With Tristan Bowen and Gabriel Farfan’s absences in the next two Major League Soccer games, Chivas USA Head Coach Jose Luis Real will have the duty of finding their replacements in the next few days.

Both Bowen and Farfan received straight red cards in the Goats’ last game against the Colorado Rapids. After the Disciplinary Committee reviewed the plays, the two players received an additional suspension that will have them serve a total of two games.

READ: MLS hands down suspensions to Farfan & Bowen

One of the options available to the coaching staff is midfielder Jose Manuel Rivera, who is also the team’s top goal scorer with five goals and two assists in the MLS Reserves League. These games continue to be key for the team and the players who participate in them so they can stay fit.

“Playing extra time and other games help a lot,” explained the attacker. “It’s not the same pressure or intensity, but it helps, as a game isn’t the same as a training session. Staying active is very important and besides, I have been lucky to score and have kept adding rhythm to my playing time.”

Those minutes are keeping Rivera in shape, but they are also helping to prove himself in front of the technical staff so when his moment comes, he’s ready to give everything for the Red-and-White.

“I always try to be ready to give as much as I can to the club and the team when my opportunity comes. One is always training and working hard and extra time with Coach [Armando] Camacho. Also, Coach Real makes comments and that helps us. He’s always looking at everything that goes around and tell us what to do or what tools will work better, so I can improve my game,” described Rivera about his daily work.

Besides his goals, Rivera is well known for his optimism and camaraderie inside the locker room, where despite missing Bowen and Farfan, they all know that the hard work done will be rewarded.
“The team is working very well, that’s one of the characteristics we have in the locker room. I have to keep on being happy and doing what I enjoy the most, playing soccer. My parents always taught me to enjoy each and every moment, so that’s what I try to do on a daily basis. I have to keep on working hard so when I’m needed I’m ready and good to do,” commented the forward.
Rivera will have two more days to show his value and what he can do before the Rojiblancos face FC Dallas on Wednesday, Aug. 21 at 7:30 p.m. (PT) at the StubHub Center.

Antunez remains positive throughout process

First-year Chivas USA defender Daniel Antunez joined to the Rebaño Angelino this off-season looking to bolster a Red-and-White defensive line that was on the receiving end of the second-most goals conceded during the 2012 campaign. A native of Santa Ana, Calif., the 27-year-old, who can also play in at midfield, gradually began establishing himself as a regular among the 18.

Soon after, Antunez began logging minutes, as his versatile defensive talents and grit made him the primary defensive re-enforcement off the bench when the Rojiblancos needed to hold a lead in the final third of a match. However, as misfortune would have it, Antunez suffered a season-ending knee injury in his first career start in Major League Soccer on April 13 at home against the Colorado Rapids. After undergoing surgery, the six foot defender began the slow and grueling process of rehabbing his left knee.

For weeks while his teammates would head out to the pitch for their daily training sessions, he would remain in the gym or trainer’s room to work on the knee, which Antunez admits was a slow process that without question had to be handled with caution. Fortunately for him, he has been given the green light to slightly increase his activity, which since last month has begun to gradually include work on the pitch with some of his teammates for cardio work and muscle-strengthening.

READ: Melia takes the patient road back to full strength

“It feels good,” said Antunez. “It’s been a while since I’ve actually trained with the team outside on the field. I’m slowly incorporating myself with the team more and more, which is good especially now that we have a few guys out and injured, it motivates me to have a speedy recovery.”

Antunez has not yet had the opportunity to work under new Head Coach Jose Luis Real’s defensive scheme and it appears as though he is still a ways away from incorporating himself into full activity with the squad. But Antunez is no stranger to the process, as the latest injury marks the second time he has injured the same knee. For that, he mentioned that he will be on top of what the recovery requires and will give it its due-diligence.

“There’s moments where I’m eager to push myself a little more but with these injuries the hardest thing is being patient. Luckily the trainers here have dealt with similar ones before. They’re good at limiting me and making sure that I do things right step by step as a process. I have a lot of confidence in them and I’ve seen a lot of progress,” he concluded.

Calvert waits for his debut with the First Team

Although he has not dressed in a Chivas USA jersey yet, forward Caleb Calvert has been to every First Team training session and match for around two months. A little over a month ago, the Wrightwood, Calif. native fulfilled one of his lifelong dreams after signing his first professional contract, becoming the youngest player to sign in Red-and-White history.

“I feel good, but at the same time, I haven’t had the full effect of it. I haven’t really been able to play and progress because of my injury. I’m mostly looking forward to when I get better and proving myself,” Calvert told cdchivasusa.com

Calvert has been sidelined from training sessions after suffering an injury in the first playoff match with the U18 Team in the last days of the month of June.

Despite his injury, the youngster doesn’t let his spirit fall and counts with the advice and support of his Red-and-White teammates who encourage his speedy recover so that he can fulfill his dream of debuting.

“They’re great guys. Everyone is very welcoming and it’s a great environment to come into,” Calvert said about the locker room environment. “They’ve basically told me to keep working hard and things will fall into place.”

Although he is anxious to head onto the field with the group, and make his professional debut, Calvert is fulfilling a dream that thousands of kids his age dream of, and that’s something that motivates him in his recovery.

“My arrival to the team has been everything that I’ve expected and more. It’s a complete and different environment, it takes a little adjusting but once you get into it and once you feel comfortable, it’s amazing,” Calvert finalized.

Follow Caleb Calvert’s progress and Chivas USA’s First Team activity on our official Twitter account: @cdchivasusa.

Chivas USA held last weekly session

Chivas USA held Saturday morning their last training session of the week, as the Goats will not see any action until next week when they face FC Dallas on Wednesday, Aug. 21 at 7:30 p.m. (PT) at the StubHub Center.

The morning session kicked off with a warm-up exercise led by Strength and Conditioning Coach Armando Camacho where the players directed the ball in a light jog in one third of the field.

After stretching, the group moved to work with Head Coach Jose Luis Real in a tactical exercise focusing on ball distribution in the attacking third. Split in three groups across the pitch, midfielders passed the ball to the selected attackers who would then shoot at goal.

Twenty minutes later, the team continued playing three 11v11 inter-squad games consisting of 20 minutes each, working on the entire field.