The Calamity That Is Chivas USA

For those who have only begun to follow MLS in more recent years, it is perhaps easy to overlook some of the realities facing the league little more than a decade ago. Miami and Tampa Bay were contracted by the league following the 2001 season, and indeed, the league was still facing something of an uphill battle for survival.

Accordingly, the league was open and willing to take in almost anyone who was ready to invest tens of millions in the league by way of expansion fees for a new MLS team. Ultimately, two new clubs would emerge from this first round of post-contraction expansion: Real Salt Lake, spearheaded by Dave Checketts, and Chivas USA, owned by C.D. Guadalajara owner Jorge Vergara and likewise named after the famed Mexican club.

In the spirit of the all-Mexican ethos set forth by C.D. Guadalajara, Chivas USA initially set out to cater to the targeted Mexican and Hispanic demographics of Los Angeles by signing players of such aforementioned heritage, whether of American, Mexican or other citizenships. A certain arrogance surrounded this approach, as the feeling was that this first rag-tag group of players would show the Americans how soccer is really played, but in the end, the experiment failed miserably. This collection of journeymen and Guadalajara castoffs, save for former Mexico captain Ramon Ramirez, limped to a paltry tally of 18 points in that inaugural 2005 season.

Over the following four seasons, Chivas USA would actually acclimate to MLS competition well, qualifying for the playoffs for four consecutive seasons while boasting the likes of Brad Guzan, Claudio Suarez, Juan Pablo Garcia, Sacha Kljestan and Francisco Palencia during that span. Even if they weren't exactly beating the Galaxy at the box office in L.A., it did seem that they were at least crafting themselves into a competitive MLS side.

As we know now, however, this decent run was to be little more than a mirage, as the last few seasons have seen Chivas USA spiral into bottom of the table anonymity while playing in front of rapidly dwindling crowds. With a revolving door of managers and little being done to actually improve the roster to any degree, there are hardly any secrets as to why L.A.'s second club has become something of a laughing stock on the field.

Alas, it would really be a luxury for the league if Chivas USA were only an embarrasment because of its on-field exploits, but thanks to a recent episode of HBO's Real Sports, the nefarious side of the club's behind-the-scenes operations has come to light on a national scale. One needs to only have a cursory knowledge of labor laws in this country to know that racially-fueled discrimination is just about as illegal as it comes, and indeed it is such an egregious sin that Chivas USA now finds itself being accused of from a multitude of sources, whether parents of young academy players, former assistant coaches or former players who were apparently offloaded due to ethnicity.

There is little doubt that this is a black eye for a league that champions itself as being at the forefront of diversity, acceptance and tolerance, but, thankfully for MLS commisioner Don Garber, black eyes such as these can indeed be healed. Proper steps must be taken to cure such an ailment, of course.

The calls for the league to intervene in this situation can be found everywhere, and accordingly in the wake of these outcries, this is hardly the time for MLS to sit idly by and turn a blind eye towards what is taking place at one of the league's member clubs. Though Garber and company may only be able to say so much publically due to the legal matters at hand, that does not mean that some wheels cannot be put in motion behind closed doors.

As mentioned earlier, MLS is in a far different place, both in sporting terms and economically, than it was in 2005 when Chivas USA began play. As such, the league can afford to pull the plug on one of the league's investors, find another one (if one isn't already in the fold as we speak), and right a lot of wrongs that have been exacted under Vergara's watch.

Unquestionably the Chivas USA experiment has not worked, and any image of the club only stands to be tainted with every revelation of racist practices to come. With another investor potentially coming in and, in all likelihood, rebranding and relocating the club, a very poor chapter in MLS history can be mercifully drawn to a close. Given the ire directed towards Chivas USA these days, it's hard to imagine that anyone will truly miss them if they finally go.