Playoff-bound Chivas USA shooting for first place in the West against San Jose this Saturday at The Home Depot Center

Tickets now on sale for Chivas USA’s fourth-consecutive playoff run at 1-877-CHIVAS-1 and cdchivasusa.com | Sacha Kljestan in the running for MLS Goal of the Week for his strike against Kansas City

PLAYOFF-BOUND CHIVAS USA TAKES ON SAN JOSE THIS SATURDAY AT THE HOME DEPOT CENTER: Chivas USA hosts the San Jose Earthquakes this Saturday, Oct. 17 at 7:30 p.m. PT at The Home Depot Center as the Red-and-White look to take sole possession of first place in the Western Conference. Fresh off a 2-0 victory over Kansas City, Chivas USA is currently tied for first in the West with the LA Galaxy and Houston Dynamo, who play each other on Saturday in Houston. The Red-and-White, with a record of 13-9-5 (W-L-T), also have a game in hand over both the Galaxy and the Dynamo. On Saturday, the first 7,500 fans through the gates will receive a special-edition set of Chivas USA car flags, courtesy of Xbox. Also, kids get in free with the purchase of an adult ticket; for more information, or to buy tickets, please contact 1-877-CHIVAS-1 or visit cdchivasusa.com.

PLAYOFF TICKETS NOW ON SALE AS RED-AND-WHITE CAPTURE FOURTH CONSECUTIVE POSTSEASON SPOT: At the final whistle of Chivas USA’s 2-0 win over Kansas City on Saturday night at The Home Depot Center, the Red-and-White knew they had locked up a spot in the MLS Cup Playoffs for the fourth consecutive season. Chivas USA earned the spot with the victory, coupled with the San Jose Earthquakes’ 1-1 draw with Toronto FC earlier on Saturday. With 44 points, the Red-and-White are currently tied for first place in the Western Conference with the Houston Dynamo and LA Galaxy, and Chivas USA holds a game in hand on both clubs. The date and opponent for Chivas USA’s first-round home playoff game will be determined at a later date, and prices for playoff tickets are at the same rates as the regular season, with great seats starting as low as $15 by visiting cdchivasusa.com or calling 1-877-CHIVAS-1.

SACHA KLJESTAN UP FOR MLS GOAL OF THE WEEK HONORS: Chivas USA midfielder Sacha Kljestan is nominated for MLS Goal of the Week honors for his 74th minute strike against the Kansas City Wizards on Saturday. Receiving a pass from Eduardo Lillingston 20 yards from goal, Kljestan took the pass down and dribbled between three Wizards defenders before slotting a low shot past Kevin Hartman. Kljestan now has five goals on the season, matching a career high, and all of his goals have come in the last eight games. Follow this link to see video of Kljestan’s strike, and click here to vote for the Huntington Beach native for MLS Goal of the Week.

JONATHAN BORNSTEIN HELPS U.S. QUALIFY FOR WORLD CUP WITH WIN OVER HONDURAS: Chivas USA defender Jonathan Bornstein played 90 minutes for the United States National Team in its thrilling 3-2 victory at Honduras on Saturday, a win which gave the U.S. a berth in the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa. Bornstein played the full match at left back, providing solid defense and even forcing the Honduran goalkeeper into a diving save with a second half shot. Bornstein and the United States will now take on Costa Rica in the final match of World Cup Qualifying on Wednesday in Washington D.C. at 8:00 p.m. ET (5:00 p.m. PT), with the match being broadcast live on ESPN2 and Galavision. Bornstein, who has played five World Cup Qualifiers for the U.S. and has 23 appearances with the National Team overall, will rejoin Chivas USA on Thursday ahead of Saturday’s home match against San Jose.

ZACH THORNTON STRENGTHENS CASE FOR GOALKEEPER OF THE YEAR WITH 12TH SHUTOUT: Chivas USA goalkeeper Zach Thornton earned his league-leading 12th shutout of the season against Kansas City on Saturday at The Home Depot Center, helping the team to a 2-0 win and lowering his MLS-best goals against average to just 0.72. Thornton, who also celebrated his 36th birthday on Saturday, was named to the MLS All-Star team for a sixth time this season, and is a strong contender for a variety of MLS awards, including Comeback Player of the Year, Goalkeeper of the Year, and Most Valuable Player.

