Los Angeles, California.- For Gabriel Milito, Chivas’ two remaining matches in the 2026 Leagues Cup Phase One will be true finals. Following Guadalajara’s opening match of the international competition against LAFC, the Rojiblanco manager praised his team’s character and commitment, thanked the Nación Chiva for its unwavering support and made it clear that the Rebaño will look to earn as many points as possible to advance to the next round.
Speaking to the media after the match, Milito reflected on his team’s performance, acknowledged the growth of MLS, praised the work of Armando “Hormiga” González and Roberto Alvarado, and reiterated that Chivas will approach its remaining matches against FC Dallas and Seattle Sounders with the highest level of competitiveness in pursuit of a spot in the knockout stage.
Gabriel Milito’s Top Quotes
On the Nación Chiva support
It’s become a tradition for our fans to support us wherever we play around the world, and we never feel alone. Whether we’re at home or away, we always feel their presence. I’d like to thank them for being with us tonight.
On the team’s performance
It wasn’t easy to control the type of opponent we faced, nor was it easy to deal with their transitions because they’re very fast and direct. From the very first minute we wanted to win the match and avoid penalties. We even had a chance to turn the score around. I was very pleased with the team’s performance, its courage and commitment.
On Chivas’ chances of advancing
We went toe-to-toe with them and our intention was always to win and earn as many points as possible. We have two matches left, and we’ll treat both of them like finals. I believe that if we win those two games, we’ll have a good chance of reaching the next round.”
On the points earned
The difficult part would have been coming away with nothing. I remember that last year five points were enough to qualify. Right now we’re focused on earning more points, and to do that we have to beat Dallas, our next opponent. We need to play with the same intensity and passion we showed today to earn those three points and head into the final match with seven.”
On MLS
MLS has grown tremendously and continues to evolve with the quality of its teams. The two leagues are very evenly matched, and whenever teams from MLS and Liga MX face each other, they produce great matches. That speaks to the quality and competitiveness of this tournament.”
On Armando González and Roberto Alvarado
Hormiga scored 24 goals across the last two tournaments, which is a remarkable total in 34 matches. If you combine both competitions, his scoring average is extremely high. If you look at the top scorers in Serie A or the Premier League, their averages are very similar. His goals will come.”
I’m very happy that Piojo has been one of our standout players and has already scored three goals. We need him to continue contributing with all of his talent and everything he brings to us on the field.”
On the team’s attacking production
The rest of the team will score goals if we continue playing at this level and creating chances. Goals will come from our forwards, from Marín, Cotorro and Aguirre, just as they did last season. I’m calm in that regard. I’d be much more concerned if we weren’t controlling matches and creating scoring opportunities, because that’s what you need to win games.”
On Efraín Álvarez and the squad’s depth
We wanted to use a lineup made up of players who have spent more time working with us, which is why we chose Efra and Piojo ahead of Govea and Oso. We have a game plan that we’ve used many times against teams that defend with a back four. It worked well in several moments, and they executed it very well, which is why we made that decision.”
Efra missed preseason, but once he was medically cleared, he trained very well with double sessions at Verde Valle to catch up. He didn’t start the first few matches because he still needed rhythm, but today it was the right time for him to play. The good thing is that we have quality options like Kevin Castañeda and Jordan Carrillo. We’ll probably have to rotate the squad to keep everyone fresh, but we need to maintain the same quality and footballing level.”
