This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2014, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Carson, Calif. • A sunny Sunday afternoon could conceivably be Real Salt Lake's final visit to the StubHub Center to face the club not headlined by Landon Donovan, David Beckham or Robbie Keane. The reality is, RSL's 2005 Major League Soccer expansion brother-in-arms, Chivas USA, is likely to be bought by a new group of owners, dissolved and repurposed as an entirely new club sometime over the next two years.
Various in-depth reports from both SI.com and ESPNFC.com over the last two weeks have indicated that the Chivas brand will eventually evaporate in its entirety once the final game of the 2014 campaign — coincidentally, Oct. 22 at Rio Tinto Stadium against RSL — is in the books.
The Goats and the fan base have been subject to tumultuous times during the last decade. Originally created by Mexican powerhouse club Chivas de Guadalajara, Chivas USA has flailed in the last four seasons. The previous ownership group of Jorge Vegara and Angelica Fuentes sold off their rights to MLS when it became clear that the brand constructed to replicate what Guadalajara has in Mexico wasn't accomplishing that.
The league has since, according to multiple reports, entertained offers for Chivas, and according to Grant Wahl of SI.com has an ownership group likely lined up to pay roughly $100 million for the club. The group is reported to include Cardiff City owner Vincent Tan, Los Angeles Dodgers co-owner Peter Guber, venture capitalist Henry Nguyen and former NBA executive Tom Penn.
RSL midfielder Ned Grabavoy says he'll leave talk of Chivas' fate to the powers-that-be, but credits the organic growth of the league throughout North America for placing demand on each club to deliver a viable and entertaining product.
"There's a lot of cities in this country that are fighting tooth-and-nail to get a team and get a franchise," said Grabavoy, in his 11th season in MLS. "I think it's a wake-up call to any other city that if you don't do things right, the amount that this sport has grown in this country, there's cities that want teams badly and we've seen new teams come in now, have a big fan base, spend money, do the right things and build the right facilities to be successful."
Defender Chris Wingert remembers when he first came into MLS in 2004, breaking in with the Columbus Crew as a rookie. The league had just dissolved the Miami Fusion and Tampa Bay Mutiny. Uneasiness permeated throughout the league, but the league hit has since some home runs and entered the right markets for expansion.
"Give credit where credit's due," Wingert said. "They did a great job and they've picked and chosen the right places to expand: The Northwest, Philly, all these different places around the country that have been successful — that have not only helped those places, but the league as whole. Hopefully this is another case like that where it just got to the point where it wasn't working and we need to go in a different direction."
It's the signaling of both a maximum shift toward the future and moving on from a club that, upon its entrance in 2005, was a stout Western Conference contender. After going 4-22-6 in its inaugural campaign in 2005, Chivas USA qualified for the postseason four consecutive years from 2006 to 2009, winning a total of 50 matches during that stretch. RSL's first-ever postseason series win came against Chivas in 2008, advancing to the conference finals in a 3-2 aggregate win over the Goats.
Since, it's been hardships galore. The Goats have won 35 games over the course of the last four seasons, losing 88 dating to Sunday's hosting of RSL. One thing is clear: The future is murky for Chivas USA.
"Whatever happens there, I'm not quite sure," Grabavoy said, "but I think now, if anything, it's a good thing for the league."
Twitter: @chriskamrani —
Real Salt Lake at Chivas USA
O At Carson, Calif.
Kickoff • Sunday, 5 p.m.
TV • CW30
Radio • 700 AM
Records • RSL 13-7-10; Chivas USA 6-18-6
Last meeting • Chivas USA 1, RSL 0 (June 28)
About RSL • Enters Sunday's match 2-3-1 over its last six matches. … RSL will undoubtedly clinch a playoff berth with a win over Chivas USA on Sunday. … A victory would mark RSL's seventh straight postseason appearance. About Chivas USA • The Goats enter Sunday's match winless since their 3-1 win at Vancouver on July 12. … Chivas USA is 0-11-1 in its last 12 matches. … The club is tied for the worst record in MLS at 6-18-6, with just 24 points through 30 matches.