Mexican & Nigerian National Teams to Play Friendly at Reliant on May 31st

Obtained from a Press Release issued by SUM:

The Federación Mexicana de Fútbol (FMF) and Soccer United Marketing (SUM) announced on Wednesday March 6, 2013 that the Mexican National Team will face the current Africa Cup of Nations champion, Nigeria, on Friday, May 31 (9:00 p.m. ET) at Reliant Stadium in Houston, TX. The match, presented by Allstate, will be the third of five games as part of Mexico’s annual U.S. tour, now in its 11th year.

An exclusive Visa pre-sale for the game will begin Thursday, March 7 via www.Ticketmaster.com or by calling 1-800-745-3000. Tickets, which start at $30, will go on sale to the general public on Monday, March 11 at 10:00 a.m. ET on www.Ticketmaster.com, by calling 1-800-745-3000 and at all Houston-area Ticketmaster locations, including all Houston-area Fiesta stores. The Federación Mexicana de Fútbol invites fans to use their Visa cards.

Mexico has played 12 matches at Reliant Stadium since 2003, averaging nearly 60,000 fans per appearance. The last time El Tricolor featured against an African opponent at Reliant in 2010, Mexico defeated Angola 1-0 before a crowd of 70,099.

The upcoming May game against Nigeria will be crucial for Mexico head coach, Jose Manuel de la Torre, as it will be the team’s final preparation match before two June Hexagonal CONCACAF World Cup qualifying round matches. Following the qualifiers, Mexico – the reigning CONCACAF Gold Cup champions – will then head to Brazil to participate in the FIFA Confederations Cup. In Brazil, El Tricolor will face the home team, Italy and Japan in the group stage. Mexico will return to U.S. territory to defend their title in the bi-annual CONCACAF Gold Cup, which Mexico will inaugurate on July 7 at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena.

Nigeria was crowned champion of the 2013 edition of the Africa Cup of Nations after a 1-0 victory over Burkina Faso in the final, and will also travel to Brazil in July to participate in the FIFA Confederations Cup where they will face Spain, Uruguay and Tahiti in the group stage. Nigeria, currently leading Africa’s World Cup qualifying, has won the Africa Nations Cup on three occasions and also has participated in four World Cup tournaments. Mexico and Nigeria have met three times with a 1-0-2 record in favor of Mexico. The two teams last met in October of 2007 in an international friendly, with the match ending in a 2-2 tie at the Estadio Olimpico Benito Juarez in Chihuahua, Mexico.

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While there is no secret that El Tri has a substantial fan base in the Houston area, Houston also has a sizable Nigerian community likely eager to support the current Champions of Africa.

BBVA Compass Stadium to Host 2013 CONCACAF Gold Cup Match(es)

Today, CONCACAF released the list of host cities and venues for the 2013 Gold Cup. Although Houston has played host to Gold Cup matches in past years, there is a change of venue for 2013 from Reliant Stadium to the brand new, soccer specific BBVA Compass Stadium. As of now, it's not clear what match(es) will take place in Houston, but since BBVA Compass Stadium has about 40,000 less seats than Reliant Stadium, it is likely that Houston won't play host to any of the big marquee matches this year (especially any matches involving Mexico).

While the 2011 Gold Cup decided who would represent CONCACAF in the 2013 Confederations Cup in Brasil (Mexico), there is no bigger prize by winning the 2013 Gold Cup. Combine that with the fact that World Cup Qualifiers are the priority this year, it will be interesting to see which players get their first caps, or first caps in a long time, this summer.

Here's a list of all the host cities and venues for the 2013 Gold Cup:

Dallas – Cowboys Stadium (Arlington, TX)

Atlanta – Georgia Dome (Atlanta, GA)

Baltimore - M&T Bank Stadium (Baltimore, MD)

Chicago – Soldier Field (Chicago, IL)

Denver – Sports Authority Field at Mile High (Denver, CO)

Hartford – Rentschler Field (East Hartford, CT)

Houston – BBVA Compass Stadium (Houston, TX)

Los Angeles – Rose Bowl (Pasadena, CA)

Miami – Sun Life Stadium (Miami Gardens, FL)

New York– Red Bull Arena (Harrison, NJ)

Portland – JELD-WEN Field (Portland, OR)

Salt Lake City – Rio Tinto Stadium (Sandy, UT)

Seattle – CenturyLink Field (Seattle, WA)

Sir Alex Ferguson's Presser in Houston

Sir Alex Ferguson talked to the press last night in Houston, here's what he had to say.

