Great Deal: Chivas USA Season Tix

LA-area MLS fans: Chivas USA has partnered with Groupon to offer the following deal:

Full-Season SIDELINE seats: $140!

Offer expires on February 13.

In addition, one of our favorite SGs, Black Army 1850, has season tix at $135. Tickets for the supporters’ group are available until sold out.

If you haven’t hopped on the MLS bandwagon, this is a great opportunity to do so on the cheap and I highly suggest you take advantage of it!

With Enemies Like These…

…you start to wonder if you’re supporting the wrong side.

You see, I am a Los Angeles Galaxy fan.  Before Beckham.  Before the Home Depot Center.  Before our first championship star.  At the beginning of Cobi, Cienfuegos and Hartman, the Rose Bowl, and multiple MLS Cup heartbreaks – I was there.

In short: I bleed teal/green/blue-and-gold.

So when a new tenant entered our hallowed soccer cathedral and set down stakes to claim a portion of its halls as their own, an instant rivalry was – no, not born – thrust upon us.  The very presence of Chivas USA in “Our City, Our Home” was a call to arms.

And as an ardent Galaxy supporter, I am obligated to show our cross-town/same-stadium rivals, Chivas USA, and their fans as little love as possible.  Very.  Little.  Love.  Ever.

Because, Chivas. Because.

Yankees have Red Sox. Dodgers have Giants.  Sounders have Timbers.  And Galaxy has Chivas USA (and Steven Lenhart.)

And while the league standings in recent years has kept the gameday match-ups from reaching the contentious fever pitch it has in years past, the rivalry’s fires are kept stoked for the next time a meeting counts for more than just bragging rights.  While they may be remiss to admit it, many Angelinos are secretely grateful to have an in-town rivalry, one that has the potential to polarize the City of Angels in the fashion seen in other cities and towns around the world; and thus regardless of the import of their matchups, both teams’ fans keep the antagonistic spirit alive  for fear that it would otherwise die out.

And that is how this Galaxy fan has operated for years.  For no matter how much (or how little) of a threat those Goats’ bleatings may actually pose, the fire it stirs in me is red-hot and my conviction to hurl bile in their direction is strengthened to no end.

But a series of observations from last year – and a realization from a week ago tying it all together – has me reconsidering my blind distaste for Chivas USA and at least one of their supporter groups.  You see, I’ve come to the conclusion that both team and supporters are leading the league in one area very near and dear to me (and to many of our #g4s readers):  the open invitation to, and inclusion of, their GLBT fans.

And this has me wondering: am I booing the wrong side?

Meet Rachna, our Chivas USA writer…

Hi all! My name is Rachna and I am a Chivas USA fan living in beautiful (roughly) San Diego, CA. I say roughly as I am here for school, and home is an hour north (still not in LA territory though).  My road to becoming a Chivas USA fan is a bit long, so here it goes!

I first came to watch soccer seriously during the 2008 Euro Cup. I chose to support Spain as I was a bit of a Hispanophile in high school, and latched myself onto them. I continued this support, yet felt a tad bit bad for not liking the United States, as I’ve always been one to support the USA. That same year I followed both Olympic teams in Beijing, despite the men not doing so well. This was a bit of a turning point. I loved players like Stuart Holden and Sacha Kljestan (though my love for the latter has diminished greatly in recent times), and was SO happy for the women to get their gold. I followed both national teams on and off until the Confederations Cup the following summer. The phenomenal win against Spain that no US fan will ever forget solidified my love for US Soccer. However, I was still a bit of an MLS newb, for lack of a better word. Since the Gold Cup team that year was basically a B team, I followed them closely, reacquainted myself with one Stuart Holden, and got into MLS. I spent the rest of that season watching MLS for various players but not supporting any team in particular.

Chivas USA Update: How Many Midfielders Are on the Team Now?

While all the latest soccer hype in LA of late has been about the other team at the Home Depot Center, Chivas USA have quietly yet efficiently started on their 2012 campaign. With preseason beginning last week, the Goats began their preseason with a medical, two-a-days, and the dreaded beep test. The team is currently in Oxnard, California where they will continue training through the end of the week. How has the offseason treated the team, and what needs to happen for Chivas USA to have a better season that last (where they did not play up to standard)? Warning: this is extensive. This post is definitely a bit serious but no fear, I figure it’s best to get the serious stuff out of the way first.  Let’s take a look