CHIVAS USA U-18 AND U-16 TEAMS PLAY HOME OPENERS THIS SATURDAY: Chivas USA’s Under-18 and Under-16 Teams will have their home openers this Saturday at Cerritos College, with the U-16’s hosting Mustang SC at 12:00 noon PT and the U-18’s following against the same club at 2:15 p.m. The rosters and schedule for the Chivas USA U-18 and U-16 teams, which compete in the 2009-10 U.S. Soccer Development Academy, can be found here for the U-18’s, and for the U-16 Team here. More information on the Development Academy can be found at ussoccer.com.

TUNE IN THIS THURSDAY TO ‘PASIÓN CHIVAS USA’ ON W RADIO 690 AM: Fans can tune in to ‘Pasión Chivas USA’, airing this Thursday night from 5-6 p.m. PT on W Radio 690 AM. Hosts Hipólito Gamboa and Rigoberto Cervantez, who also serve as play-by-play and color commentator for every Chivas USA match of the 2009 MLS season, will discuss the road ahead for the Red-and-White as the team prepares for Saturday’s game against the San Jose Earthquakes. The official weekly radio program of the Red-and-White, ‘Pasión Chivas USA’ covers everything on the Major League Soccer club, from match commentary, recent news from the team, interviews, contests to win tickets to Chivas USA matches, as well as phone calls from fans listening to the show.

CDCHIVASUSA.COM: THE TOP SOURCE FOR EVERYTHING ABOUT THE RED-AND-WHITE: With new features, videos, and articles every day, cdchivasusa.com is the top source for everything on the Major League Soccer’s top team, Chivas USA. New videos are constantly added, ranging from the popular ‘Chatting with Chivas USA’ and ‘Chatting with the ChivaGirls’ series, to match previews and recaps, to other features on the team. Fans can also find articles on happenings within Chivas USA nearly every day, as well as Adrian Paul’s offbeat column “Red-and-White Monday” every week. Visit cdchivasusa.com today to for all the latest news and information on the Red-and-White!

VISIT THE NEW-LOOK ‘DENTRO DEL REBAÑO’, CHIVAS USA’S OFFICIAL BLOG: Chivas USA’s official blog, ‘Dentro del Rebaño’ (or ‘Inside the Flock’) contains updated content on the club, with audio quotes from players and coaches, to videos from inside the team. Check out the new-look blog at dentrodelrebano.com today for the latest information on Chivas USA!

JOIN CHIVAS USA’S NEW SOCIAL NETWORKING SITE AT MYCHIVASUSA.COM: Chivas USA has launched MyChivasUSA.com, a social networking site designed for fans of the Red-and-White. The social network was created using the Ning platform, and allows fans to customize a profile, set up blogs, add photos and videos, send messages and chat, track matches they’ve attended, and much more. Several Chivas USA players, including Jonathan Bornstein, as well as members of the ChivaGirls, have already set up profiles on the page. For more information, or to make your own account, please visit MyChivasUSA.com and click on the ‘Sign Up’ link.

Saturday, Oct. 17: Chivas USA vs. San Jose Earthquakes, 7:30 p.m. PT, The Home Depot Center, Carson, Calif.
(TV: LIVE on Azteca 54, tape-delayed to 10:30 p.m. PT on Prime Ticket; Radio: W Radio 690 AM; Pregame shows start @ 7:00 p.m. PT on Azteca and W Radio)
• Chivas USA looks to take sole possession of first place in the Western Conference
• First 7,500 fans through the gates receive a complimentary special-edition set of Chivas USA car flags courtesy of Xbox

Thursday, Oct. 22: Chivas USA @ Chicago Fire, 7:00 p.m. CT (5:00 p.m. PT), Toyota Park, Bridgeview, Illinois
(TV: LIVE on ESPN2 and ESPN Deportes; Radio: W Radio 690 AM; Pregame show starts @ 4:30 p.m. PT on W Radio)
• Chivas USA looks to take revenge for a 3-2 defeat to the Fire earlier this season at The Home Depot Center

Sunday, Oct. 25: Chivas USA vs. Houston Dynamo, 12:00 noon PT, The Home Depot Center, Carson, Calif.
(TV: LIVE on Prime Ticket and TeleFutura; Radio: W Radio 690 AM; Pregame shows start @ 11:30 a.m. PT on Prime Ticket and W Radio)
• Chivas USA closes the regular season with Fan Appreciation Day at The Home Depot Center
• Prizes and giveaways throughout the game as the Red-and-White say thank-you to their faithful fans