Chivas kick off '24 Hours of Chivas USA'

CARSON, Calif. -- While most of southern California may have been dressed in St. Patrick's Day green on Tuesday night, downtown Los Angeles' LA Live Entertainment Campus was covered in red and white for the kickoff of "24 Hours of Chivas USA."

The event features 24 continuous hours of short-sided games, performances, live music and appearances by the Chivas USA players in the heart of downtown Los Angeles.

"It's a celebration of the opening of our fifth season," said Chivas USA president and CEO Shawn Hunter. "We wanted to bring the passion of Chivas USA to downtown L.A. and celebrate with the fans. So far, it's a huge hit."

Tuesday night's kickoff included five-on-five games of soccer, a live Mariachi band, and the first public appearance by the 2009 ChivaGirls, the official Chivas USA dancers.

Fans could also sign up for raffles, win free prizes, play soccer video games and even meet a few of the Chivas USA players.

"It's always good to come and mingle with the fans," said Chivas USA defender Shavar Thomas. "It also introduces Chivas USA to people passing by who have never been to one of our games."

Veteran Carey Talley and new signing Eduardo Lillingston were all smiles as they talked with fans and signed autographs.

"It's pretty neat," said Talley. "I'm itching to get on the Xbox 360 and play against some of my teammates."

"I actually need to go out and buy one of those games so I can show my son that his dad was actually pretty cool at one time."

Good humor abounded at the opening ceremony of the event, and surely continued through the night as local teams came downtown to play short-sided games on the temporary field. A free breakfast was then be served at 7 a.m., followed by appearances by Disney mascots and the taking of the official Chivas USA 2009 team photograph at 2 p.m.

The whole thing was to be capped off with a closing ceremony at 6 p.m. that includes another performance by the ChivaGirls.

"This is such a great location; it brings so many people down to one central area," said Hunter. "We're excited to bring our great fans together with all the good things happening in downtown L.A."

While "24 Hours of Chivas USA" gives the players a chance to relax and enjoy a day out, the team is still very focused on Saturday's opening match against Colorado.

"We've had two months to prepare for this game," said Talley. "I think the guys are really itching to get out there.

"I'm ready to go and I know the rest of the team is too."

Winding road leads Peters to D.C.

WASHINGTON -- Hundreds of players have arrived in Major League Soccer via unconventional routes, but Anthony Peters can claim an itinerary to beat all: Baton Rouge, La. to Lexington, Ky., then brief stopovers in Iceland and Norway, a soul-searching spell back home, a stint in tiny Buckhannon, W. Va. and a few fleeting moments in Cleveland before finally catching on in Washington, D.C.

Not that he's spent much time in the nation's capital yet, however. As one of D.C. United's newest signings, Peters hopscotched across the continent with the rest of the team in their wide-ranging preseason preparations, and the big defender spent much of that time on trial, hustling just to earn a coveted spot on the club's senior roster. Now he hopes to carve out a long-desired pro career in his latest destination.

"It was a long journey, that's for sure," acknowledged the Louisiana native. "I've played at literally every level of soccer there is: youth league, premier, PDL. I did everything I could possibly do to get to this point."

Raised in southern Louisiana, an area known more for its love of gridiron football than the futbol variety, Peters' substantial size and athleticism (6-5, 205 lbs) would seemingly have directed his sporting destiny into a helmet and pads. But his father, still carrying the scars from his own football exploits, decided otherwise.

"My dad played football in college," said Peters. "He was a quarterback and he really messed up both of his knees playing football and he just didn't want me to get into it early. In middle school, you can start playing football and all my friends were playing, and I wanted to play. ... [But] by that time I was so grounded in soccer and basketball that there was just no possible way that I was going to wait until I was a freshman to start playing a sport brand-new." He began his college career brightly at the University of Kentucky before traveling overseas in hopes of catching on with a club in one of the aforementioned Scandinavian nations. But that effort was interrupted by Hurricane Katrina's disastrous impact on his native soil. While his childhood home was left relatively unscathed, he nonetheless hurried back to Baton Rouge to assist neighbors, friends and extended family.

"By the grace of God our electricity only went off for maybe 10 to 15 minutes," he said. "But both my parents are one of 12 [children], so we have a lot of relatives and some who live in pretty rural areas on my dad's side.

"A lot of our neighbors' houses got devastated -- one house in our neighborhood, a tree split it right in half, right down the middle. ... We were helping with water and generators, stuff like that. Thank God it wasn't too bad for us, but when people need you, you've got to step in and do what you're called to do."

