Santa Barbara soccer fans are in for a treat on Sunday, March 29 when professional Mexican club teams Club América and Atlético Morelia come to town to face off at UCSB’s Harder Stadium in an exhibition.
Tickets for the event go on sale Friday and can be purchased locally at the Arlington Theatre box office, Aggressive Soccer Co., Xtreme Soccer and the Guadalajara Market. Santa Barbara Soccer Entertainment, the company responsible for attracting the high-level competition to town, is offering online ticket sales for the first time at their web site.
While Atlético Morelia is known for its rabid fan base, Club América has a well-founded international reputation as one of the finest pro teams in Mexico.
“Club America has a combination of 33 championships in their team history, of which 10 are Mexican league championships. Aside from being one of the most popular teams in Mexico, it is by far one of the most recognized in all of Latin America. This event will bring out soccer fans of all ages and backgrounds – not just Spanish speakers – but fans that love the game and love watching great soccer,” said Rudy Ybarra, President of SBSE.
Club América is coached by Jesus “Chucho” Ramirez, best known for leading Mexico’s Under-17 squad to the 2005 world championship in Peru. His roster features several international players like Guillermo Ochoa (Mexico), Oscar Rojas (Mexico), Salvador Cabanas (Paraguay), Andres Chitiva (Colombia), Jean Beausejour (Chile) and Roberto de Pinho (Brasil).
Atlético Morelia is coached by former national team player Tomas Boy, otherwise known as “El Jefe” in Mexico. His talented side includes Moises Munoz (Mexico), Fernando “Pollo” Salazar (Mexico), Mauricio Romero (Argentina), Wilson Tiago (Brasil), Hugo Droguett (Chile), Oscar Rojas (Costa Rica) and Andres Mendoza (Peru).
I heard tickets are selling fast….