Zach Thornton is an American former soccer player who is goalkeeping coach for Chicago Fire FC. A goalkeeper, he spent 16 seasons in Major League Soccer with the New York/New Jersey MetroStars (1996–97), Chicago Fire (1998–2006), Colorado Rapids (2007), New York Red Bulls (2008) and Chivas USA (2008–11). He was the starting goalkeeper for the Fire when it won MLS Cup '98 in its inaugural year. He, Chris Armas, and C. J. Brown are the only three Fire players to be a part of all six of the club's domestic championships from 1998 through 2006.
Simon John Elliott is a New Zealand football manager and former player who most recently served as head coach of USL Championship side Sacramento Republic FC. A defensive midfielder, he spent his professional career in the |A-League, the |MLS and the Premier League. At international level, he made 69 appearances for the New Zealand national team, scoring 6 goals.
Jorge Carlos Vergara Madrigal was a Mexican businessman and film producer. He was the founder of the multi-level marketing company Grupo Omnilife. In addition to its health products business, Grupo Omnilife owns the football club C.D. Guadalajara. Vergara was also owner of Costa Rican football team Saprissa (2003–2011) and Major League Soccer club Chivas USA (2004–2014).
Tony James Lochhead is a New Zealand former professional footballer who appeared with the New Zealand men's national football team.
Míchael Umaña Corrales is a Costa Rican former professional footballer who played as a defender. He made over 100 appearances for the Costa Rica national team.
Martin Roberto Zúñiga Hernandez, better known as "El Pulpo" Zúñiga, is a Mexican professional soccer game analyst, sports anchor and former Major League Soccer goalkeeper. He is most recognized for his involvement in 1st division Mexican Soccer or Liga MX and MLS. He was capped with the Mexico national football team. Martin retired from the league in 2005 after consecutive knee injuries. He is sought after for his expert MLS analytics, currently serving as an analyst and host for Fox Deportes.
Ante Jazić is a Canadian retired soccer player.
Paulo Roberto Corradi Nagamura is a Brazilian former professional footballer and coach who is currently an assistant coach with Major League Soccer club Chicago Fire. He spent most of his playing career in MLS, where he won two MLS Cups and three U.S. Open Cups.
Wílmer Cabrera Linares is a Colombian former football defender and coach. He previously coached for Chivas USA and Houston Dynamo, as well as the United States men's national under-17 soccer team. During his playing career, Cabrera played as a right back for clubs in the Colombian league and the Colombia national team, representing the country at the 1998 FIFA World Cup.
Jonathan Rey Bornstein is an American professional soccer player who plays as a left-back. He has captained and made 38 appearances for the United States national team. In addition to also playing for Chivas USA in Major League Soccer, he has played in Liga MX and in the Israeli Premier League. He won a silver medal with Team USA at the 2005 Maccabiah Games, in Israel.
The SuperClasico, formerly known as the Honda SuperClasico for sponsorship reasons, and also known as the L.A. Derby or El Clásico Angelino, was a sports rivalry between LA Galaxy and Chivas USA. The rivalry ended in 2014 when Chivas ceased operations. The word "SuperClasico" is an allusion to the Mexican Súper Clásico between Club América and the former Chivas USA's parent club Chivas Guadalajara.
Daniel Hoffard Kennedy is an American former professional soccer player who played as goalkeeper.
Chivas USA was an American professional soccer team that was based in the Los Angeles suburb of Carson, California. The club played from 2005 to 2014 in Major League Soccer (MLS) and was a subsidiary of Mexican club C.D. Guadalajara, sharing common ownership and branding.
Laurent Courtois is a French former professional footballer who is currently the head coach of CF Montréal of Major League Soccer.
Walter Ricardo Vílchez Soto is a Peruvian former footballer who last played for Comerciantes Unidos in the Segunda División Peruana.
Gerson Levi Mayen Villavicencio is a professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Primera División club Águila. Born in the United States, he plays for the El Salvador national team at international level.
Since its creation in 1996, Major League Soccer, the highest level of professional soccer in the United States, has had three teams cease operations—the Tampa Bay Mutiny, the Miami Fusion, and Chivas USA. The two Florida-based teams ceased playing after the 2001 season as a result of the league's financial situation, and Chivas USA folded after the 2014 season with plans to rebrand and move to a stadium in downtown Los Angeles. All three situations involved league ownership of the clubs and executive decisions to maintain the viability and competitiveness of the league.
Santa Ana Stadium, also known as Eddie West Field or the Santa Ana Bowl, is a city-owned and operated 9,000-capacity American football and soccer stadium located in downtown Santa Ana. The field was named after Eddie West, a writer for the Orange County Register and tireless supporter of the Santa Ana College Dons and all Orange County sports.
Soccer has enjoyed longstanding popularity in Los Angeles. As of 2023, Los Angeles County has three top-level professional teams. The LA Galaxy and Los Angeles FC play in Major League Soccer, and Angel City FC plays in the National Women's Soccer League. The Greater Los Angeles area is also home to one 2nd division professional team, Orange County SC, of the USL Championship, and four 3rd division professional teams, LAFC2 and LA Galaxy II, of MLS Next Pro, and Los Angeles Force and California United Strikers FC of the National Independent Soccer Association. There are also many semi-professional clubs and leagues including the United Premier Soccer League, SoCal Premier League and National Premier Soccer League, among others. In 2019, two more professional teams, Cal FC and California United Strikers FC joined a new, unsanctioned, professional league called the NPSL Founders Cup They both later left, with Cal FC joining the United Premier Soccer League.