With his hometown in tatters, Peters admits that his hopes of a pro soccer career faded into the background. Both his parents are mechanical engineers who expected him to eventually pursue a similar vocation, but his mother urged him to pursue his dreams wholeheartedly and when one of his trainers, a former Trinidad and Tobago international, learned of his lingering NCAA eligibility, he quickly arranged for Peters to resume his career at his own alma mater, West Virginia Wesleyan College.

Peters' physical presence and potential caught the interest of USL-1 side Cleveland City Stars as well as the Columbus Crew this spring. While training with the Crew in Florida, he made an impression on United head coach Tom Soehn with a strong display in a practice match and eventually it led to an opportunity with D.C., a club which stands to gain from his type of authoritative defending.

"Some guys are big and don't play big, but he plays big as well," said Soehn. "And he's a little bit more experienced than everybody thinks: he's 25 years old so he's not a young kid. The one thing we really liked about him was his vocal skills -- he talks a heck of a lot and that's obviously very important."

United's boss wants Peters to improve his footwork and distribution out of the back, and adapting to the MLS style of play will be no simple task, as last week's unfortunate performance against Real Salt Lake in the Charleston Challenge Cup demonstrated. Peters entered in place of Greg Janicki nine minutes from full time, only to be sent off mere minutes later as United fell 3-0 on a miserable night for the Black-and-Red.

"It's a constant demand for consistency," said Peters of his new league. "You have to deliver every single time, quickly, on time, [with the] best decision. Because the split second that you don't or the one time that you have a bad pass or a bad touch, these guys will punish you for it."

But given the length and breadth of his journey to get to this point, he's content to take his knocks and continue learning the trade. United's busy 2009 schedule should offer ample opportunities to prove himself in the months ahead.

"I was set and determined that I was going to make this happen and get to where I wanted to go, if I was faithful and just kept working and taking one step after the other," he said. "Being picked up by D.C. is just a huge blessing that I probably couldn't tell you in words."

Ekpo hopes to seize opportunity

COLUMBUS -- The Columbus Crew that won the MLS Cup four months ago is essentially the same team that will take the field Saturday at Houston in its first title defense, with the notable exception of a new coach and a big hole to fill in the middle.

Former Crew player and longtime assistant Robert Warzycha was promoted to head coach after Sigi Schmid left for Seattle. While Schmid was not officially on board at the time of the expansion draft it's no secret why the Sounders selected Crew midfielder Brad Evans.

Evans proved to be a reliable two-way player after taking over the center midfield spot when Adam Moffat went out for the season with a knee injury. Evans scored five goals and was not afraid to thwart an attack with his aggressive play, much in the manner Moffat did in scoring twice in seven matches before undergoing surgery.

While the Crew was hoping Moffat would be ready for the season opener it's clear he's weeks away from playing. His absence has likely given second-year midfielder Emmanuel Ekpo the opportunity in front of defensive midfielder Brian Carroll.

Warzycha liked how Ekpo handled himself during the preseason trip to England and favors him at the moment over veteran Duncan Oughton and Stanley Nyazamba, who was signed to a discovery contract in September after finishing his rookie season with Richmond of the USL Second Division and has no MLS experience.

"(Ekpo) is very technical and a good passer," Warzycha said. "For him, it's understanding the spacing and the tactics a little bit more and he's going to be fine."

Although running the flanks with wicked speed would seem to best suit Ekpo for flank play -- the first of his two goals came June 28 after blowing past the Colorado defense -- he is comfortable in his new role.

"Centerfield midfield is where I started playing football. I'm OK with that. Even back home in the national team camp I play center mid," said the member of Nigeria's silver medal team at the 2008 Summer Olympics. "There's difference in the positioning. I prefer playing in the center mid. I can play the wide side but I prefer to play in the middle."

He appeared in 17 regular season matches and three more in the playoffs but admits to still finding his way in MLS.

"I'm beginning to get used to the way to play soccer here in America so I think I'll be OK," Ekpo said. "In MLS, there's a lot of running, people on the ball and off the ball. That's quite different than the way we play back home where the ball does most of the running. Here, even without the ball you need to run because everyone is running. I'm a soccer player so I like to run ... but not all the time."

Ekpo might have to change his way of thinking. The Crew depended on Moffat and then Evans to carry their weight at both ends of the field. Their play was a reason the Crew was second in goals scored and third in fewest allowed last season.

"It's important now that Manu becomes a box-to-box player and covers as much space as some other guys have in the past," forward Alejandro Moreno said. "Manu is a different player than, say, Brad Evans at the end of the season or even Adam Moffat earlier last year.

