Before there was LAFC, Chivas USA was the other Major League Soccer team in Los Angeles. They were the co-tenants of what was then the Home Depot Center when they became the 11th team in MLS in 2004.
They had the same crest and the same owner (Jorge Vergara) as the parent club in Guadalajara and the hope was to capture the massive Mexican-American population that called the City of Angels home.
Part of that project was Jesse Marsch, a gritty midfielder who spent the last four years of a 14-year playing career at Chivas USA.
Like other partnerships, including the current one the New York Red Bulls have with Red Bull Salzburg, there was sharing of best practices, of philosophies and, in the preseason, training facilities.
Now Marsch returns to Mexico as the opposing coach, trying to lead the Red Bulls over Chivas in the Concacaf Champions League semifinals with the first leg Wednesday night at Estadio Akron.
“I’m hopeful to see some of the people who are around Chivas that still live in Guadalajara when we were there,” Marsch said before flying to Mexico on Monday. “I certainly really enjoyed my time playing for that club and the experience I had. Being part of Mexican football was something I really appreciated because I have such a high respect for the game down there.”
During his time in the organization, Marsch had an opportunity to get to know some of the biggest names in the club’s history, Chivas greats like Paco Palencia, Claudio Suarez and Ramon Ramirez. He was impressed by their humbleness and dedication to “representing their country and their teams and their clubs in the right way and treating people the right way.”
“I was always struck by how gracious they were with their time, whether it was with their teammates or their fans or whatever it may be,” Marsch said. “Since then, I’ve gotten to know Pavel Pardo and a few others and they all just amaze you by their approach to life and the way they treat being superstar footballers.”
So even though the names have changed, from the players to the technical staff, the Chivas and the Mexican ethos that Marsch is so intimately aware of remains.
“It helped me gain even more respect for Mexican football,” Marsch said. “it’s not just about the style of play, but it’s about the approach of the players and the mentality of the people.”