Chivatown Post: Family Feud Edition

On a solemn note, on the night of June 17, 2013 the Chivas family lost Julio Chávez, a member of the Chivas USA U18 Academy, who passed away in a car accident. We send the Chávez family our most heartfelt condolences.

Not all is rosy in the Chivas "family," if you will. There is discontent, to say the least, on both sides of the border with the ownership, and fans on both sides find adjusting to their newfound Chiva "siblings" or "cousins" a hard pill to swallow. The adjustments made to the LA and Guadalajara teams, and the new philosophies implemented at Chivas USA modeled on Guadalajara, are the subjects of spats like a Mexican telenovela.

The Chivas organization intends to unify and integrate Chivas USA more with Chivas de Guadalajara as the official Chivas website describes. (Spanish)

Reaffirming that, is the picture posted there, in which the LA and Guadalajara teams are pictured in a show of "brotherhood," (fraternidad).

Here's an interpretation of what Chivas de Guadalajara's recent preseason training in LA means for Chivas USA from Soccer Newsday.

But despite the positive picture being painted by the clubs, not all is rosy in Chivatown. Chivas de Guadalajara fans in Mexico demand better performances and a return to a winning tradition as stated in this manifesto (Spanish). Some have gone so far as to call others to boycott anything with the Chivas brand (sound familiar, MLS fans?).

These recent pictures posted at the official Chivas de Guadalajara website suggest that Erick "El Cubo" Torres is staying with them, which may lay to rest the rumor of his coming to Chivas USA soon. A point of contention in LA is that we're not getting anything in return for sending Eric Avila, though some see the arrival of coach Jose Luis Real as, well, something. He's a respected coach in Mexico, but he'll be assessed for his results here in due time.

Chivas USA can take a page from coach Benjamín Galindo as he describes the importance of continuity and having players accustomed to each other on the field in this video taken during training in LA (Spanish). The lack of consistency is what has drowned Chivas USA up to now.

Though not yet officially announced or presented with Chivas de Guadalajara, Chivas Pasión all but cements Ávila's move to Guadalajara, announcing he and Giovani Casillas as reinforcements. Though Avila's happy to have the opportunity play for them, not all welcome the move in LA and Guadalajara. Still, at least some folks are pleased to see the American coming to Guadalajara. Café Chiva announced and welcomed Ávila, and reporter Karina Herrera in Guadalajara pictured Avila and Casillas there.

Thus, the "family" feuds, until brighter days.

What do you think? Leave a comment below!