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 four seasons in MLS. In 2008, the Mexican-owned club finished second in the Western Conference, qualifying for the playoffs for the third year in a row to the delight of its passionate supporters.

Chivas USA is sister team to Club Deportivo Guadalajara, popularly known as Chivas, Mexico's most beloved soccer club. As the only wholly Mexican-owned team in major professional sports in the United States, Chivas USA brings a 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 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 Club Deportivo Guadalajara, Mexico's most beloved soccer club. Chivas USA shares the Chivas commitment to promoting young talent 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.

Since debuting as a Major League Soccer club in 2005, Chivas USA has made great strides, qualifying for the MLS Cup playoffs in 2006. The following seasons brought even more success, as Chivas USA ended the 2007 regular season with a 15-7-8 record, good for first place in the Western Conference, and finished 2008 in second place in the West at 12-11-7, earning a spot in the playoffs for the third consecutive season.

Chivas USA players and coaches have earned several individual awards, including 2006 Gatorade Rookie of the Year Jonathan Bornstein of 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. Chivas USA picked up a second straight MLS Coach of the Year award in 2007, as first-year manager Preki captured the honor. Goalkeeper Brad Guzan was named MLS Goalkeeper of the Year and Best XI in 2007 after a superb season in which he recorded 13 shutouts. In 2008, midfielder Sacha Kljestan was named to MLS Best XI, and was also honored as the U.S. Soccer Young Male Athlete of the Year.

• 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. The Chivas USA Under-18 and Under-16 teams compete, free of cost to the players, in the prestigious U.S Soccer Development Academy, a nationwide youth development initiative, organized by the U.S. Soccer Federation, featuring 74 of the top youth teams in the country competing in a league system. The Under-15 team is also free of cost to players. These three teams have already helped to develop several players who have graduated from the club's youth ranks to its professional 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, 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.

• 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 L.A. with Chivas USA.' The team also brought its training sessions to the fans through its Practice in the Community series, in which the team holds practices at several locations throughout the Los Angeles area.

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 and club President and CEO Shawn Hunter. Chivas USA is owned by Mexican investors Jorge Vergara Madrigal, owner of Club Deportivo Guadalajara, and 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.