U.S. to host Guatemala at Pizza Hut Park on March 28
Published 1/10/2007 9:21:35 AM by FC Dallas Media Relations from Frisco, Texas
FRISCO, Texas - The U.S. Men's National Team will return to Pizza Hut Park for the second consecutive year to face Guatemala when they meet in Frisco, Texas, on March 28 at 8 p.m. CT. This will be the second U.S. National Team appearance at the home of FC Dallas. The game will be broadcast live on ESPN2 and Galavision, and will be available to fans online via ussoccer.com's MatchTracker.
The match has the potential of pitting FC Dallas forwards Kenny Cooper and Carlos Ruiz against each other should they each get called in to their respective national teams. Cooper is currently in his first U.S. National Team camp while Ruiz has represented Guatemala on 68 occasions and scored 33 goals. In 2006, Ruiz led FCD with 13 goals scored and Cooper finished second with 11.
FC Dallas season ticket holders and FCD Hoops Nation members will have a special pre-sale opportunity to purchase tickets prior to the public on-sale on Wednesday, Jan. 10 from 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. Tickets for the general public will be available beginning Thursday, Jan. 11, at 10 a.m. CT online at fcdallas.net, ussoccer.com, at all Dallas-Ft. Worth area Ticketmaster outlets (including Macy's, Fiesta Stores, and FYE) and by phone at 214-373-8000. Groups of 15 or more can purchase tickets by calling the FC Dallas office at 888-FCD-GOAL (888-323-4265). Ticket prices are $18, $25, $32, $42, $55, $80 and $125 for field side.
"As part of the double fixture date, the Guatemala game is a valuable opportunity to bring together our full group of players from Europe and MLS to get a meaningful week of training and playing games," said U.S. MNT head coach Bob Bradley. "It's important that the national team continues to play games at excellent facilities like Pizza Hut Park, and the match against Guatemala there will be great preparation for the Gold Cup"
The U.S. is currently in camp in Carson, Calif., and will open its 2007 schedule on Jan. 20 when the team faces Denmark (tickets) at The Home Depot Center at 2 p.m. PT live on ESPN2. That match will be the first for the U.S. in the 2010 FIFA World Cup cycle and also the first under Bradley. Also on the schedule for the U.S. is a Feb. 7 friendly against regional rivals Mexico (tickets)at the University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Ariz. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. MT, and the match will be shown live on ESPN2 and Univision. Prior to the Guatemala match, the U.S. will play a friendly on March 25 with the location and opponent still to be determined.
The March 28 match will be the 18th meeting all-time between the U.S. and Guatemala. Guatemala won the first four meetings between the two nations between 1977 and 1988, but since the teams' second meeting in 1988 the U.S. has a 9-0-4 record including a 4-0-4 mark in World Cup qualifying. The U.S. has also never lost to Guatemala on home soil. Most recently, the U.S. trounced the Central American side 4-0 on a frigid afternoon on Feb. 19, 2006, at Pizza Hut Park on goals by Ben Olsen, Eddie Johnson, Brian Ching and Chris Klein. Olsen's 35-yard strike made the final list for ussoccer.com's 2006 Best Goal of the Year.
Overall, the U.S. has a 7-2-5 record in the State of Texas and a 6-1-4 mark in the Dallas-Ft. Worth metropolitan area. The U.S. is unbeaten in the Lone Star State in their last 12 matches, with the most recent loss coming to Ecuador on June 10, 1988, in Houston.
Along with a series of friendlies, the United States will compete in two major championships next summer. The three-time champions will first try to defend their title against 11 other teams at the 2007 CONCACAF Gold Cup, scheduled from June 6-24 in several cities across the United States. Just a few days later, the U.S. will participate in the 2007 Copa America, the regional championship of South America. The 12-team tournament will run from June 26 to July 15 in nine cities across Venezuela. For the United States, the appearance will mark their third entrance into CONMEBOL's signature event.
Label: US Guatemala, Pizza Hut Park Frisco, Mens National Team
|