Chivas USA fires coach

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Chivas USA has fired coach Martin Vasquez, the team said Wednesday. The decision was made just days after Chivas played listlessly in a season-ending 4-1 loss to the Chicago Fire, its sixth loss in its final seven matches.

In Vasquez’s first season as coach the team finished last in the Western Conference with a record of 8-14-4. Chivas also scored a conference-low 31 goals and had the conference’s worst goal differential of minus 14.

Vasquez, a high school All-American at Alhambra High who played with both the U.S. and Mexican national teams, was a college assistant as well as the coach at Damien High School before serving as an assistant for both the Galaxy and Chivas. He later worked under Jurgen Klinsmann at FC Bayern Munich before returning to Southern California to take over at Chivas 10 months ago, making him the team’s sixth coach in six years.

But the club never found traction under Vasquez, winning just three of its first 13 matches and suffering through a franchise-record six-match losing streak while failing to making the playoffs for the first time in five seasons. A search is expected to being soon for Vasquez’s replacement.

--Kevin Baxter