Chivas USA has received a boost in its quest for an MLS playoff spot by acquiring forward Jesus Padilla from CD Chivas de Guadalajara.
Padilla caused a stir when it was revealed that he was actually born in the United States, something that didn't sit well with Guadalajara, a club that has long prided itself on using only Mexican-born players.
What do you think of this signing? Hoping Padilla will develop into a U.S. national team prospect?
Share your thoughts below.
Martha
Just to clarify, English is not the official language of the US, its the most commonly spoken. So if you have to press 1 for English 2 for Spanish 3 for Mandarin
I guess that’s what makes the US so great!! God Bless America!!
Posted by: toreadore | August 17, 2009 at 07:55 PM
Actually, as of 3 years ago, the US has no official language anymore.
” Let tradition be.
Posted by: AJ | August 17, 2009 at 03:59 PM ”
Yo AJ!
They had a “GREAT” tradition where I grew up in Georgia of growing “strange fruit”!
PHUK(et) TRADITION!
Saying Chivas-Mex racist is ignorant. It is a matter of pride. I actually thought that the Civas USA would be all US. The it was supposed to be all Latino, and then they lost and they got whoever could help. Padilla is a good player, but not great. I really don’t see him on either national team. Guadalajara loaned him out because of Arellano, Bravo, Medina etc. I think it will be very good for him to get playing time with Chivas USA especially with all of the injuries at the position.
good for Chivas USA. isnt this what the whole partnership thing was suppose to be all about?
side note – wikipedia had this story about the same time as SBI.. incredible
Martha
Just to clarify, English is not the official language of the US, its the most commonly spoken. So if you have to press 1 for English 2 for Spanish 3 for Mandarin
I guess that’s what makes the US so great!! God Bless America!!
“The MLS actually does do this. Each team (other than Toronto) is only allowed 8 international players. True, they don’t have to be born in the US to be considered “domestic” but there are rules put in place to keep the talent “American.”
JB,
allowing 0 foreign players on your team and allowing 8 foreign players on your team is not the same thing.
Also, in Ecuador, they have a similar team called “Nacional” which is made up of only Ecuadorian players. I think that Colombia and Uruguay do the same thing. In the U.S., this would never work in my opinion because we are too politically correct.
Padilla said he’s open to playing for the USMNT if Bradley and Gulati call.
Omar Bravo is really (messing things) up for the younger strikers waiting for a chance with Chivas.
For anyone who saw the Chivas-Barca game, Padilla was the one who muscled Puyol off the ball then proceeded to round Valdes before seeing his shot hit the post in a last gasp effort that would’ve given Chivas the win.
His effort was followed by a 25 yard rocket from Jonathan dos Santos that was inches from going in and giving Barca the win.
Isnt it just a tad hypocritical that the same people who demand everything be translated into Spanish in this country are ok with this ethnocentric exclusionary team being so popular in Mexico?
…just saying
Posted by: martha
———–
Right, because all spanish speakers in this country are Mexican.
The one thing we should be talking about is how this player that grew up playing in our back yard ended up in Mexico. To many coaches bypass players like this because academically they weren’t qualifiers but what they are is soccer players something the US still has to get more of.
I think its great for Chivas USA to have him. I seen him play against Barcalona and you can see that he had pace and size when he came in.
Coaches, for all age groups, if you have a talented soccer player tell someone, a Division one coach, player development person for MLS, shoot locate an agent. Someone please, don’t let good Americans go unnoticed just because of academia..
Tab played for Betis, not Athletico.
First, I don’t think it’s a good idea to limit yourself to players of one particular nationality. Limiting your talent pool just doesn’t make sense to me. This limitation is more feasible because the sport is very well developed in Mexico. If you tried this in the United States, you would easily have one of the worst teams in the league. But, it’s their club, they can do what they want with it.
But, Chivas-Guadalajara’s use of this nationality limitation is not racist. It’s not really even ethnocentric, because there are many different ethnicities within Mexico.
