A quick round-up of local soccer news:
*Chivas USA has signed Glendora resident Marco Antonio “Marky” Delgado, 16, as a homegrown player, the club announced today.
“I am really excited to have Marky Delgado become part of our first team. He is a player who has done so well for our youth team since he has been with us,” said Chivas USA Coach, Robin Fraser. “He is a player who immediately stood out as a very solid player and we’ve had him training with us for quite a while now and you can even see over the last couple of months how much he has developed. He has great ideas on the ball, a very soft first touch, and he has really picked up the pace at this level quickly. He is definitely one that we expect a bright future from.”
The midfielder has apparently always been ahead of his peers: At age 13 he was a member of the U.S. Under-15 team. He was also a member of the Under-17 residency program in Bradenton., Fla.
*The Galaxy’s Landon Donovan is listed as questionable for Saturday’s visit to league leaders Sporting Kansas City with left quad tightness, as is Mike Magee, who has a tight right adductor.
*The UCLA women play China’s Under-20 Women’s National Team at 6 p.m. Thursday on Field No. 3 at Home Depot Center in Carson. Admission is free and fans who attend will receive a free voucher for an upcoming future UCLA women’s game.
*China is in the U. S. preparing for this summer’s U-20 Women’s World Cup in Japan and will play matches Monday and April 15 at the HDC against their U.S. counterparts that are also open to the public. The games are at either noon or 3 p.m. (a Monday U.S. Soccer press release gave both times) and I’ll confirm the start times as soon as can.
The U.S. roster includes defenders Caprice Dydasco (UCLA; Honolulu) and Lauren Lindstrom (Fresno State; Newbury Park) and midfielder Sarah Killion (UCLA; Fort Wayne, Ind.)
*Tab Ramos, the U.S. Under-20 coach on the men’s side, has called 24 players into a camp that begins Monday in Oregon. Locals involved include goalkeeper Jake McGuire (Chivas USA Academy; Pomona); defenders Juan Pablo Ocegueda (UANL Tigres; Riverside), Jeffrey Payeras (Galaxy Academy; Hawthorne) and Derek Vogel (Pateadores; Long Beach); and striker Jack McBean (Galaxy; Newport Beach)