"He's a more technical player, perhaps a guy more offensive oriented. It will take some time for us to get a rhythm but when Manu's quick with the ball and when he allows us to change the point of attack with some speed and a change of pace then we become very dangerous. The more he does that and the more he allows us to get balls into the space the better off we'll be."

Whether Ekpo maintains his spot when Moffat returns is up to him. Warzycha said he knows what he's getting in Moffat despite the Scotsman not playing in any preseason matches.

"I'm not judging him now because he's coming off injury," Warzycha said. "I'm judging him off last year and how he fit in with our team. He's not ready but we all remember what he did last year. "

After scoring twice in helping the Crew to a fast start Moffat underwent the surgeries -- the second on the left knee was the more serious -- and was ruled out for the season in June. He spent many hours with the medical staff away from the team.

"The first couple of months I didn't want to come into practice, really," he said. "I would work out outside the facility because I knew it was going to be at least six months before I could even kick the ball. I was sad but the guys around me really helped. As soon as that season finished I wanted to start again. My break was too long."

He will have to wait a bit longer as Warzycha is targeting mid-April for his return. The opening is there for Ekpo.

"A player with the ability he has is going to be more effective in the middle because he is very technical so he is going to have more touches," Warzycha said. "Obviously, his first touch is very good so I'm hoping he brings something that we didn't have before to our game because if his passing is very good, he can put through balls. His shot is very good, too, and he can dribble with speed. If you take everything together we can be very, very good with him."

Two early goals give RSL win over TFC

CHARLESTON, S.C. -- Real Salt Lake got two goals in the first 20 minutes from Yura Movsisyan and Clint Mathis and held on to beat Toronto FC 2-1, to capture the sixth annual Carolina Challenge Cup.

Real Salt Lake went 3-0 during the week long event.

RSL dominated the action early, getting several quality scoring chances in the first 15 minutes of the match. Then after a flurry of action in the Toronto FC half of the field, Real Salt Lake took a 1-0 lead on Movsisyan's goal in the sixth minute.

RSL midfielder Javier Morales pounced on a loose ball at midfield and sent it over the top of the Toronto FC defensive wall. Movsisyan ran down the ball and beat Toronto FC goalie Stefan Frei between his legs from about 10 yards out for the score.

RSL had another excellent scoring chance in the 16th minute. After a scramble in front of the net, the ball popped out to Findley at the top of the 18-yard box. Frei, who had tried to chase down a loose ball, had left his line and Findley had nearly the entire net to shoot at, but Toronto captain Jim Brennan blocked Findley's blast to end the threat.

After some sustained pressure, Real Salt Lake pushed their advantage to 2-0 on Mathis' second goal of the tournament in the 20th minute.

Findley got the ball about 35 yards out on the left flank and was able to beat Toronto FC midfielder Rohan Ricketts to the six-yard box. Just as Frei was coming off his line, Findley slid the ball to a wide-open Mathis at the back post, who easily knocked it into the open net.

RSL nearly scored again two minutes later when Toronto FC defender Kevin Harmse was ejected from the game for picking up his second yellow card after grabbing Findley from behind. Morales' free kick from about 25 yards out hit the right post and Findley's follow-up header also went wide of the net.

Despite being a man down, Toronto FC was able to generate some pressure and finally cut the gap to 2-1 on Dwayne De Rosario's third goal of the tournament in the 37th minute. After a foul on RSL defender Jamison Olave, Toronto had a free kick just to the left of the goal from about 20 yards out.

Amado Guevara's curling free kick was blocked off the line by RSL defender Chris Wingert. But De Rosario picked up the rebound, stepped around a defender, and beat RSL keeper Nick Rimando for the score.

Toronto FC appeared to tie the game in the 85th minute when Fuad Ibrahim redirected Guevara free kick from about 30 yards out. However, the assistant referee ruled that Ibrahim was off side on the play and the goal was nullified.

FC Dallas blank Atletico Paranaense

FRISCO, Texas -- Despite getting an early goal from Jeff Cunningham, FC Dallas couldn't find the back of the net again and lost the 2009 USA-Brazil Challenge to Brazilian side Clube Atletico Paranaense on penalty kicks at Pizza Hut Park after a 1-0 victory through 90 minutes Saturday night. The sides finished tied 4-4 on aggregate over the two-game series, but CAP converted all five of their penalties to just four by FCD in the post-match shootout.

The home side got on the board early, 52 seconds in to be exact. The goal was set up when CAP defender Antonio Carlos executed a horrendous clearance that went right to Cunningham.

Cunningham then quickly lobbed one over the head of CAP goalkeeper Vinicius to give FCD an early 1-0 edge. The veteran scorer's tally, his sixth of preseason, tied the series after CAP claimed a 4-3 win in the first leg in Brazil.

FCD remained active and maintained possession in the CAP third of the pitch for much of the first half. In the seventh minute, Cunningham had a nice shot at another goal but his effort was blocked on the endline by Luis Rhodolfo.

A trio of shots by Cunningham's strike partner Kenny Cooper were each denied by Vinicius between the eighth and 19th minutes. Cooper had missed two training sessions this week and at one point was considered questionable to play in the match, but still started.

CAP's first chance of note came in the 16th minute. The Brazilians were able to find a seam in the FCD backline, executing a nice give-and-go that sprung Renan inside the box. With FCD goalkeeper Dario Sala charging and Renan facing virtually an open net, his shot inexplicably went wide right.

New left midfielder Dave van den Bergh and Cooper hooked up on several chances. The best of those opportunities came in the 37th when the former Dutch international struck a great ball from the right side that found Cooper near the far post. But Cooper's header was right at the CAP 'keeper and Vinicius made the easy save.

The starting 11 fielded by FCD head coach Schellas Hyndman was very close to the likely first 11 for next weekend's season opener. Captain Pablo Ricchetti, who will be suspended for the match with the Fire, did get the start at the holding midfield role, but he will be replaced in the lineup by either Bruno Guarda or Dax McCarty next Saturday.

Besides Cooper and Cunningham up top, Hyndman employed a midfield of van den Bergh on the left, former CAP player David Ferreira at the attacking spot, Ricchetti and McCarty manning the right flank. In the back, it was Blake Wagner on the left, Danny Torres and Steve Purdy in the middle with Drew Moor on the right with Sala between the posts.

Ferreira, who is on loan from CAP, was in the lineup against his former team for the first time. This marked his second match of preseason for FCD. The Colombian international had previously played 73 minutes in FCD's 4-3 loss to Parana FC in Brazil on March 2.

Just before half, Cunningham benefited from another great bit of service. McCarty made a great sprint up the left flank and sent a great cross through the box and to the FCD striker, who was waiting near the right post. Cunningham didn't strike the ball squarely and it went high over the CAP goal.

After 45 minutes of play, FCD had eight shots, including six efforts on frame compared to just four shots by CAP with only one of those on goal.

Ferreira made good things happen in the 58th when he spotted van den Bergh open just outside the CAP area. Van den Bergh launched a blast that missed the opposing goal by mere inches, going wide right.

While CAP made three lineup changes to start the second half, Hyndman finally went to his bench in the 69th when Andre Rocha, another former CAP player, came on for McCarty.

Two minutes later in the 71st, the visitors appeared to have scored when Lima booted one into the upper side of the goal. His tally was quickly waved off after he was deemed to be offside.

In the 81st minute, CAP once again seemed to have taken the lead on aggregate. Lima was charging toward the FCD goal when Sala came outside of the box and got a hand on his first shot. Play continued and Lima knocked the ball into the back of the net, but for the second time a goal of his was nullified, this time because of Sala's infraction.

The FCD 'keeper was shown red for his hand ball and Hyndman quickly summoned backup goalkeeper Ray Burse to replace Cunningham on the field. Julio Dos Santos took the ensuing free kick for CAP, which Burse made a spectacular stop on near the left post to allow FCD to keep their lead.

A shot by Sandro in the 86th went wide left for the Brazilians. But Burse came up big again three minutes later to deny Jorge on a great shot from distance. Burse logged another key denial in the 89th when he denied Jorge's effort on goal.

In the penalty kick shootout, CAP converted all five of their chances. The only FCD player who did not convert his spot kick was Andre Rocha, the fourth shooter for FCD. He attempted to tuck a shot just inside the left post but did not strike the ball firmly and CAP goalkeeper Galatto came over to deny his shot and give the South Americans the challenge victory.

FCD opens league play next Saturday against Chicago in the first Brimstone Cup meeting of the season, which will kick off as Pizza Hut Park at 7:30 p.m. CT.

Old rivals highlight MLS opener

Juan Pablo Angel has fond memories of playing in the English Premier League during his time with Aston Villa, scoring some big goals in the EPL, including one against Kasey Keller.

And the New York Red Bulls forward will get a chance to go back in time a bit Thursday night when he meets Keller for the first time on U.S. soil in the Seattle Sounders FC's inaugural MLS game at Qwest Field.