Isnt it just a tad hypocritical that the same people who demand everything be translated into Spanish in this country are ok with this ethnocentric exclusionary team being so popular in Mexico?
…just saying
Athletic Bilbao only sign Basque players–no one accuses them of racism. I don’t think it’s that big of a deal…they just want to be “Mexico’s team”.
Posted by: Mike Caramba | August 17, 2009 at 05:01 PM
didnt Tab Ramos play there?
I read he is coming back because chivas got back omar bravo who failed in spain. There are at least 4 fowards ahead of him in chivas.
1. Chivas-USA needed to do something: they’ve been struggling for a while now and need some cavalry. Maybe Padilla is it.
2. It’s not racism. Chivas-Mexico has a “brand” that says they only go domestic. They don’t sign foreign players. It’s like a US club taking pride in having a lot of US National teamers or only have US players on the roster. Or like Barcelona saying that have success signing players from Argentina and that’s their preferred area of import.
3. I think there are larger issues in Mexico around Nationality then the Chivas example. This is a country that has problems–big problems–with players who hold Mexican passports, have played in the MFL but were born in, say…Brasil or Argentina.
4. Is he a possible USNT contributer? Let’s see him in MLS first. But I gotta say…with players like Torres and now Padilla making the jump to the US, at a minimum that is good in terms of engaging Mexicans who live in the US (and have mostly ignored MLS). The single biggest thing that would make MLS profitable would be to get 1% of the Mexican immigrant and visitor population in the US who aren’t involved in MLS to become regular fans (either watching telecasts or attending games). Just 1% attendance of every other game would mean 17,000 fans above current attendance for every MLS game. That would make most games held in SSS sellouts and Seattle and DCU would have to open their upper decks every game. Every MLS team (with the possible exception of NYRB–and that will change with Harrison next year) would be profitable. Now, Padilla alone isn’t going to do it. But when good players who “could” play in the MFL or with the Mexican NT instead side with MLS and/or the USMNT, it continually builds street cred.
The few times I have seen Padilla which is a couple of friendlies and a few sub appearances, he’s looked decent. Raw looks to have the talent. I think he’s spent a bulk of time in the second division playing for the Chivas reserve side. I’m pretty sure he succeeded there. The problem with Padilla is that he’s now 22. It’s put up or shut up time. He’s been too inconsistent with the mother club which has led him to play mostly in the reserves. I’m hoping MLS can provide the outlet Padilla needs. With consistent minutes he could develop into that player that his talent shows.
at least Chivas recruiters can focus only on their domestic market. think about it in business terms: they’re against globalization. that’s not a bad thing if u still produce a good product (championships) and customers (fans) are happy.
globalization isn’t for everyone. that said, it’s hard not to sneer when you hear a club do that.
then again, if it ain’t broke…
Daniel,
How does it “only hurt them in competition?” CD Guadalajara has the most championships in the FMF. Not very hurt by only fielding Mexicans.
When Chivas USA came to the MLS, I thought they would only have Americans in the team.
It could have been done. Example: Claudio Suarez comes in and the Coach says that he is not up to par with Carey Talley. Loquito comes in and Coach could say he is not up to par with Justin Braun. The Coach or FO can control who is hired and who is not. WOuld that be racist, I don’t think so. The FO would not be able to say “Too Old,” “Not American,” “Not Heterosexual,” “Not Christian,” because that is where they would actually get in trouble.
hopefully they sent him to Chivas USA because he is a poor player – LOL.
Sorry Daniel–didn’t see your comment until after I posted.
Athletic Bilbao only sign Basque players–no one accuses them of racism. I don’t think it’s that big of a deal…they just want to be “Mexico’s team”.
here we go again…
It’s a soccer club, they can do what they want. If they want a national or regional limit on who they will hire then so be it. It really only hurts them in competition.
And no one is up in arms about Athletic Bilbao’s Basque-only policy. I thought that was the best known example of that type of club.
