Founded on August 2, 2004, as Major League Soccer's then-eleventh team, Los Angeles-based Club Deportivo Chivas USA has achieved remarkable success in just three seasons in MLS. In 2007, the Mexican-owned club finished first in the Western Conference, qualifying for the playoffs for the second year in a row to the delight of its passionate supporters.

Chivas USA is sister team to the famed Club Deportivo Guadalajara, popularly known as Chivas, Mexico's most beloved soccer club. As the only Mexican-owned team in major professional sports in the United States, Chivas USA brings a boldly different approach to the American sports landscape, centered on five core values:

• Passion: Chivas USA, its players, employees and fans, embody the true passion of soccer, the world's greatest sport.

Chivas USA's fans, led by the team's largest fan club, Legión 1908 - whose Los Angeles chapter boasts over 1,000 members - are among the most passionate and colorful not only in Major League Soccer but in all the soccer-loving world. Chivas supporters create a uniquely vibrant, family-friendly soccer atmosphere wherever the team plays.

• Chivas Heritage: Chivas USA proudly celebrates its special ties to sister team Club Deportivo Guadalajara, Mexico's most popular soccer club.

Chivas USA is sister team to the famed Club Deportivo Guadalajara, popularly known as Chivas, Mexico's most beloved soccer club. Chivas USA shares the Chivas commitment to promoting young players and celebrating its Mexican soccer heritage. Chivas USA's uniform bears the same vertical red-and-white stripes of Club Deportivo Guadalajara, worn with blue shorts and blue socks.

• Competitiveness: Chivas USA strives to win championships and succeed in all aspects of its business.

Following the team's inaugural year in Major League Soccer (2005), in which Chivas USA set the all-time standard for corporate sponsorship of an MLS club, 2006 and 2007 saw great improvements on the field, as Chivas USA finished third in the Western Conference with a record of 10-13-9 (W-L-T) and qualified for the MLS Cup playoffs for the first time. The following season brought even more success, as Chivas USA ended the regular season with a 15-7-8 record, good for a second consecutive playoff berth ant first place in the Western Conference.

Chivas USA players and coaches have earned several on-field awards in the past two years, including 2006 Gatorade Rookie of the Year Jonathan Bornstein, a local product from Los Alamitos, California, as well as Bob Bradley, who won 2006 MLS Coach of the Year honors before being tapped as the manager of the U.S. National Team. A second straight MLS Coach of the Year award headed to Chivas USA in 2007, as first-year manager Preki captured the honor. Goalkeeper Brad Guzan was named MLS Goalkeeper of the Year in 2007 after a superb season in which he recorded 13 shutouts.

• Inspiration: Chivas USA provides opportunities to young people on and off the playing field, helping them grow into the soccer stars and leaders of tomorrow.

Chivas USA is committed to nurturing the best soccer talent in Southern California through its groundbreaking youth development program. Under the guidance of Director of Soccer Dennis te Kloese, Chivas USA is growing its stars of the future at the $10 million Bell Gardens Sports Center in the nearby city of Bell Gardens (Los Angeles County, California), where the region's top players participate in Chivas USA's Under-18, -16 and -15 Youth Teams free of cost. Chivas USA's efforts have already borne fruit, as in the past three seasons, several players have graduated from the club's youth ranks to its 28-man roster.

In addition, Chivas USA offers soccer instruction, for an annual fee, to players 5 to 15 years old at the Chivas USA Soccer Academies in Bell Gardens and San Bernardino, which are run by a staff of professional coaches using the same training methods as Chivas USA's first team and sister team Club Deportivo Guadalajara. Registration for the Academy is held on an annual basis and the club's youth teams hold monthly tryouts in search of the best talent.

The team also brings soccer to the community through unique programs, such as 'Sueño MLS', a unique nationwide player search - organized for the first time in conjunction with Major League Soccer in February 2007 - in which several players, including eventual winner Jorge Flores of Anaheim, California, earned spots on Chivas USA's U-19 and U-17 teams. Flores ended the 2007 season on the senior roster of Chivas USA, and made his MLS debut on September 9, 2007, against the New York Red Bulls.

• Community: Chivas USA stands at the heart of the community, building alliances through soccer while reaching out to those in need.

Chivas USA's commitment to the community is seen through the team's numerous community programs - including fundraisers, blood drives, ticket donations, hospital visits and numerous grassroots appearances - spearheaded by the Fundación Chivas de Corazón USA, the team's nonprofit foundation.

In 2008, Chivas USA also started a series of soccer clinics throughout Los Angeles County in a program entitled 'Kick-it at the Park LA with Chivas USA.' Throughout 2008, Chivas will offer clinics for up to 600 community youth ages 5-15 at 40 different sites. A $5 fee per individual per clinic entitled each participant to 90 minutes of instruction by Chivas USA coaches, a soccer ball, a Chivas USA clinic T-shirt, one voucher for a free Chivas USA game ticket, and a certificate of completion.

Based at The Home Depot Center - a world-class soccer stadium and multi-sport facility located on the campus of California State University, Dominguez Hills in the city of Carson, Los Angeles County, California - Chivas USA is a subsidiary of Chivas USA Enterprises LLC, which is led by Cué, President and CEO Shawn Hunter. The club is owned by Mexican entrepreneurs Jorge Vergara Madrigal, owner of Club Deportivo Guadalajara, and business partner Antonio Cué Sánchez-Navarro.

Chivas USA invites all fans, players and supporters to celebrate the passion of the world's greatest sport. Additional information on Chivas USA is available by calling 1-877-CHIVAS-1 or via the club's official website, www.cdchivasusa.com.