Sueño MLS '08 field down to 60 in LA

Chivas USA scouts select 60 talented young hopefuls from the 2,000 participants at last week's open tryouts at Bell Gardens Sports Center in Los Angeles, Calif.; The class of 60 return on March 1 for a chance to advance to the next round

if you are 18 years of age or younger and/or you are currently attending high school, please be aware that your best possible outcome, should you win Sueño MLS, would be a spot on one of the participating MLS development teams (Under-18, U-16). Such particpants will not be offered any type of pro contract. Good luck!.

NEW YORK -- Chivas USA and Major League Soccer have announced the names of the 60 talented young players who will move on to the next round of Sueño MLS: The Dream Continues, to be held March 1 in Bell Gardens, Los Angeles County, California. The 60 candidates were selected from a pool of 2,000 participants by an experienced team of Chivas USA scouts following four days of intense open tryouts at the Bell Gardens Sports Center. The group includes more than 40 participants from California, as well as players representing five other U.S. states (see list below).

"After some intense discussion, we've chosen these sixty players as the group we most want to see again on March 1," said Chivas USA Director of Soccer Dennis te Kloese. "It's not easy to stand out in a crowd of 2,000. Now, these young players have the opportunity to show their best in a high-pressure environment in hopes of making the Final 18."

Built by The Home Depot, Sueño MLS is a six-week long quest to find the best undiscovered young soccer player in the nation. Sueño MLS kicked off President's Weekend with four days of open tryouts at the Bell Gardens Sport Center, home to Chivas USA's academy and youth teams, in the city of Bell Gardens, Calif. Starting tomorrow, Feb. 22, the stage shifts to Pizza Hut Park in Frisco, Tex where four days of identical open tryouts will take place under the watchful eyes of the FC Dallas Coaching Staff and its scouts.

Following the Round of 60, "The Final 18" of each team will be selected and subsequently compete on the weekends of March 8 and March 15 for a chance to train with the respective MLS team, and possibly earn a roster spot.

Unlike the open tryouts, where each player had only one hour to impress scouts, the Round of 60 will include a longer tryout, assuring that each participant gets a closer look.

Saturday's Final 60 will once again take the field at the Bell Gardens Sports Center, located at 8000 Park Lane, Bell Gardens, CA 90201. The media and public are invited to attend; complete event details will be announced next week.

Sueño MLS returns to Republica Deportiva every Sunday at 11 a.m. ET (10:00 a.m. CT; 12 Noon PT) in what can be termed as a unique "reality show within a show" format. The show will culminate with the announcement of the Sueño MLS winner on Sunday, March 30, just hours before the start of the MLS season on Univision network TeleFutura between FC Dallas and Chivas USA live from Pizza Hut Park at 3 p.m. ET (2:00 p.m. CT; 12 Noon PT).

Roster of 60 (by alphabetical order of first name):

* The following walk-up participants were selected to move on to the next round but submitted incomplete or incorrect information to the coaching staff: Giovani Arbueta (17, M), Rudy Bailon (19, M), Gerson Blanco (19, Palencia, CA), Omar Cordia (17, M), Marcus Chorvat (26, M), John Lopez (16, F), Humberto Negrete (17, M), Brian Orta (15, M), Kevin Orta (17, M), Martin Ortiz(17, M), Michael Moreno (15, M), Jose Luis Rovez (16, F), William Velázquez (18, F)

SUEÑO MLS KEY DATES:

March 1: Training for 60 Finalists (both cities)
March 8-9: Training for "The Final 18" (both cities)
March 15: "Final 18" Trial Game (both cities)
March 17-23: Two-week trial with Chivas USA and FC Dallas
March 30: Announcement of winners on República Deportiva

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