Chivas USA academy's disintegration is LA Galaxy's gain, as LAFC passes

Author:
Liviu Bird
Publish date:
Apr 30, 2015

For 5,571 loyal fans at the StubHub Center last October, Chivas USA’s last action as a Major League Soccer franchise was a 1-0 win over the San Jose Earthquakes. However, those following the academy can look back on a different highlight: a quarterfinal matchup against FC Barcelona at the 2015 Mediterranean International Cup tournament in Spain.

“We don’t get that opportunity every single day,” Chivas U-14 coach Brian Kleiban told SI.com. “That’s what you look forward to. These local match-ups are great, but you can’t compare it … to having these opportunities to play the best of the best.”

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Despite inducing Barcelona into launching repeated atypical long balls out of the back with its high pressure, Chivas USA lost, 2-0. Barça took an early lead as prospect Anssuname Fati, known simply as "Ansu," cracked home a volley from outside the penalty area on a bouncing ball in the 10th minute.

The second goal of the game followed 11 minutes after the start of the second half.

“I feel like we created some good opportunities; we found a good rhythm for a 10-, 15-minute span in the first half when I was pleased,” Kleiban said of the latest game. “It’s always the what-ifs, right? Bottom line, they’re Barcelona — we’re Chivas USA. We’re not there yet. … It would have been good news for U.S. soccer in general, but we couldn’t get the job done.”

Chivas USA’s frustration increased as the match wore on, and the Barça players ran down the clock with time-wasting techniques commonly seen from Spanish first teams. Kleiban was eventually sent to the stands for his vocal protests to the referee.

An absolute extinguishing of Chivas USA looms following a piece of news that came less than a week after Kleiban’s stateside return. Through the coaching education company Kleiban operates with his brother, Gary, came the announcement that he would join the LA Galaxy academy for the 2015-16 season.

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Rather than assuming any piece of the tainted Chivas USA infrastructure, even its most successful aspect, new MLS franchise LAFC has left its academy as an afterthought for when it finds some stability of its own.

The team is scheduled to begin play in 2017 pending the approval of a stadium plan and will eventually compete in the Development Academy, along with every franchise in the league.

“We had to start our own history, and we had to kind of put away the negative history and legacy of what Chivas had done. What they had done the past several years really just destroyed any sort of, I'll call it, equity that they had left over.” LAFC managing partner Henry Nguyen said in a town hall meeting in Seattle on April 26. “Even just us trying to maintain whatever infrastructure was there keeps that Chivas legacy on us, and we're a clean break. People always ask me, ‘Oh, you guys are replacing Chivas?’ No, we're not replacing anybody. We're a brand-new club.”

Nguyen said the short-term focus for LAFC has to be on finding a site for its new soccer-specific stadium, echoing what team president Tom Penn told SI.com in January.

“Our commitment to a robust academy worthy of this marketplace — in the right place, at the right time, with the right resources — is integral to our plan,” Penn said. “In the early phases here, we’re hyper-focused, obviously, on the big issue of [building a] stadium.”

However, allowing the Chivas USA academy to stagnate and its members to find other places to play and coach seems like a missed opportunity. Kleiban’s signing only strengthens an already robust academy in Carson and puts LAFC farther behind the curve for when it begins operations.

“We have had multiple meetings with multiple folks across youth soccer,” Penn said. “In this market, there’s just so much opportunity and so much talent.”

Kleiban, 35, will join Mike Muñoz, a fellow Chivas USA defector in 2013 during the franchise’s most tumultuous time that saw other coaches from the academy file discrimination lawsuits against the team. Muñoz currently coaches the three Galaxy teams playing in the U.S. Soccer Development Academy, and former MLS defender Pete Vagenas is the academy director.

Kleiban declined to discuss the specifics of his move to the Galaxy, citing the club’s desire to wait until he officially moves in June. He follows other Chivas USA academy staff in finding jobs elsewhere; academy director Sacha van der Most and fitness coach Claudio Trabattoni joined the USL’s Orange County Blues as assistants ahead of the 2015 season.

