Five Sueño MLS finalists named for LA
Chivas USA scouts select five talented young hopefuls following trial game between Sueño 'Final 18' and the Chivas USA U-16s at The Home Depot Center.; Sueño MLS '08 Finalists to train over the next two weeks with Chivas USA U-16's before winner is announced March 30 live from Frisco, Texas
The five youngsters, who hail from California and Nevada and range in age from 15 to 17, are listed below:
Sueño MLS 2008: Roster of Finalists (5) for Chivas USA:
(in alphabetical order by last name)
| Name | Age | Position | Hometown | NOTES |
| Alonso Lara | 16 | GK | Livingston, CA | Michoacán, Mex. native admires FCB GK Víctor Valdés |
| Juan Moreno | 17 | MF | Compton, CA | Mexican-American admires Mexico's Rafa Márquez |
| Servando Perez | 17 | MF | Guadalupe, CA | Midfielder admires Chivas' Omar Bravo |
| Briant Reyes | 16 | MF | Downey, CA | Salvadoran-American MF admires Brazil's Robinho |
| Daniel Sánchez | 15 | FW | Las Vegas, NV | Young NV Devils standout made 5-hr trek from Las Vegas |
All five Finalists have been invited to train over the next two weeks with the Chivas USA U-16 Team, which competes in the prestigious U.S. Soccer Development Academy and is coached by former Chivas de Guadalajara players Samuel Rivas and Miguel Ramos. The two Sueño MLS Finalists from the Los Angeles area, Juan Moreno (Compton, Calif.) and Briant Reyes (Downey, Calif.), will begin training with the Chivas USA U-16's on Monday, March 17 at the Bell Gardens Sports Center in Bell Gardens, Los Angeles County, Calif., with training sessions on Monday, Wednesday and Thursday from 7-9 p.m. PT. Meanwhile, the three out-of-town players, Alonso Lara (Livingston, Calif., 300 mi. from LA), Servando Pérez (Guadalupe, Calif., 200 mi. from LA) and Daniel Sánchez (Las Vegas, Nev., 275 mi. from LA), will also train over the next two weeks with the U-16's, albeit under a modified schedule.
While the Five Finalists listed above have advanced from the 'Final 18', five other youngsters will be given additional opportunities through their participation in Sueño MLS. Forward John López (Mission Hills, Calif.), midfielder Heriberto Negrete (San Jacinto, Calif.) and defender Martin Torres (Bakersfield, Calif.) will be invited to train with the Chivas USA U-18 Team, coached by Sacha van der Most and Refugio Mancilla, this summer ahead of the U.S. Soccer Development Academy's 2008-09 season. Likewise, goalkeeper Henry Meléndez of Victorville, Calif. has been invited to train, effective immediately, with the nearby Chivas USA Soccer Academy in San Bernardino, Calif., while midfielder Santiago Castaño (Provo, Utah) has been recommended by Chivas USA to the youth development program of fellow MLS club Real Salt Lake.
After the two-week trial, the Sueño MLS 2008 Winners, one from Los Angeles, one from Dallas, will be announced live on Univision's República Deportiva on Sunday, March 30, just hours before the start of the MLS season on Univision's sister network TeleFutura between FC Dallas and Chivas USA from Pizza Hut Park at 3 p.m. ET (2:00 p.m. CT; 12 Noon PT).
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. on the weekend beginning on Feb. 22, the stage shifted to Pizza Hut Park in Frisco, Tex. where four days of identical open tryouts took place under the watchful eyes of the FC Dallas Coaching Staff and its scouts. This past Saturday in both Frisco and Los Angeles, each club's scouts watched as the 18 finalists players played in the trial game.
Sueño MLS returns to República 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).
SUEÑO MLS KEY DATES (Los Angeles & Dallas):
March 17 - 23: Two-week trial for Finalists with Chivas USA and FC Dallas (Chivas USA Finalists to train at Bell Gardens Sports Center, 8000 Park Lane, Bell Gardens, Calif. 90201)March 30: Announcement of two Winners (one Dallas, one Los Angeles) on República Deportiva
