CHIVAS USA MOVES THESLOF TO TECHINCAL DIRECTOR, ADDS CATZ FOR SPORTS PERFORMANCE TRAINING
Theslof’s new role will work with first team and oversee player development at Chivas USA;
Technical staff rounded out with addition of Jim Liston as Strength and Conditioning Coach
CARSON, Calif. (Wednesday, February 9, 2011) – Chivas USA announced today that it has named Nick Theslof, and experienced coach who joined the Red-and-White before the 2010 season, as Technical Director, a role that will continue his coaching work with the first team and include oversight of player development at all levels. The club also announced that the Competitive Athlete Training Zone, or CATZ, has been hired for the club’s Sports Performance Training and Physical Therapy, and will be represented on the technical staff by Strength and Conditioning Coach Jim Liston.
“These two moves will round out our technical staff for the 2011 season, and we’re thrilled to have such an experienced and talented group of coaches,” said Chivas USA Interim Technical Director Jose Domene. “Nick has done great work for us in the last year, and his new role will allow our first team to continue to benefit from his work, and our youth programs to keep growing and succeeding.”
“CATZ is a great organization, and Jim Liston is an experienced Strength and Conditioning Coach, having worked with MLS teams and other top-level athletes for many years,” said Domene. “We’ve already seen in the first part of preseason how much he can help our team, and we’re very happy to have him on board.”
The technical staff now includes Robin Fraser as Head Coach, Assistant Coaches Carlos Llamosa and Greg Vanney, Goalkeeper Coach Daniel Gonzalez, Technical Director Nick Theslof, Assistant Coach/Team Administrator Kevin Esparza, and Strength and Conditioning Coach Jim Liston.
Technical Director Nick Theslof joined Chivas USA in 2010 after having served on Jürgen Klinsmann’s staff at FC Bayern Munich as an Assistant Coach and International Scout. In his first season at Chivas USA, Theslof worked with the first team in scouting and performance evaluation, as well as coaching skills and technique, and will continue those roles in 2011 while also adding oversight and evaluation of player development, especially at the youth level. A scout for the German National Team in the 2006 World Cup, Theslof served as the Head Coach and General Manager for the Orange County Blue Star of the Premier Development League from 2002-2007. A professional player for the Columbus Crew and Orange County Wave of the A-League, Theslof was an NCAA National Champion in 1997 at UCLA, and holds a U.S. Soccer Federation “A” License.
The Competitive Athlete Training Zone (CATZ) Sports Performance Center was Co-founded by Jim Liston, who will work on training with Chivas USA, and Kevin Wentz, who will help the Red-and-White with physical therapy. CATZ has trained hundreds of professional and Olympic athletes at more than a dozen locations nationwide, and worked with the LA Galaxy from 1998-2003, during which time the team made it to six finals, and won an MLS Cup, a U.S. Open Cup, and the CONCACAF Champions Cup. CATZ sent a Strength and Conditioning Coach to the Columbus Crew in 2007 and 2008, when the team won the MLS Cup, and currently works with the Boston Breakers of WPS. Liston specializes in improving athletic performance and reducing the risk of injury, and presently serves as an Adjunct Instructor of Clinical Physical Therapy at the University of Southern California. He holds a BS from the University of Massachusetts and a Masters in Health Science from Springfield College, and has been a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) since 1995.
Chivas USA opened preseason training camp in January and continues preparation for the 2011 Home Opener on March 19 against Omar Bravo and Sporting Kansas City. Season Seats for 2011 are now on sale, with prices remaining at the same low rates as 2010. For more information, or to purchase tickets, please call 1-877-CHIVAS-1 or visit
cdchivasusa.com.
Setting the Pace with USC & CATZ
The #1 nationally ranked USC Division of Biokinesiology and Physical Therapy (USCPT) is proud to team up with the Competitive Athlete Training Zone (CATZ) - a recognized leader of fitness and performance training - in our Setting the Pace campaign.
Dedicated to raising funds for the establishment of the community-based, state-of-the-art USC Community Health and Wellness Research Center at CATZ, the Setting the Pace campaign is furthering our mission to improve participants' lives by promoting healthy, fulfilling lifestyles through physical activity and exercise for all.
Million Steps Club
As part of our Setting the Pace campaign to benefit the USC Community Health and Wellness Research Center at CATZ, we are challenging you to make every step count this summer. See how fostering our mission of an active connected community can work in your own circle and move us all closer to our goal of delivering the best in movement science right here at CATZ. Reach out to your kids and your friends, move together and see how your piece fits into the whole of a better, stronger and healthier community.