"Obviously I don't have to speak about Kasey's quality," Angel said in a conference call with reporters on Tuesday. "One of the things this league is going to benefit from is all his experience and bringing it back to his own country. We did face each other a couple of times in England. I remember one game in particular, I think it was the 2004 campaign when we had a great year."

The forecast, which calls for a rain and temperatures in the mid-40s, should certainly be familiar for Angel.

"If you miss a wet, windy, February night in Newcastle, he's going to get it Thursday," Keller said in a conference call with reporters on Tuesday.

"I definitely don't miss (the weather)," Angel said.

Weather aside, Angel is anxious to get to Seattle for the opening game of the 2009 season after helping lead the Red Bulls to their first MLS Cup appearance in November.

"We heard the stadium is going to be sold out for this Thursday," he said. "There's nothing better than that, playing in front of a full house and opening up the season."

Keller, a native of nearby Lacey, Wash., is also excited to finally play his first Major League Soccer game after signing in August. The 39-year-old former U.S. international spent 16 years in Europe, last playing for Fulham in 2007-08.

"It's nice to finally get it going," Keller said. "We're extremely excited about the way the city has responded, the fans, now its up to us to put a good product on the field for everybody."

For Keller, the weather isn't the only similarity from playing in the English Premier League and Seattle.

"You're not going to fly under the radar here in Seattle as a soccer player," he said. "Here you're going to be held accountable for playing well and for playing bad. It's going to be the most professional environment in the states for soccer. It's amazing it feels that way before we've even kicked off yet."

Keller, who joked that he'd be fine if Angel missed his flight to the Pacific Northwest, is certainly well aware of the striker's qualities. Angel scored more goals (33) in the past two years than any other player in the league.

"I think what's great for Juan Pablo is to come to America and show the professionalism and that's so key," Keller said. "Juan Pablo has been a huge example to the younger players that you can come from England, be a big-name player and prove why the league invested in him from his work rate, his professionalism to the quality on the field. I haven't lost many games against Villa so I'm going to take his word for it that he scored on me."

Seattle Sounders FC co-owner Drew Carey met with reporters in Manhattan Monday to talk about the buzz in Seattle, including a social networking type of supporters site and the plan to have a marching band lead fans from nearby Pioneer Square to Qwest Field on game day.

Keller said it's not just the players who need to perform.

"Obviously Drew is the head of the marching band patrol so the pressure is on him," Keller said. "If they don't perform then stop watching 'The Price is Right.'"

Chivas aim to close preseason on high note

CARSON, Calif. -- After two tough matches against San Jose and Chicago last week, Chivas USA will seek redemption Friday night in their final preseason tuneup, when they take on Houston Dynamo at The Home Depot Center. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. PT.

The Dynamo come to southern California with an impressive preseason record, losing only twice in nine games.

"Houston's a tough team," said striker Justin Braun. "They're always hard to play against, but we're going to come out and be tough to play against too."

Of particular concern for the Red-and-White will be in-form striker Brian Ching, whose 13 goals last season put him fifth in the league. Much of the responsibility of dealing with the powerful forward will fall to Carey Talley, the Red-and-White's defensive veteran.

"I think Ching is a player that I'm well suited to defend," said Talley. "I'm sure we'll be battling for balls the whole game."

Talley will most likely get the start Friday, and the absence of new signing Ante Jazic, will see him assume a leadership role in the back line. Jazic picked up a small knock in practice and will probably sit out the Dynamo match.

Trialist Mariano Trujillo will also see some time on the backline against Houston. Trujillo comes to Chivas USA by way of the Mexican Primera Division, where he has played for 13 years with such teams as Pumas, Santos and Morelia. He appeared most recently for Atlante.

Trujillo has made two appearances for the Mexican national team, scoring one goal. He was also a teammate of new signing Eduardo Lillingston on the Mexican under-20 national team that played at the 1997 FIFA Youth World Championships.

Chivas USA head coach Preki views the Houston game as a chance to do some final tinkering on the lineup that will start the season next week against the Colorado Rapids.

"We want to put a group on the field that we would feel comfortable using at the start of the season," said Preki. "We hope that everyone's sharp and that everyone has a good game."

Although Chivas USA has had a tough time with MLS competition in preseason thus far, confidence in the Red-and-White camp is high.

"We're in good spirits," said Carey Talley. "We're confident in the people that we put on the field and, whoever ends up playing, we can expect a good level of soccer to be played."