What will happen if Chivas USA goes away? One supporter group shares their plans

With reports that Chivas USA will be going into hibernation and/or extinction after the current season ends, one of the more interesting statements came from one of the supporters groups, the Black Army 1850. They kickstarted considerable conversation with a tweet on September 29, providing a plan of sorts on how they will press on:

Supporters that travel to Los Angeles, we ask for you to allow us to loose our voices alongside you in 2015 as your club plays the Galaxy.

— Black Army 1850 (@BlackArmy1850) September 29, 2014

In order to see if that plan is still the objective moving forward, until there is a team to replace the evidently-departing Chivas USA, I spoke with a member of the Black Army recently about the situation, and what they'll be doing while the club goes dark.

1. Ok, so it looks like Chivas USA will not play in MLS next season, and possibly longer. What does the Black Army overall think about the reports?

Of course we are disappointed because we don't get to watch our club play next season. Once that set in and we started talking there was a bit of excitement amongst us to close out the [current] season as best as we could and start preparing for our new club. Since we began the group we asked for change, well here it is. Now, [time] to make the best of it.

2. Recently, the Black Army tweeted out that they plan to attend LA Galaxy games next season, to participate as away supporters. Is that still the plan, and has the group given more thought to the details?

The Black Army has earned quite a bit of respect across the league and we've made a lot of friends with members of other supporter groups. We may not attend all the games but we will join our friends in other supporter groups at some games. We will use it as a platform to show that the BA stays alive, we are using the Sons of Ben [a Philadelphia Union SG, that existed prior to the club itself] as an example. We will show that even without a club there is still another option to support in Los Angeles if you are not a Galaxy fan.

3. Is this plan something that the group's members more or less agreed upon, or have you had a few ideas that you have been trying to decide on while Chivas USA/LA2 goes dark?

For the most part, yes, we all agreed on this and that sparked other ideas and plans for us as a support group. If the new owners keep our academy alive then that will be our main focus. We plan to be part of the new club from the beginning again much like Sons of Ben were with Union.

4. Is the Black Army definitely going to follow LA2, whenever it gets back on the field?

First, let's stop calling it LA and use #MLSDTLA [Ed. Note: That stands for MLS Downtown LA], LA2 is a USL club. Yes, our plan is to follow the new club. We are already getting in touch with the new owners to introduce ourselves and let them know of our plans and I feel with the respect we've earned throughout the league the voices of the Black Army will be heard.

What do you think? Leave a comment below!