Chivas USA President Nelson Rodríguez Excited To Help MLS Club Rebound Following Sale, Rebranding

Despite missing out on the postseason in four-consecutive seasons, Chivas USA and newly appointed president Nelson Rodriguez remain positive about the future. Becoming a full-time member of Major League Soccer after former owner Jorge Vergara sold the team in February, the club will now look for success on the pitch as they prepare to open their season against the Chicago Fire. Chivas posted an unblemished record during the preseason and with the March 9 opener versus the Men in Red quickly approaching, Rodriguez says he’s up for the challenge of helping this franchise rebuild entering its 10^th season.

“I’m excited to be here,” the former MLS executive said. “I wanted to be here. There’s an arrogance in me and a belief that I can help a great staff achieve their own goals and start the turnaround. We haven’t made the playoffs in four years. Everything starts on the field. At the end of the day, Chivas USA is a soccer club. We need our product to be worthy of fans’ attention. [Coach] Wilmer has a practical approach and I’m grateful for that. The guys in the locker room deserve to be treated like the professionals that they are. We will be doing things in a first-class manner as we move forward.”

Boss Wilmer Cabrera and company will play one final season under the ‘Chivas USA’ name before the organization completes another portion of the rebranding stage and even though many don’t feel the club will be able to improve much following a last place finish in the Western Conference a year ago, the first-year manager says his side will be competitive, even if it means instilling a completely unique style of play. Cabrera also stated that replicating the brands of international powers such as Barcelona and Real Madrid will not be the ultimate goal.

“We should not look or expect us to play a brand of soccer such as Barcelona, Real Madrid or some of the other great clubs in the world,” Cabrera said. “What we should expect and what we will demand of our team is that they will be competitive. We will look to go to goal. We will not just sit and try to save results. We will pursue wins and in the process we hope to gain those.”

While Cabrera handles the action on the pitch, Chivas higher-ups were also happy to tell fans that the MLS club recently came to terms with a local ESPN Deportes Radio affiliate, a station that will air each regular season game. The team is also actively exploring opportunities with multiple television networks with the hopes of broadcasting each game through many outlets this season.