Chivas USA won't be sitting idly during next month's FIFA window after all. The Roijblancos will be among eight participating teams in the Los Angeles Cup charity event in October organized to benefit the victims of the twin storms that devastated parts of Mexico earlier this month, it was announced on Thursday.
The MLS club will be joined by Liga MX sides Querétaro FC and CD Tiburones Rojos de Veracruz, Alianza FC of El Salvador, USL PDL club Los Angeles Misioneros, the New Zealand national team and another club to be determined. Chivas USA's U-23 side will also participate.
The senior Goats' participation includes a match against Veracruz on Oct. 9 at Citrus College in Glendora, Calif., followed by a game against New Zealand on Oct. 12 as part of a quadruple-header at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.
The Rojiblancos have a break in their MLS calendar during the tournament, and will go 17 days between matches after facing the LA Galaxy on Oct. 6. Veracruz are currently in 10th place in the Liga MX table, while New Zealand will be tuning up for their home-and-home playoff against CONCACAF's fourth-place finisher — likely Mexico — for a spot at next summer's World Cup.
“It’s going to [be nice to] get some games under our belt and continue to build chemistry and hopefully we come out on top,” Chivas USA rookie Carlos Alvarez said in a club statement. “Obviously it opens up an opportunity to play against different teams, different leagues and different players."
A portion of ticket sales for the event will go toward relief for the victims of Hurricane Manuel and Tropical Storm Ingrid, which hit the Gulf coast of Mexico earlier this month and have left more than 120 dead and forced some 59,000 to evacuate their homes, according to Reuters.
“It's nice to be part of any type of relief fund to help somebody out,” Chivas USA captain and goalkeeper Dan Kennedy said in a statement. “And it’s based around a game that we all love and play for a living and we’ll get to see an opponent that we don’t see often, so it should be a good challenge for a good cause.”