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The Galaxy will be Kleiban’s fourth youth coaching role. He started with Orange Soccer Club and subsequently moved to Total Fútbol Academy and then Chivas USA, all in his native Los Angeles area. He was director of coaching at TFA, where he refined the possession-based curriculum that has seen him become the subject of multiple rumors in the American youth coaching community since the parent Chivas USA franchise folded.

Kleiban’s eventual goal is to coach a professional first team using the same methodology that has placed several of his players on the U.S. U-14 and U-15 national teams at various times in the past year. His development philosophy has proven effective at the younger age groups, but Kleiban said he thinks it would translate to the higher levels as well.

“That’s the objective,” he said. “I feel ready, and I’m hoping that sooner than later, I’ll have an opportunity to showcase myself at the highest levels here in the MLS.”

As they did in moving to Chivas USA, Kleiban’s players will likely try to join their coach with the Galaxy. LA operates multiple teams besides those that play in the USSDA, including a second U-14 group coached by MLS legend Mauricio Cienfuegos.

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The federation and MLS discussed other possibilities to keep the Chivas USA academy afloat, but ultimately, nothing came through. The league operated the academy since terminating the franchise and will continue to fund it through the end of the current season, but it did not contribute financially to any MIC tournament costs.

Instead, the Kleibans’ company, 3four3, sponsored the trip, along with the players’ families and a “private sponsor.” (The players even wore suits emblazoned with the company logo to games.)

The April 4 quarterfinal wasn’t Kleiban and his players’ only match against Barcelona. In 2013, much of the same group, representing their previous club Total Fútbol Academy, traveled to the tournament and tied Barça in the group stage before knocking out Ajax on penalties in the quarterfinals and losing to Barcelona in a semifinal rematch.

After the recent tournament, Kleiban stayed in Catalonia to attend training sessions and speak to coaches at Barça’s fabled La Masia academy and continue learning about the club’s methodology that forms the basis of his coaching philosophy. He watched the Barcelona “B” team and U-18s and U-19s train in the mornings, followed by the younger players in the evenings.

“I’m in tremendous debt, every single time, [for] the experience that I’ve had there,” Kleiban said. “Everybody was very complimentary on the process of seeing our group for years now and seeing the consistency of our product. There’s legitimate respect there, and everybody made me feel very welcome.”

Kleiban and Muñoz are two of the best youth coaches in Southern California, and their expertise along with the merging of two deep player pools should provide a serious challenge to any incoming franchises, even those as flush with money as LAFC’s 22-owner group.

“After the Galaxy shared their vision for the academy and how they are currently working on executing that vision, being part of that was a no-brainer,” 3four3’s announcement of Kleiban joining the team reads. “This joining of forces, in the nation’s most talent-rich region, is mammoth. Now, it’s time to get to work.”

GALLERY: David Beckham through the years

David Beckham Through the Years

Beginnings

1992.david-beckham.jpg — Shaun Botterill/Getty Images

After signing with the club as a trainee in 1991, Beckham made his first-team debut for Manchester United at age 17 as a reserve in its second round Rumbelows Cup match against Brighton & Hove Albion.

First Strike

1995.david-beckham.jpg — David Rogers/Getty Images

In a 1994 Champions League match against Galatasaray, Beckham scored his first goal for Manchester United — one of more than 80 goals he would score for the club in 12 years.

A Beauty against Wimbledon

One of Beckham's most beautiful goals took place on Manchester United's first day of the 1996 season against Wimbledon. Man U was up by two when Beckham got the ball inside his own half. His eyes darted up for a second before he shot from midfield. The ball went sailing over Wimbledon goalkeeper Neil Sullivan's head and crashed into the back of the net. Two weeks later he played in his first game with the English national team.

First Cap

1996-david-beckham.moldova.cut.jpg — Ben Radford/Getty Images

A 21-year-old Beckham made his international debut in a World Cup qualifying game against Moldova in September 1996. The newcomer hid his nerves well, and England snagged the much needed 3-0 win.

