Earthquake rumbles Chivas USA practice

A magnitude 5.4 earthquake struck Southern California at 11:42 a.m. PT, just as Chivas USA was finishing practice on Field 6 at The Home Depot Center. The players had wrapped up training and were preparing to sign autographs for fans before heading back in to the locker room when the quake, whose epicenter was about 35 miles east of Carson, in Chino Hills, began.

The earthquake lasted for about 20 seconds, and followed with almost a dozen aftershocks measuring up to 3.8 in magnitude. According a report from Reuters, no injuries or major damage have been reported.

Chivas USA players, out on a practice field, were well out of harm’s way.

“I was sitting on the bench when the earthquake happened,” said Chivas USA defender Lawson Vaughn. “When I first felt it, I thought something was wrong with my head - I thought maybe I was dizzy, or exhausted from heat. Then I looked around and everyone was saying ‘Earthquake! Earthquake!’ and I just enjoyed it. I could feel myself rocking back and forth, so I loved it!”

Vaughn is no stranger to powerful natural events: “It was my first earthquake,” he said. “When I was in Tulsa, I actually was not to far from a tornado, so I’ve done the tornado, the earthquake, and now I need a hurricane!”