CARSON, Calif. – The Chivas USA era is officially over.
MLS announced on Monday morning that they will be employing a new strategy in the Los Angeles market that will see the Rojiblancos disbanded effective immediately, with a new club reentering the market for the 2017 season. The new Los Angeles club will enter alongside the expansion club from Atlanta. MLS also revealed that the new ownership group for the club will be announced on Thursday.
All players that played for Chivas in 2014 will be available via a dispersal draft sometime in December -- according to reports -- on a date which has yet to be announced.
With Chivas ceasing operations, MLS also announced a realignment plan for the 20 team league that will see Sporting Kansas City and the Houston Dynamo move to the Western Conference while expansion sides New York City FC and Orlando City SC join the Eastern Conference. The realignment will see the last five MLS Cup champions in one conference.
For the 2015 MLS regular season, the 20 teams in MLS will each play 34 regular season games. Clubs will play each team in the opposing conference once for five home and five away fixtures. Teams will then play each of their nine conference opponents at least twice –one home and one away—as well as six additional intra-conference games (three at home and three on the road).