Achieving Greatness

1996.david-beckham.jpg — Shaun Botterill/Getty Images

Over these two seasons, Beckham and Man U won back-to-back Premier League championships. During the second campaign, Beckham was named 1996 PFA Young Player of the Year and finished second in voting for Player of the Year.

Beckham gets angry

Beckham received a red card and was sent off against Argentina in the second round of the 1998 World Cup after kicking out at Diego Simeone. The tantrum caused a massive public and media outcry. Many fans blamed him for ruining England's shot at winning a World Cup.

Man U's Greatest Season Ever

1999-david-beckham.6.jpg — PATRICK HERTZOG/AFP/Getty Images

Playing in a career-high 52 games, Beckham and Man U completed the historic treble, winning the Premier League, FA Cup and, in a historic final, the UEFA Champions League (where two late goals set up by Beckham pushed United past Bayern Munich 2-1). Beckham was named runner-up for the 1999 FIFA World Player of the Year award (and would be again in 2001).

The Posh Wedding

Beckham caused quite the British tabloid frenzy in 1999 when he wed British pop-sensation Victoria Adams, otherwise known as Posh Spice. Posh and Becks soon became the most famous celebrity couple in the world.

The Best Goal

With only seconds left on the clock, England was trailing Greece 2-1 in the game that would determine England's inclusion in the 2002 World Cup. Beckham saved the day for the Three Lions. As millions of fans held their breaths, the team captain curled in a free-kick to force the draw and secure a place for England in South Korea/Japan.

Beckham's Revenge

Beckham made up for his 1998 red card by scoring the game's only goal vs. Argentina, a penalty kick in the 44th minute, in the 2002 World Cup. The win revived England's hopes of advancing from group play and ended up preventing the heavily favored Argentines from doing so themselves.

Hurting his metatarsal

In April 2002, Beckham fractured a metatarsal in a Champions League quarterfinal game against Deportivo La Coruña. The famed injury made the term 'metatarsal' a colloquial, household name.

Locker-room mishap with Alex Ferguson

2003-david-beckham.locker.room.jpg — Ross Kinnaird/Getty Images

Beckham was left with a cut over his left eyebrow after a locker-room feud with Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson in 2003. The altercation sparked rumors of a summer transfer for Becks.

Real Madrid

2003-david-beckham.madrid.jpg — Javier Soriano/AFP/Getty Images

After 12 years, six Premier League titles, two FA Cups and the 1999 UEFA Champions League title, Beckham left Manchester United, signing for Spanish rival Real Madrid in a $25 million deal. Since club captain Raul already wore No. 7 jersey (Beckham's number for Man U), Becks chose to wear No. 23 in honor of his favorite basketball player, Michael Jordan.

Missing PK in the Euro quarterfinals

Beckham sent an embarrassingly high shot over the bar during the 2004 European Championship as the quarterfinal went to penalty kicks. Beckham's shank cost his team the game as Portugal won the shootout 6-5. England's Euro 2004 run came to a screeching halt and Beckham was stuck defending his position as captain.

Cha-Ching

In 2004, France Football magazine named Beckham the highest-paid soccer player in the world, citing earnings of approximately $27 million. The sum put Becks above fellow stars Ronaldo, Zinedine Zidane, Raúl and Roberto Carlos.

World Cup legend

Beckham became the first English player to score in three World Cups. England's superstar team captain took a free kick after Frank Lampard was fouled in the Round of 16 vs. Ecuador in 2006. His shot curled over the wall and banked in off the post to give the Three Lions the 1-0 win.

Stepping down

Beckham stepped down as captain of the England national team after his third World Cup in 2006. "The time is right to pass on the armband as we enter in a new era," he said.

Crossing the Pond

2007.david-beckham.x.jpg — Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images

In 2007, Beckham left European soccer and Real Madrid to play in the U.S. for the Los Angeles Galaxy of Major League Soccer. He agreed to a five-year deal with the Galaxy and joined the Hollywood in-crowd in L.A.

