Vasquez To Be Named Chivas USA Head Coach

Chivas USA have apparently settled on a new head coach, and according to multiple reports, it's a familiar name to MLS fans: Martin Vasquez. The official announcement is expected to be made at a 12 p.m. press conference tomorrow at the Home Depot Center. Former Los Angeles Galaxy and USMNT head coach Steve Sampson was the other finalist for the position.

It certainly looks as if the powers that be got the decision right this time. In Vasquez, Chivas USA will be getting a coach that is in touch with the fanbase as a Mexican-American, is a former US international and has prior experience coaching in MLS.


For those who don't know much about the new Chivas skipper, here's a little background:

Born in the Mexican state of Jalisco, Vasquez moved with his family to the Los Angeles area at the age of 12 and became a standout on the Alhambra High School soccer team. He played his collegiate soccer at Cal State University - Los Angeles from 1980-83 and signed with the Los Angeles Lazers, an indoor soccer team, in 1984.

Splitting the next three years between the Lazers, the Hollywood Kickers and the Memphis Storm, Vasquez returned to Mexico in 1987, signing with Cachorros de la Universidad de Guadalajara. After brief stints with Puebla FC and Veracruz, he played for FC Atlas from 1992-96, making 119 appearances for the club. He also made three appearances for the Mexican National Team during the early '90s.

In 1996, Vasquez again returned to the United States to play in the newly-formed league called Major League Soccer and was allocated to the Tampa Bay Mutiny. Over two years with the club, he would make 59 appearances, tallying nine goals and nine assists.

In 1996, Vasquez obtained US citizenship and became eligible to play for the United States Mens National Team, since his three earlier appearances with El Tri had come in matches that were not FIFA-recognized. Then-head coach Steve Sampson called up Vasquez for the first time later that year; Vasquez would go on to make seven appearances for the USMNT over the next two years, including playing in several World Cup qualifiers.

The San Jose Clash was his final stop in MLS, recording seven assists during the 1998 season. Immediately following that, Vasquez spent two years each as an assistant at Cal Poly Pomona (1999-2000) and the WUSA team San Diego Spirit (2001-2002).

After a short break, Vasquez served as an assistant coach under Sampson with the Los Angeles Galaxy during the 2004 season, but moved across the hall a year later, joining Chivas USA for their inaugural season in '05. He remained there until January of 2008, when it was announced that he would be joining Jurgen Klinsmann's coaching staff as an assistant at Bayern Munich that summer. He remained in his position there until Klinnsy's firing in late April of this year.

What do you think of the decision to hire Vasquez? Will he be the coach that gets Chivas USA over the hump? Or are you sad to hear that Steve Sampson didn't get the job?