USA v. Mexico in Houston 2/6/08

It was a Friendly in name only on Wednesday night here in Houston, Texas when the United States and Mexico met each other at Reliant Stadium, in front of a sell out crowd of 70,103 fans who kept the stadium pulsating all match long.

Both sides fought hard for 90 minutes, and left the pitch in a 2-2 draw. Mexico's two goals were scored by Defender Jonny Magallon off of set pieces, and both can be attributable to Drew Moor's poor defending. And defense was a problem all night for the U.S. as could be seen in Tim Howard's futile efforts to get his defenders to listen to his commands. But for Howard's great goal tending, Mexico may have won the match.

Gooch was America's comeback player of the night. After some poor showings in recent club and international play, conventional wisdom had it that Gooch's time with the U.S. team should come to an end. Maybe his beautiful header into the net is the inspiration Gooch needed.

It was good to see the young Americans get some experience against a big rival and in front of a massively raucous crowd. While Freddy Adu has been making strides in Portugal, he did not have one of his best international nights on Wednesday, nor did Michael Bradley who has been scoring numerous goals in the Netherlands. Jozy Altidore, on the other hand, shined in his first match against Mexico. However, we must keep in mind that Bradley and Adu flew in from Europe this week and did not have as much training time with the national team that Altidore has had this year.

To wrap up, the U.S. did not have one of its best nights, nor did it have one of its worst nights. Putting this game in perspective with recent games of the Bradley Regime, there are signs that the U.S. men's team is on the right track and a glimmer of hope that 2010 will not be a repeat of 2006.

Unfortunately for Houston Dynamo fans, Brad Davis, who had been called up for Wednesday's game, suffered groin injury while training with the national team and there is no word on when he'll be able to practice with the Dynamo.

Now for the darker side of last Wednesday night’s events. Following the match, two Mexico supporters were shot as the left the west entrance of Reliant Stadium. Witnesses said they saw a beer bottle or can thrown at a maroon car and someone got out of the car and fired the shots. Another witness has said that the men who were shot had been in an argument with the shooter. What is important to keep in mind is that at this point there is no clear indication that the shooter attended the game or was a supporter of either team. It’s not even clear if the shooter’s vehicle was on a street or in a parking lot.

Houston Moves Closer Towards Soccer Specific Stadium

Ever since winning a second MLS Championship in a row back in November, Houston Dynamo Fans have been waiting for word that the City of Houston and the Houston Dynamo had struck a deal to build a soccer specific stadium in or near downtown Houston. While there is no deal yet, the City has taken some steps that make a deal much more likely. Today it was announced that, on Monday, the City signed letters of intent to purchase land on the East Side of Highway 59, which runs along the East Edge of Downtown. For reference, the Astros' Minute Maid Park and the Rockets' Toyota Center are located on the west side of Highway 59. Meanwhile, last month the City signed letters of intent to purchase land along Highway 288, just south of Downtown and near the famed Houston Medical Center, for an 18 field soccer complex.

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/sports/soc/5440589.html

While the Houston Dynamo are willing to put up a bigger percentage of money to build a stadium then any other Houston sports team has done, it seems one sticking point is the costs of infrastructure improvements that would be necessary.

In a press release, Houston Dynamo President, Oliver Luck, stated:

“We are grateful that the Mayor has taken a leadership position on the issue of a stadium for the Houston Dynamo. As we have said from the very beginning, the Dynamo cannot stay in Houston without a new venue. Robertson Stadium has provided a great home field advantage for us and a good interim platform, but it is not an economically viable option in the long term.

