The Longshots
They arrived toting cleats, shinguards, $30 and the dream, however farfetched, of playing professional soccer.
Jorge Leon, a 19-year-old goalkeeper from Oakland, said he would “shed blood through my eyes and play with a broken leg” if it meant he could don the colors of Club Deportivo Chivas USA. “I love Chivas,” he said. “That’s my next tattoo.”
Army Pfc. Javier Hernandez, stationed at Ft. Irwin near Barstow, hoped a professional contract with Chivas USA would stall his supposed deployment to Iraq next month.
And Ricky Cooper, a grocery store bagger in Gulfport, Miss., believed he could earn a spot despite never having played organized soccer and not being of Mexican descent -- two important attributes for anyone hoping to play in the Chivas organization.
They were among the 400 hopefuls, ages 18 to 24, who showed up Sunday at a Baldwin Park junior high for an open tryout staged by the Major League Soccer expansion team set to begin play next spring in the Home Depot Center.
“It’s unbelievable,” Coach Thomas Rongen said. “I’ve never encountered the amount of players in quantity and quality, which is what I’m more concerned with. Maybe we’ll get three, four, five, six or seven guys out of this that we’d like to see another time. It’s not easy. I’ve gone through this exercise many times and it’s something that if you look at the history, it’s not easy to find that pearl.
“Regardless of what happens, it’s a good experience. I’m sure there’s some dreamers out there that think they’re going to sign a contract when their session is finished. That’s not going to happen. But we have to look, just in case.”
For his $30, each participant received a T-shirt, a certificate with his name next to the Chivas USA logo, a voucher for a ticket to a Chivas USA game next year and membership in the team’s social club, ChivaSocio. There was also the satisfaction of working out in front of officials from the parent team in Guadalajara, including Hans Westerhoff, the director of soccer, Salvador “Chava” Reyes, the club’s all-time leading goal scorer, and Arturo “El Cura” Chaires, the captain on four championship teams.
On three fields at the school, players took part in a 15-minute five-on-five game that was followed by a 45-minute 11-on-11 match in which both sides played in Chivas’ celebrated 3-4-3 alignment. Goalkeepers also worked with Elias Vasquez, the current goalkeepers coach for Guadalajara.
Chivas USA President Antonio Cue dismissed the notion that the tryout was designed as a moneymaker for the organization.
“This event will cost us,” Cue said. “They’re paying $30 each to be here but we’re not making money. We’re investing in this. Our fans deserve this. We’re much more than a soccer club, we’re a family club.”
Whit Haskel, Chivas USA vice president and general manager, cited the possibility of finding local players for a potential reserve team.
“It’s to promote the program and build a sense of ownership in the community, like we do in Mexico,” Haskel said. “Our fans want to be seen and we’re going to take a look at them.”
The tryout drew hopefuls from as far away as England, but the level of talent left some disappointed.
“I don’t know nothing about Chivas,” said Ranvir Singh, a Bay Area resident who played on the Indian national team. “I was not happy with the level of competition. I’d rather play and shine with good players.”
Colombian-born Juan Daniel Ramirez, 21, and his twin brother Felipe, who are playing in Birmingham, England, flew in after learning about the tryout from an aunt in Los Angeles.
Jesus Ruiz and Juan Gallardo drove from Phoenix.
“A lot more of my friends wanted to come but didn’t because some of them didn’t have papers or were scared of the border patrol,” said Ruiz, who has played on second-division clubs in Mexico. He said he saw an ad for the tryouts on a Spanish-language television show.
Eduardo Creel, Chivas USA’s soccer development manager, said that 95% of those registered for the tryout were Latino and 90% of those were of Mexican descent. All of which made Cooper, who showed up wearing a Club America pendant -- he did not know that America and Chivas are bitter rivals in the Mexican league -- stand out even more.
“I was just surfing the Internet and saw that there was going to be a tryout so we flew out,” Cooper said, referring to his fiancee, Carly Lumpkin. “We stayed at the Motel 6 and just walked over.
“I never played in high school because I wasn’t eligible. And in junior college, they wanted me to play but they were too sorry so I didn’t want to play with that sorry team. But I play with a bunch of Spanish speakers in Gulfport on the weekends. I think I have a good chance.”
Lumpkin sat on the sidelines, taking pictures of Cooper and recording an event they both hoped would change their lives.
“We didn’t know about the Mexican connection, but since we’ve been here all we’ve heard is Spanish so that makes sense now,” she said. “He just knew that there was an expansion team. He’s just trying to make it. It wouldn’t hurt to try. If he doesn’t make it, he’ll just go back to the grocery store and I still have my job at a collections agency.”
Cooper was in the last group of the day, and when the session came to an end, Rongen addressed the gathering and told them that some may be given a call to return for an additional round Nov. 16 and 17. Cooper made sure to tell the staff that he was from Mississippi and the sooner he knew if he was among the invitees, the better.
“All I can do is see what happens,” Cooper said. “If I don’t make it here -- I mean, I think I’ll make it here -- then it’s on to Plan B.”
At least Plan C provides him with a shirt and a ticket to a game.
