Changes are likely for Chivas
Will Chivas USA undergo a roster overhaul this off-season? It could.
Midfielder Jesse Marsch said Tuesday he was considering retirement to pursue a coaching career. Marsch, who turns 34 Thursday, isn’t the only one who will be tempted to leave the club this winter. “The biggest question mark that this team has to deal with right now is, who is going to be back?” he said.
For two months there have been reports that Arsenal of the English Premier League is interested in signing Chivas goalkeeper Brad Guzan, 23. Guzan had a meeting with his agent Tuesday to discuss his options.
Defender Claudio Suarez and midfielder Francisco “Pancho” Mendoza, the team’s most prominent Mexican players, might be headed to Mexico.
Suarez, who turns 39 in December, becomes a free agent at the end of the year. He says he wants to play one more year. This season his salary was $146,991; Suarez is willing to play here for the same amount next season, he said, but if he’s unable to reach a deal he already has three offers to play in Mexico.
Mendoza, 22, is on loan from Chivas de Guadalajara; that loan ends in December. Guadalajara has already inquired about re-calling Mendoza. “If that’s the case there is nothing we can do about it,” Chivas USA Coach Preki said.
Chivas USA co-owner Antonio Cue has said that if Mendoza goes to Guadalajara, “I’m sure we would be compensated.”
One possible replacement for Mendoza is Gudalajara’s captain Ramon Morales, who plays left midfield. The decision to play for Chivas USA, however, is solely up to Morales. Cue knows it’s not going to be easy to convince him to come to the U.S. “Ramon is the captain, he is the idol for Chivas Guadalajara,” Cue said.
Morales also would command a big salary. The difference in salaries “between Mexico and [MLS] is not a narrow gap, it’s a huge gap,” Preki said.
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