CARSON, Calif. - Chivas USA proudly announced today that a Chivas Select Team featuring players from Chivas Guadalajara and Chivas USA will face Mexican First Division side Santos Laguna in Santa Barbara, California in a benefit for hurricane victims in the Gulf Coast region. This unique exhibition match, presented by Chivas USA in conjunction with Santa Barbara Soccer Entertainment, will be held on Sunday, October 9, 2005 at 2:00 p.m. PT at Harder Stadium on the Campus of the University of California, Santa Barbara and will be broadcast live in the United States by Fox Sports en Español, Fox Soccer Channel and Radiovisa 830 AM, and worldwide by Fox Sports Latin America, Fox Sports World Canada and Fox Sports Middle East/Africa. All proceeds from this historic game, which marks the first time players from Chivas USA and sister club Chivas Guadalajara will play together on the same team, will go to the hurricane relief efforts of the American Red Cross in the Gulf Coast region.
"The Chivas family is hoping to make an important contribution to the people affected by the recent natural disasters in the Gulf Coast. We look forward to helping the relief efforts as best we can, while also giving fans a chance to see their heroes of Chivas Guadalajara and Chivas USA take on a top Mexican side such as Santos Laguna in an exciting afternoon of world-class soccer," said Antonio Cué, President and Co-Owner of Chivas USA.
Tickets for the match, which start at just $20, are now available at select outlets in the Tri-County Area (comprising Santa Barbara, Ventura and San Luis Obispo counties - see below for a full list of locations) and by calling 1-877-CHIVAS-1. Tickets are also available through Ticketmaster, which for this special event will be waiving its normal service charge. Prices are $20 for General and $25 for General Especial. Doors will open at 12:00 noon PT on the day of the event, while ticket windows will open at 10:00 a.m. Parking will be available from 9:00 a.m. for a price of $5.
"Santa Barbara Soccer Entertainment is happy to present this very special event together with Chivas USA. We encourage all soccer fans in the Tri-Counties Area to come out and lend their support to this worthy cause, while enjoying an exciting and historic match between two top-level teams. We hope to show the world the heart and spirit of soccer fans in this area," said Rudy Ybarra, President and Founder of Santa Barbara Soccer Entertainment.
Chivas Guadalajara and Santos Laguna are expected to arrive in Southern California on Saturday, October 8. That evening, players of Chivas Guadalajara and Chivas USA will appear at an exclusive end-of-season party sponsored by Chivas Regal for Chivas USA season ticket holders at a select location in the Southland.
Harder Stadium, capacity 17,000, is the largest stadium on California's Central Coast. Built in the 1950's and located on the campus of the University of California, Santa Barbara it is home to UCSB's men's and women's soccer programs, whose alumni include Chivas USA forward Thiago Martins. To arrive to the campus from the south, take 101 North, exit Airport/UCSB (Highway 217) approximately eight miles north of Santa Barbara. To arrive to the campus from the north, take 101 South, exit Storke Road/Glen Annie Road approximately twelve miles north of Santa Barbara. Turn right on Storke Road and proceed two miles to El Colegio Road. Turn left on El Colegio Road and proceed to the campus West Gate entrance.
Club Deportivo Chivas USA, an expansion team in Major League Soccer for the 2005 season, is sister club to Chivas Guadalajara, Mexico's most popular soccer team. Chivas USA, which is concluding its inaugural season in the U.S. first division, is coached by Dutchman Hans Westerhof and includes Chivas Guadalajara legends such as Ramón Ramírez and Juan Francisco 'Paco' Palencia, as well as promising American-based players such as Antonio 'Chiva' Martínez, Orlando Pérez and Santa Barbara's own Rodrigo López. The club, which is co-owned by Mexican businessmen Jorge Vergara and Antonio Cué, plays its home games at The Home Depot Center in Carson, Los Angeles County, California.
Club Deportivo Guadalajara, popularly known as 'Chivas', is Mexico's most popular soccer team, with an estimated 30 million fans across Mexico and the United States. Winners of a record ten Mexican league championships and semifinalists in the 2005 Copa Libertadores, the Guadalajara-based team is coached by Spaniard Javier Azcargorta and is currently in fourth place in Group 3 of the Mexican Apertura 2005 season with a 2-3-3 record (W-L-T) and 9 points from eight matches.
Santos Laguna, winner of two Mexican league championships and one of the Cinderella stories of the 2004 Copa Libertadores, is based in the city of Torreón in the border state of Coahuila, Mexico. Lead by former Chivas Guadalajara player and coach Eduardo 'Yayo' de la Torre, the team is currently in third place in Group 2 of the Mexican Apertura 2005 season with a 3-4-1 record (W-L-T) and 10 points from eight matches.
Santa Barbara Soccer Entertainment, led by President, Founder and Santa Barbara native Rudy Ybarra, has been promoting international soccer matches for the past 13 years in the United States and China.
Tickets for this special benefit match are available at the following outlets in the Tri-County Area and beyond: Santa Barbara: Aggressive Soccer Company (805-963-4919), Soccer Action USA (805-882-9231), Taquería Rincón Alteño (805-962-9798); Santa Maria: Soccer Action USA (805-614-4350), Soccer Mart (805-739-0047); Goleta: Soccer Action USA (805-685-0055); Lompoc: Planet Soccer (805-735-2399); Isla Vista: El Taco Amigo (805-685-5015); Carpinteria: Taquería Rincón Alteño (805-684-7764); Oxnard: Xtreme Soccer (805-604-4707); Ventura: Soccer Plus (805-650-8099); San Luis Obispo: Sloco Soccer Store (805-782-9080); Paso Robles: Soccer World (805-239-0915); Arroyo Grande: Soccer Mart (805-473-8226); Bakersfield: Soccer Warehouse Plus (661-834-5425).
For more information on this historic benefit match between the Chivas Select Team (featuring players from Chivas Guadalajara and Chivas USA) versus Santos Laguna in benefit of hurricane victims in the Gulf Coast region, please call 1-877-CHIVAS-1 or visit www.CDCHIVASUSA.com, the official web site of Club Deportivo Chivas USA.
