Which is Southern California’s Team – the Galaxy or Chivas USA?

The trivia question was prompted by an item in the Chivas USA game notes for the July SuperClasico I scoured Monday as I researched today’s column.

Chivas USA claims nine players on its roster who were either born or grew up in Southern California:
Jonathan Bornstein (who was born in Torrance and grew up in Los Alamitos)
Chukwudi Chijindu (Fontana)
Jorge Flores (Anaheim)
Dan Kennedy (Yorba Linda)
Sacha Kljestan (Huntington Beach)
Gerson Mayen (Los Angeles)
Ante Razov (Los Angeles)
Sasha Victorine (Corona)
Cesar Zamora (Sylmar)

Three of these players – Bornstein, Razov, Victorine – played college soccer at UCLA, while Dan Kennedy played at UC Santa Barbara. In addition, Texas native Bobby Burling played college soccer at Loyola Marymount.

The Galaxy claim eight players with local connections:
Tristan Bowen (Van Nuys)
Landon Donovan (Redlands)
Sean Franklin (Palmdale)
Leonard Griffin (Palmdale)
Bryan Jordan (Temple City)
Jovan Kirovski (Escondido)
Eddie Lewis (Cerritos)
Josh Saunders (Lake Forest)

Franklin played college soccer at Cal State Northridge, while Griffin and Lewis did the same at UCLA. However, the list above rises to nine players if you count Long Beach-born Alan Gordon, who grew up in Arizona.

Hmmm. How to break the tie?

Well, Assistant Galaxy Coach Cobi Jones grew up in Westlake Village, played soccer at UCLA and spent his entire MLS playing career with the Galaxy.

So does that make the Galaxy Southern California’s team?

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About Nick Green

South Bay-based Los Angeles News Group soccer columnist and blogger Nick Green writes at the 100 Percent Soccer blog at www.insidesocal.com/soccer and craft beer at the Beer Goggles blog at www.insidesocal.com/beer. Cheers!