Beckham Makes his Mark

On Aug. 15, 2007, a week after his MLS debut, Beckham and the Galaxy faced off against D.C. United in the SuperLiga semifinals. It was a game of firsts for Beckham: first start, first game as captain and first yellow card. He also recorded his first goal (off a free kick, of course) and assist. His efforts gave the Galaxy a 2-0 victory, earning them a birth in the final against Pachuca of Mexico.

Swapping fútbol for football

Beckham swaps jerseys with New Orleans Saints running back Reggie Bush in 2007 in an Adidas promo during his first season with the LA Galaxy.

Reaching 100 Caps

2008.david-beckham.100.caps.c.jpg — Shaun Botterill/Getty Images

Beckham became the fifth Englishman in history to earn 100 caps with his national team in March 2008.

From Deep

Beckham scored on an empty net from 70 yards out in a game against the Kansas City Wizards in 2008 (his second career goal from his own half). The Galaxy took the game 3-1, pushing them to their first winning record in two years and into first place in the Western Conference.

Trouble in the locker room

By mid-2008, as the team struggled, rumors began to surface about growing distance between Beckham and his teammates. More, questions arose about Beckham's effectiveness as team captain. The Galaxy failed to qualify for the playoffs that season.

Leaving MLS

In October 2008, AC Milan announced that Beckham would join its team on loan until January. Amidst speculation, Beckham said he intended to return to the Galaxy in time for the start of the season. But, after scoring two goals and two assists in his first five games for Milan, Becks announced that he wanted to leave the Galaxy for good. Beckham finished out the Serie A season in May and will rejoin the Galaxy this month, midway through the MLS season.

Return to Los Angeles

Beckham would have two stints with Milan — one in 2009 and another in 2010 — and received a mixed reaction from fans upon his return to Los Angeles. Both times, however, Beckham led the Galaxy to a Western Conference title.

Galaxy are champions

2011-1120-David-Beckham-Juninho-Landon-Donovan-opy2-235590.jpg

Beckham played out the final year of his five-year deal in 2011 and the 36-year-old turned in the best season of his MLS career. He finished second in the league in assists (15) and led the Galaxy to the MLS Cup. Beckham remained mum on his future, but many speculate he played his final match in the MLS.

Galaxy repeat

130516113825-david-beckham-2012-mls-cup-single-image-cut.jpg — Andy Mead/YCJ/Icon Sportswire

Beckham, who had said that the 2012 MLS Cup would be his last game with the Galaxy, ended his MLS career on a high note. He helped the Galaxy win their second consecutive MLS Cup, again defeating the Houston Dynamo in Los Angeles.

PSG....and the end

130516113828-david-beckham-2013-psg-single-image-cut.jpg — David Vincent/AP

Beckham joined French superclub Paris Saint-Germain in February 2013. On May 16, having started just four games for the club, including a Champions League quarterfinal match against Barcelona, the 38-year-old Beckham announced he would retire at the end of the season. "I'm thankful to PSG for giving me the opportunity to continue but I feel now is the right time to finish my career, playing at the highest level,'' the former England captain said in a statement.

His final match

Michael Regan/Getty Images; Julien M. Hekimian/Getty Images for adidas

In his final match before retiring, Beckham was made captain and wore a special pair of boots (inset) he designed himself with the names of each of his four kids and the shirt numbers he wore throughout his career. Beckham assisted on a goal as PSG won 3-1 against Brest on May 17, 2013.

Bringing MLS to Miami

Beckham announced in February 2014 that he had exercised his option to buy an MLS expansion team, and the proposed location for the team is Miami. Beckham is enamored with Miami's waterfront, strongly believes in South Florida as a soccer market, and feels a stadium in the heart of the city with a view of the skyline is ideal.

Sexiest Man Alive

Beckham is named the “Sexiest Man Alive” for 2015 by People magazine. He is the first professional athlete to win the Sexiest Man Alive mantle since the magazine began handing it out in 1985.