Nearly two months since being acquired by Chivas USA from the Philadelphia Union via trade, midfielder Gabriel Farfan will make his first return to the city that gave him his Major League Soccer debut in 2011. The Cal State Fullerton grad arrived to the City of Brotherly Love and eventually cracked the starting lineup, making 18 starts in 22 appearances in his rookie season while adding a goal and two assists.

Farfan would establish career-highs the following season in games played (23), starts (22) and minutes (1,960) the following season. Now, as a member of the Red-and-White, the midfielder has started in seven of his eight matches and has helped steady the club along with the arrival of Head Coach Jose Luis Real. Friday’s match at PPL Park will not only be the first time the San Diego native faces his old club, but will also be the first time he goes up against arguably his closest former teammate in an official match – his twin brother Michael.

“I think it’s funny,” said Chivas’ Farfan. “I actually thought about it a couple days ago and it’s weird. I figured perhaps I had played against him at some point, but I realized it really will be my first official match against him. But it’s no different than when we competed in intersquad games when I was here in Philly.

Honestly, I think I will just see him as any other player. Obviously we both have to be professional. Off the field he’s my brother, but on the field he’s an enemy.”

Aside from his brother, Farfan is happy to see the rest of his former teammates and coaches and says the atmosphere in the match will be special, especially when remembering the way in which fans supported him during the beginning stages of his pro career so far from home.

“It’s great to see familiar places but most of all familiar faces,” added Farfan. “Obviously I was here for a couple years and it was great to see all my ex-teammates and coaching staff. [Friday] is going to be a great atmosphere. All games at PPL with the fans are awesome. I think it will be a fun time, especially with all my good friends on the other team.”

Nevertheless, amongst the nostalgia, Farfan made it clear since his arrival that this is the club he wanted to be with and the 25-year-old has been a key part of the Rebaño Angelino’s recent three-game unbeaten run under Real. And the midfielder is confident that the results will continue come under the former Chivas Guadalajara manager.

”I think the progression has been amazing. With our new coach I feel like he’s brought a lot of structure to our team. We’re a lot more organized in the back, especially, but also organized in every position on the field. We’ve had two good results on the road, first against FC Dallas who are near the top of the [Western Conference] and Montreal that is atop of the East. I feel like we can only get better with him,” Farfan concluded.

De Luna Ready for Philadelphia

If there is someone that knows the difference in the team’s performance, that person is Chivas USA defender Mario de Luna. Since the start of the season, De Luna has only missed one Red-and-White match.

In the beginning of the 2013 MLS season, the Red-and-White were able to hold a four-match unbeaten streak. Facing the Philadelphia Union this Friday at PPL Park, De Luna and the rest of the Red-and-White group will be looking to match and later surpass that streak, since the squad currently holds a three-game unbeaten streak after earning three draws in their last three games, two of which were on the road.

“We’re very happy with the good job that we’ve had in the past two games. To be honest, we’re very motivated with the team’s performance, our teammates, and the lines that we’ve worked throughout the games. We’re motivated with Friday’s game to close with a victory, which is what we want in order to be in the fight,” De Luna told cdchivasusa.com in Philadelphia.

After the last two results on the road, De Luna and the rest of the team will look to earn their first victory in 13 games and close their international 10-day tour with a bang. For De Luna and the rest of the squad, there’s only one objective, which is to get the win and earn three golden points.

“All the teams are complicated. It’s a very complicated league; you win one game, and in the other you’ll tie or lose. Philadelphia is going to want to earn three points, they’re at home with their fans and they’re going to go for the three points in order to be in the fight and we’ve been working in the best way to do the same,” De Luna said.

Chivas USA arrived in Philadelphia from Montreal on Monday after spending three days following their July 4 match at FC Dallas. Between the trips, players have dealt with fatigue, but it does not stop them to continue working to earn a positive result this Friday against the Union.

“It’s what we’ve been working on, we still have little details, it’s not complete, or else we would be winning. They’re small details that we need in order to improve and we’ve been working on that the whole week so come game time, everything will turn out at its best,” De Luna finalized.

Third Training Session in Philadelphia

Chivas USA held their third training session of the week at Temple University’s soccer fields on Wednesday afternoon in Upper Dublin, Pa. Wednesday’s session focused on tactical work and shot-on-goal execution.

The day began with a light jogging session and ball distribution with the hands to stimulate the body, and then the Red-and-White players continued with a game of ‘Torito’ while being in two groups. Before jumping into the tactical work, the Goats did some stretching and elevated their cardio by heading the ball to their teammates while doing lateral shifting.

Under the instructions of Chivas’ Coach Jose Luis ‘Güero’ Real, the Red-and-White was split up into two groups. The forwards and the defensive line, led by Captain Dan Kennedy, faced each other with the objective of setting up the tactic ahead of Friday’s game.