The new stadium is our highest priority. Although we have not reached an agreement with the City of Houston, we are anxious to come to closure on the terms of a public-private partnership with the city and we are willing to assume responsibility for a much higher proportion of the costs than any other team owner has had to assume in Houston. While there are other options available to us in Houston, it is our preference to be in a location as central as possible. We very much appreciate the Mayor's interest in working with us to achieve our mutual goal of keeping the two-time defending MLS Cup Champions in Houston, and we look forward to advancing our discussions to that end."

Elsewhere, Houston Dynamo forward, Joseph Ngwenya is getting some love from AllAfrica.com:

http://allafrica.com/stories/200801090120.html

InterLiga Wraps up its Houston Visit

This past week saw the return of professional Mexican soccer to Houston, Texas, with InterLiga qualifying rounds at Robertson Stadium on Thursday and Saturday nights.

Thursday Night featured a Group A doubleheader with Toluca taking on Atlas in the first game and Club America squaring off against Morelia in the late match. Maybe it was the cold, maybe the players were tired, but Toluca and Atlas slogged their way to an uninspiring nil-nil tie, and although Toluca managed seven attempts and Atlas nine attempts, it seemed that the ball rarely left midfield.

Although the temperature continued to drop, the evening heated up when Club America and Morelia took to the pitch. The only goal of the game, and the night, came in the 12th minute when America midfielder Alejandro Arrguello found the back of the net on a scorcher from just outside the box.

To their credit, Morelia did not give up and most likely would have come away the winner of the match but for the superb goal tending of Club America’s Ochoa, including his spectacular save on a penalty kick taken by Oscar Rojas in the 55th minute. For those who braved the cold evening and the grinding Toluca - Atlas game, this match was well worth the price of admission.

Saturday evening brought warmer temperatures, a bigger crowd, and a Group B doubleheader.

The first match featured Cruz Azul and Monterrey, both clubs, especially Monterrey, were well represented in the stands, making for great atmosphere. Cruz Azul needed points to keep their hopes of advancement alive, and that hunger translated to the pitch where Cruz Azul’s Edgar Andrade scored a goal in the 19th minute. Realizing they were light on offense, after selling off three forwards during the off-season, Azul went on the defensive and limited Monterrey to 5 goal attempts, none of which found the back of the net.

Saturday’s nightcap featured San Luis taking on Pumas. San Luis clearly took to the pitch with the intention to walk away with 3 points, while Pumas appeared more interested in getting back to their hotel for a good night’s rest. San Luis clearly controlled this match, the only one in

Houston that saw multiple goals, presenting a strong attack and solid defense. Tressor Moreno scored San Luis’ first goal in the 9th minute and then Alfredo Moreno (no relation) put up an insurance goal for San Luis in the 36th minute.

InterLiga moves on from Houston with more group stage matches being held in Dallas, the Bay Area, and Los Angeles this week before the tournament final is held on Saturday at the Home Depot Center.

http://www.myspace.com/worldsoccerwrap

http://www.myspace.com/thezygos

InterLiga Group A Doubleheader

Last night, which was a bone chilling cold night, Mexican Soccer came to Robertson Stadium in Houston, Texas, in the form of InterLiga. Last night was a Group A Doubleheader featuring Toluca and Atlas and Club America and Morelia.

The first match was a rather slow paced, nil-nil draw that saw the ball spend most of the 90 minutes in the middle of the field, a match that did very little to warm up the 9000 or so fans that ventured out to take in the matches. Maybe it was the cold that prevented the players from focusing on the task at hand. I note I saw numerous Toluca fans, but can't recall seeing a single Atlas fan.

The second match of the evening was well worth the wait. Club America won it with a goal by Alejandro Arguello in the 12th minute, but I have to give Morelia credit, they never gave up. In fact Morelia may have come away with a win or a tie but for the beautiful goaltending of America's Guillermo Ocha, especially when he saved a penalty kick taken by Mauricio Romero in the 55th minute.

Saturday will feature a Group B doubleheader at Robertson with Pumas, San Luis, Cruz Azul, and Monterrey.

Keep an eye here for more detailed stats on last night's matches and on Saturday's matches.

For more info on InterLiga:

http://web.interliga.com/es/index.jsp