And it was these two moments that got me wondering: how well have members of Chivas USA’s final roster fared so far in 2015?
*Note- this article is focused only on ex-Chivas USA players currently in Major League Soccer. My apologies to any Oswaldo Minda fans out there that this disappoints. You’ll have to console yourselves by watching Jamison Olave, Aurelien Collin, and the rest of MLS’ remaining card magnets.*
Background:
Chivas USA officially announced they were ceasing operations on October 27, 2014. On November 19, 2014, a “Dispersal Draft” was conducted to re-allocate old Chivas players, with players left unselected to go through either the Re-Entry or Waiver Draft process.
Because his loan to Chivas USA and MLS from C.D. Guadalajara had expired, Erick “Cubo” Torres, scorer of 15 goals and often sole reason Chivas was worth watching, was not made available in the draft. As a result, 2012 MLS All-Star starting goalkeeper (and sole reason Chivas was worth watching pre-Torres) Dan Kennedy was the most coveted player up for grabs.
The draft lottery was won by the side that arguably needed a goalkeeper the least in FC Dallas, but they took Kennedy regardless. Only six other players were taken, as 13 out of 20 clubs opted not to take any Chivas players.
Since the Expansion Draft:
As of June 12, four of the seven players taken in the Chivas USA Dispersal Draft (Dan Kennedy of FC Dallas, Matthew Dunn and Thomas McNamara* of New York City FC, and Donny Toia of the Montreal Impact) have played at least one minute in Major League Soccer.
Marco Delgado has yet to see any action for Toronto FC. Kristopher Tyrpak was picked by the San Jose Earthquakes but was ultimately waived and signed by the USL’s Austin Aztex. Caleb Calvert is still owned by the Colorado Rapids but has been out on loan to their USL affiliate, the Charlotte Independence.
*McNamara was originally taken by D.C. United in the Dispersal Draft, but was later acquired by NYCFC in the Expansion Draft. Talk about draftception, huh?*
The Best of The Rest:
Six players not taken in the Dispersal Draft have ultimately found their way back into Major League Soccer so far in 2015. Nathan Sturgis was selected by the Houston Dynamo in Stage Two of the Re-Entry Draft. Three others, Montreal’s Nigel Reo-Coker, San Jose’s Leandro Barrera, and Colorado’s Bobby Burling, were acquired in the Waiver Draft.
The other two players, Toronto’s Eriq Zavaleta and Orlando City SC’s Eric Avila, were special cases. Zavaleta had spent 2014 on loan at Chivas from the Seattle Sounders. Chivas’ folding didn’t really have any effect on Zavaleta, as he was going to be heading back to Seattle regardless. In September of 2014 it was reported that Avila had been sold in principle to Liga MX side Santos Laguna, but he finished the season with Chivas because the Mexican transfer window had yet to open. It is unclear whether the sale had been finalized, or if teams were allowed to take him in the Dispersal Draft (Torres was the only player who the league confirmed to be unavailable in the draft). Regardless, the sale ended up going through, but Avila is now with Orlando on a one-year loan.
The Stats:
Have a look at the infographic I drew up below. In terms of minutes, Chivas alumni clearly aren’t seeing the pitch that often. Going hand-in-hand with that is the fact that they aren’t getting points. Save for Kennedy, most of Chivas’ defensive players have surprisingly performed the best in terms of overall ratings.
Of course, the season is still young, and the prodigal son with the head shaped like a cube still hasn’t made his debut in Houston Dynamo orange. Make sure to check back at season’s end for when I do an updated look at the performance of the ex-members of Chivas USA.
The Last Word:
Just as was the case last year, my summer job duties are calling me.
To all who read me, thanks. I hope the thoughts in my head translate nicely onto your screens.
To the rest of the Last Word Soccer Club, it’s been a blast this year. This thing has come a long way from when I jumped on board, and I know we can all keep it going in that direction. Aside from Pick ‘Em my activities this summer are next to none, so don’t break anything while I’m gone.
Until next time everyone. Keep on loving this game.
Main Photo:
