Home Depot Center News

A Quick Look at The Home Depot Center Headlines for the Month of July

MAJOR LEAGUE SOCCER: Donovan, Buddle and Bornstein Return to MLS Clubs Following U.S. Men's National Team World Cup Run in South Africa; LA Galaxy and Chivas USA Play Home Matches this Weekend and Host Post-Game Fireworks Shows
RAFAEL MARQUEZ HOSTS CHARITY SOCCER GAME: Rafael Marquez and Eva Longoria Parker Join Together for 'Playing for Hope' All-Star Celebrity Soccer Challenge July 17
CROSSFIT IN CARSON: The CrossFit Games Brings 100 of the Fittest Men and Women to Carson
U.S. SOCCER FEDERATION: Development Academy Finals Begins July 10
TRACK CYCLING: Former BMX and Track Cycling World Champion Jamie Staff to Lead New Track Sprint Program at The Home Depot Center Velodrome
TENNIS: USTA-West to Host Player Camps in July
OLYMPIC DAY OBSERVED IN CARSON: The Home Depot Center, City of Carson and Southern California Olympians Association Honored Olympic Day on June 23
NBA DRAFT PICKS AP PLAYERS: Training Partner Athletes' Performance Trained Seven Players Selected in the 2010 NBA Draft
UP NEXT IN AUGUST: MLS Enters Second Half of 2010 Regular Season

MLS LEADING LA GALAXY FACE BUSY JULY WITH MATCHES IN THREE DIFFERENT COMPETITIONS: Following last month's two-week World Cup break, the MLS schedule is back in full swing with the Galaxy playing four league games this month, as well as continuing their Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup campaign and beginning the quest for the CONCACAF Champions League title. The month begins on Sunday night when the Galaxy host Seattle Sounders FC in the club's annual Fourth of July showdown. Presented by Chelada by Budweiser, the game kicks off at 7:30 p.m. and will be followed by one of the largest fireworks displays in the Southland, which is powered by 104.3 MYfm. The Galaxy have hosted a game on July 4th every year since 1996 and they are 4-1-2 on Independence Day in Carson. The Galaxy will hit the road three days later for the first of three consecutive away games; the first against Seattle in the quarterfinals of the U.S. Open Cup, and then the team will take on the Revolution in New England and the Earthquakes in San Jose before returning home to Carson later this month. The team is back in action at The Home Depot Center on Tues., July 27 when they take on the Puerto Rico Islanders in the first leg of their CONCACAF Champions League Preliminary Round series. This game is the first of the two sides' two leg, home-and-away, aggregate goal series. The winner of the series will then be placed in Group D of the Champions League, along with 2009/10 Honduran Clausura champions C.D. Olimpia, 2010 Mexican Bicentenario champions Toluca and the winner of the series between FAS of El Salvador and Guatemalan side Xelajú. A day after the first leg game against Puerto Rico, Galaxy head coach Bruce Arena will travel to Houston where he will serve as the head coach of the MLS All-Star Team against Manchester United in the annual AT&T MLS All-Star Game. The schedule does not slow down at all in early August, as the club hosts Chicago on August 1 in an MLS game at The Home Depot Center and then flies to San Juan, Puerto Rico for the second leg of the club's Champions League Preliminary Round series against the Islanders. Tickets for all Galaxy home games are on sale now, starting at just $20. For more information, or to purchase tickets, please call 877-3GALAXY or visit www.lagalaxy.com or www.lagalaxyfutbol.com. For media inquiries, including Galaxy training times, media availability and acquiring a credential, please contact Patrick Donnelly, (310) 630-2214 or pdonnelly@lagalaxy.com, Justin Pearson, (310) 630-2216 or jpearson@lagalaxy.com, or Jaime Cárdenas, (310) 630-2215 or jcardenas@lagalaxy.com, in the Galaxy Communications Department. For more information about the club, please visit www.lagalaxy.com or www.lagalaxyfutbol.com.

BORNSTEIN RETURNS AS CHIVAS USA STARTS BUSY JULY: Chivas USA captain Jonathan Bornstein has returned to the team after an excellent performance with the United States National Team at the FIFA World Cup in South Africa, and he arrives in time to start a busy month of July for the Red-and-White. Today (July 1), Bornstein will be available to speak with media in a special post-practice roundtable at 1:00 p.m.; media interested in attending should contact Chivas USA Communications (information below). The Red-and-White will then kick off the month when they face the Philadelphia Union on Sat., July 3 at 7:30 p.m. at The Home Depot Center, with a special Fireworks Fiesta to follow the match. Chivas will also host a pair of SuperLiga 2010 games, against Mexican sides Puebla F.C. (July 15, 7:30 p.m.) and Pachuca (July 21, 7:30 p.m.), also at The Home Depot Center. For more information on the team, or to purchase tickets to any Chivas USA match, please visit cdchivasusa.com or call 1-877-CHIVAS-1. For media information, please contact Eduard Cauich (ecauich@cdchivasusa.com, 310-982-3656) or David Lindholm (dlindholm@cdchivasusa.com, 310-974-2987).

RAFAEL MARQUEZ AND EVA LONGORIA PARKER HOST CHARITY SOCCER MATCH: Mexican National Team and FC Barcelona star Rafael Marquez and actress Eva Longoria Parker are hosting the Playing for Hope - All-Star Celebrity Soccer Challenge and gala on Sat., July 17 at 1 p.m. The match will feature Marquez, plus players and friends from Mexico and Europe. Tickets are available now for $30 at all Ticketmaster outlets, The Home Depot Center Box Office (open Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.) and homedepotcenter.com.

THE WORLD'S ULTIMATE FITNESS TEST COMES TO CARSON: 100 of the world's fittest athletes will descend upon Carson for the 2010 CrossFit Games for three-days of grueling competition in a variety of speed and agility workouts. The 2010 Games features five competitions; men's individual, women's individual, affiliate cup teams and men's and women's masters for athletes over the age of 50. The winners of the individual competition will be vying for the $25,000 cash prize. The 2010 Games are limited to 50 men and 50 women, who competed in 13 Regional competitions across six continents. The Games started in 2007, and for the first time, will host its finals at The Home Depot Center. For more information and tickets, please visit games2010.crossfit.com or homedepotcenter.com.

U.S. SOCCER HOSTS DEVELOPMENT ACADEMY FINALS: The U.S. Soccer Federation will host the Development Academy Finals at The Home Depot Center July 10-17 featuring 16 teams across two age groups; U-15/16 and U-17/18. Since its launch in the fall of 2007, the Academy has improved the training environment, provided relevant, high-level matches on a consistent basis, increased the level of efficiency of scouting for the national teams and provided players, coaches and referees with structured programming. For more information on the United States Soccer Federation and the official Academy Finals schedule, please visit ussoccer.com. The Development Academy playoff system adds to the number of meaningful games for Academy athletes, further enhancing the player development process in the United States.

USA CYCLING HIRES JAMIE STAFF TO MANAGE TRACK SPRINT PROGRAM AT THE HOME DEPOT CENTER VELODROME: USA Cycling announced a newly restructured track sprint program, to be based at The Home Depot Center Velodrome, and lead by Olympic track cycling champion Jamie Staff. Staff, a former BMX and track cycling world champion, will be tasked with building a world-class sprint program through athlete recruitment and development. A member of the gold-medal winning team sprint squad in Beijing, Staff's accolades on the track include a keirin world title (2004) and team sprint world titles (2002 and 2005). Attracted to track late in his career, the 38-year-old got his start in BMX, winning a world title in that discipline in 1996 and attaining world No. 1 status in 2000 and 2001. Staff begins his tenure with USA Cycling this month in Carson. In other cycling news, Home Depot Center junior riders will compete at the USA Cycling Junior Track Nationals July 8-10 in Trexlertown, Pa., and the Canadian National Team is training in Carson starting this weekend through July 10. For more information on Velodrome activities, plus a complete schedule, please visit homedepotcenter.com.

USTA HOSTS TRAINING CAMPS FOR TOP JUNIORS: The USTA will host two camps from June 29-July 2 at the USTA Training Center-West at The Home Depot Center. The first camp, for top male players born in 1998, will be conducted by USTA National Coach Kent Kinnear. The second camp will be for top female players born in 1998 and 1999 and will be conducted by USTA Director of Coaching Jose Higueras. Camp participants will work on fundamentals such as movement and ball recognition. For more information on USTA events, please visit www.usta.com or contact Andrew Labovitz in USTA Communications at labovitz@usta.com.

THE HOME DEPOT CENTER HONORS OLYMPIC DAY: The Home Depot Center commemorated the birth of the modern Olympic Games at 2010 Olympic Day on June 23 for more than 100 kids from local community groups, including Carson Parks and Recreation. Five-time United States Olympian and 1988 track cycling bronze medalist Connie Paraskevin, in conjunction with the Southern California Olympians Association, hosted The Home Depot Center's official 2010 Olympic Day celebration and sports clinics, to honor the Olympic ideals of fair play, perseverance, respect and sportsmanship, while promoting fitness and a healthy well-being. More than 10 Olympians participated, including John Naber (1976 USA Olympic Swim Team; four gold medals, one silver), Peter Vidmar (1980, 1984 USA Olympic Gymnastics Team; two gold medals, 1 silver) and Mark Crear (1996, 2000 USA Olympic Track and Field Team; one silver, one bronze). The City of Carson also issued a City of Carson Proclamation to honor Olympic Day 2010 in Carson. For more photos or more information on the event, please contact Alison Groendal Salcedo at asalcedo@homedepotcenter.com.

ATHLETES' PERFORMANCE HAS SUCCESSFUL 2010 NBA DRAFT: The Home Depot Center's official training partner, Athletes' Performance, trained seven players who were selected in the 2010 NBA Draft, between their elite facilities across the U.S. Forward Landry Fields from Stanford, was selected 39th overall by the New York Knicks and trained at The Home Depot Center at Athletes' Performance Los Angeles. Athletes' Performance, created by Mark Verstegen in 1999, is headquartered in Phoenix, Ariz., with training facilities for elite athletes in Gulf Breeze, Fla., Frisco, Tx. and in Carson at The Home Depot Center. For more information about Athletes' Performance, please visit AthletesPerformance.com.

UP NEXT IN AUGUST: MLS Enters Second-Half of Season

Upcoming LA Galaxy Home Games at The Home Depot Center*
Visit lagalaxy.com for more information
Sat., Aug. 1 - 4:30 p.m. LA Galaxy vs. Chicago Fire
Sat., Aug. 28 - 7:30 p.m. LA Galaxy vs. Kansas City Wizards

Upcoming Chivas USA Home Games at The Home Depot Center*
Visit cdchivasusa.com for more information
Sat., Aug. 14 - 8:00 p.m. Chivas USA vs. Seattle Sounders
Sun., Aug. 29 - 7:00 p.m. Chivas USA vs. DC United

*Games and times subject to change; all times listed are Pacific Time (PT), unless otherwise noted.

To sign up to receive a monthly Home Depot Center e-Newsletter with events information and ticket sales offers, or for more information on Home Depot Center events, trainings, tickets and other news, please visit www.homedepotcenter.com. For all media inquiries, please contact Alison Groendal Salcedo at (310) 630-2032 or asalcedo@homedepotcenter.com.

Contact:

The Home Depot Center Communications
Alison Groendal Salcedo, (310) 630-2032