The MLS actually does do this. Each team (other than Toronto) is only allowed 8 international players. True, they don’t have to be born in the US to be considered “domestic” but there are rules put in place to keep the talent “American.”
Marc, its funny you bring up Saprissa, as their owners are the same folks who own Chivas.
it goes on at Saprissa because they are owned by the same idiot who owns Chivas of guadalajara!
I think that now that he has realized that he doesn’t have a big future at Chivas, he may accept a callup.
That would happen if two things occured:
1) He impresses at Chivas USA, and is very dangerous on the right
2) Bob calls him in for the January camp.
I think he has realized that he does not have a long future with Chivas. Maybe with Mexican footy, but not at Chivas.
Zero
It goes on in other places such as Saprisa in Costa Rica…
AJ
It may not be racism, but it’s wrong…as it is at any other club who does it…can you imagien if we did the same thing in the USA? It would last about 5 minutes…
I think it has everything to do with him not being Mexican born…
To answer the question ‘what kind of racism’ this is – well its actually not Racism. Its Jingoism.
The definition of Jingoism can be found the Dictionary in all y’all’s mofukkin computers. Check it out.
Vamos Gringos!!
Vamos USA!!
Something’s missing here. Padilla’s US birth was revealed by Luis Bueno in February 2008. Chivas USA is signing him now because Chivas de Guadelajara no longer wants him due to his American birth? Where was he between 2/2008 and now?
relax with blowing the racism horn for every little thing, it lessens the strength of arguments of actual racism. they consider Padilla Mexican because he was born of Mexican parents in a foreign country which still makes him Mexican by their constitution.
Green76,
It was attempted once before in the NASL and was a miserable failure. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Team_America_(NASL).
We could really use another striker. I’ll be sorely disappointed if Kenny Cooper or Connor Casey make the roster in 2010.
Padilla has one career goal in 21 games? Danny Cepero has better stats!
Someone just compared Chivas’ all-Mexican tradition to Facists in Italy? Lets take a real look at the facts here. When the story broke that Padilla was born in the US, the owner of Chivas stated that he was Mexican according to the Mexican Constitution and thus Mexican enough for Chivas. This sale has nothing to do with Chivas having a Mexican only rule. It has more to do with Padilla being a fringe player with the parent club and being a huge potential draw among the Mexican fans Chivas USA is seeking to bring in.
Its not racism, its business. And even if it was because he wasn’t born in Mexico, what’s wrong with that? Other clubs do it too. Let tradition be.
Could you imagine a MLS team requiring all it’s players to be born in the USA?!
It’s pretty simple: everyone who pays attention to football has a national team, and a club team they root for.
Chivas just wants to capture all the El Tri fans with their “only Mexican players” BS. Which is quite obviously BS. Fine, let them.
Is he good enough to earn a cap with the Nats?
what kind of racist shhhh is this?
I am continually disgusted at how FIFA allows such racism to go on in Guadalajara.
Oh well, bomb the lot.
Vamos Gringos!!
Vamos USA!!
he can be a striker or play in left midfield
Never seen him play. What position does he play?
Is he on loan or is this a proper signing?
Wow, so parts of Mexico are just as fascist as Italy? Wonderful. Such a classy place……
Cap him ASAP. LOL. If he is good enough and the FMF do not want him and he wants to play for us then we take a look. Right SI says that Chivas told him not take invite to play with the U-20 team or something. That is freaking awful. If they know he was born here then they should just shut up about it. But they want the talent but not the background.
Will – you’re dumb.
I remember him from scoring against Barca in the friendly last year. He stood out because he was big and strong, like a Mexican version of Jozy Altidore. Let me find the highlights to see how he scored but I think he out muscled the last defender or he just flew by him.
A decent way for Chivas Guadalajara to wipe the egg off their face.
I wonder how Guadalajara would spin it if he ever did play for the US, especially since he has an American birth certificate…
Might be worth capping him just to watch the PR gyrations.
never seen him play. Hopefully he does well. We could always use another U.S. Nats prospect.
First!!!