Dan Kennedy still the man at Chivas USA, manager says

Mapping the Chivas USA personnel philosophy will be work in progress, it seems.

Because on the one hand, new manager José Luis Sánchez Solá want to use the club to develop Mexican and Mexican-American talent, an Americanized version of the presiding philosophy that has always ruled Chivas USA’s mother ship, Chivas de Guadalajara.

But yesterday, Sanchez Sola seemed to zig rather than zag, naming American goalkeeper Dan Kennedy as his captain and his starter. We (along with everyone else) had speculated that Kennedy could be the next out of Chivas USA, and that some MLS club could surely grab the Goats steady ‘keeper at a bargain price.

(MORE: Is the fire sale on at Chivas USA?)

But …

Here’s what Sanchez Sola said over the weekend as Kennedy, nursing a minor hand injury, sat out an early preseason friendly.

At this time, he’s my captain. I need him more than anyone else.”

If today’s game was a league game, he’d be in goal. It was a practice game, so there’s no need to risk it. I decided that he wouldn’t be needed in goal.”