The moment that fans and Chivas USA Head Coach Jose Luis Sanchez Solá have been waiting for: Midfielder Oswaldo Minda is ready to return to Major League Soccer action with the Red-and-White this weekend in their match-up against the Colorado Rapids at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park.

After being sidelined for seven weeks due to a quad strain, Minda is at the coach’s disposition and is ready to help the Red-and-White get out of the streak they are currently in.

“I suffered a very complicated injury with my quad strain, but thankfully I’m feeling better now. I know that the injury has taken a long time to recover; it’s been almost two months that I’ve missed out on a lot of games but I’m happy to be healthy and the possibility of perhaps playing again tomorrow,” Minda said after Chivas USA’s final training session in Los Angeles before the team’s departure to Colorado.

Whether Minda will be a starter or come into the game as a sub will be left to the decision of Coach Chelis, but for Minda, who has been in full training with the team this week, he feels ready for anything.

“Physically I feel good because I’ve done all the physical work during this time. Sometimes the rhythm of the game is another one and you need more. I’m feeling good; I hope to go all 90 minutes,” the Ecuadorian midfielder added.

This Saturday, both Minda and Chivas USA will look for a positive result against a Colorado Rapids squad that has not fallen since Week 8 in MLS action.

“We have to win. There is no other vision. We have to have our objectives clear and the only streak we need to follow is a winning one; we have to recover from this situation that is a bit uncomfortable for everyone,” he finalized.

Chivas USA look to take the rematch

Heading into Saturday’s rematch against the Colorado Rapids, Chivas USA have felt both ends of the results spectrum against their Western Conference rival in two previous meetings this year. The Red-and-White first met the Rapids in a preseason friendly in February as part of the Pro Soccer Challenge in Las Vegas and came away with a 3-0 win in front of a pro Chivas USA crowd at UNLV’s Sam Boyd Stadium. The Rojiblancos were propelled to the win on goals by Eric Avila, Jose Correa and then-Goat Juan Agudelo.

Nearly two months later, the sides met in their first Regular Season meeting in the 2013 Major League Soccer campaign at The Home Depot Center. The Rapids came away with a 1-0 victory thanks to a converted penalty kick by Deshorn Brown in the seventh minute. Chivas USA had a golden opportunity to even the score when they were awarded a penalty kick of their own in the 36th minute which was not capitalized on. Saturday’s match at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park will be the second of three meetings the clubs will dispute this season. The Rojiblancos head into the match looking to even the series with Colorado and break out of their recent losing streak. Colorado come into the match with five wins and three draws in their last eight games, and lead the Red-and-White by five points, all be it with a game in hand.

The all-time series began in 2005 in Chivas USA’s inaugural season and has seen the sides face off a total of 23 times, with the Rapids holding the series edge at 12-5-6. The last time the Goats visited Dick’s Sporting Goods Park last August they came away with a 1-1 tie on a goal in the 83rd minute by former Goat Juan Pablo Angel on a cross from forward Tristan Bowen. For several of Chivas USA’s newest editions this will mark the first time they have played at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park, as well as Head Coach Jose Luis Sanchez Sola’s first match leading the Rebaño Angelino in the Mile-High City.

Sanchez Sola’s squad will have a different look to it than the one that took the field in April’s meeting, as they have added two new midfielders in Gabriel Farfan and Aaron Ponce since then. Farfan was acquired by the Red-and-White from Philadelphia in a trade this month and Ponce is on loan from sister club Chivas de Guadalajara. Both have already made their Chivas USA debut at home, with Ponce also appearing for the Goats on the road. The Rojiblancos will also be bolstered with the return of rookie midfielder Carlos Alvarez, who is back after serving a two-game suspension, which should give “Chelis” added options for Saturday’s crucial conference match.

Morales arrives in Toulon

Chivas USA forward Julio Morales joined Mexico’s U20 National Team to participate in the 2013 Toulon Hopefuls’ Tournament that is set to start on May 29 in France. Morales and the National Team arrived in France on Friday afternoon ready to defend their title. The tournament will be serve as preparation ahead of the 2013 FIFA U20 World Cup in Turkey.

The young squad will face Nigeria in their first match of the tournament on May 29 in Toulon and will also go against Brazil, Portugal and Belgium’s National Teams in the group stage. In their farewell tour through Southern California, Morales participated in Mexico’s three victories that included a win over Chivas USA’s U23 squad.

A year ago, Mexico was crowned champions of the Toulon Hopefuls’ Tournament after defeating the Turkish National Team, winning the French trophy for the first time. The same squad then went on to participate in the London Olympics, where they were also successful, winning the gold medal after defeating Brazil’s National Team.

The 2013 FIFA U20 World Cup will kick-off on June 21 in Turkey and El Tri’s first opponent is Greece, who they will face on June 22 at the Kamil Ocak Stadium in Gaziantep.

Chivas USA arrive in Colorado

Chivas USA landed in Denver International Airport at 6:15 p.m. (MT) to a warm afternoon in the State’s capital. Led by Head Coach José Luis Sánchez Solá, the group headed to the hotel in Downtown Denver, where they will stay and prepare for tomorrow’s battle against Colorado Rapids at 6:00 p.m. (PT) at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park.

Chivas hit the road this weekend with the sole objective of shifting the bad luck that has clouded them in the past few weeks. Upon their arrival, the Goats will face a Colorado Rapids that are yet to see a loss in their past four games, having won two and drawn another two.

Tomorrow’s match will be the second of three meetings between these two sides this season. In their first game, played at The Home Depot Center, Colorado took away three points thanks to a penalty kick converted by Jamaican forward Deshron Brown in the seventh minute.

Currently counting with eleven points, the Red-and-White could trail back up in the Western Conference with a victory over Colorado. The three points tomorrow would give the Goats a total of 14 points, only two behind the Rapids, who are currently the last team advancing to the Playoffs in the Western Conference.

Rojiblancos conclude training week before road trip

Chivas USA completed a light morning practice today before departing for their road match against Western Conference rival Colorado Rapids. The Rojiblancos will arrive in Denver later today ahead of Saturday’s match at Dick’s Sporting Park beginning at 6 p.m. (PT). The match will mark the second of three meetings programmed this season between the clubs.

The morning session kicked off with Strength and Conditioning Coach Osvaldo Scansetti leading the Red-and-White through 15 minutes of agility and flexibility drills at midfield off the ball with the entire team in a circle. Afterwards, the squad continued their warm-ups with two players entering the center of the circle to participate in a game of torito. The drill later included three teammates in the center trying to recover ball possession.

The Rojiblancos continued to work with the ball as they transitioned to dribble through a series of cone work that ran about 10 yards in length. The drill included variations of cutting and explosion exercises incorporating ball possession. The squad was then divided into two groups, with the first one working on finishing drills. Meanwhile, the second group participated in three separate games of soccer tennis.