The 2012 Chivas USA season was the club's eighth year of existence. It was the club's eighth consecutive season in Major League Soccer, the top division in American soccer. Chivas USA competed in Major League Soccer's Western Conference.
Chivas USA is in the #5 position in the MLS Allocation Ranking. The allocation ranking is the mechanism used to determine which MLS club has first priority to acquire a U.S. National Team player who signs with MLS after playing abroad, or a former MLS player who returns to the league after having gone to a club abroad for a transfer fee. A ranking can be traded, provided that part of the compensation received in return is another club's ranking.
Chivas USA has 9 MLS International Roster Slots for use in the 2012 season. Each club in Major League Soccer is allocated 8 international roster spots and Chivas USA acquired a permanent additional spot from Real Salt Lake in 2004.
Future picks acquired: None.<br /> Future picks traded: *2013 MLS SuperDraft Round 2 pick to New England Revolution.
<small>Source: https://web.archive.org/web/20120304081935/http://www.cdchivasusa.com/sponsors</small>
|- |colspan="14"|Players away from Chivas USA on loan: |- |colspan="14"|Players who left Chivas USA during the season: