Scorpions to Host Mexican Giants, Tigres UANL

Published on June 12, 2013 under North American Soccer League (NASL)
San Antonio Scorpions News Release


The San Antonio Scorpions will host Mexican giant and three-time winners of the Mexican First Division title, Tigres, Toyota Field on Saturday, July 6th at 7:30 pm, Scorpions President and General Manager Howard Cornfield announced on Wednesday.

The match will mark the first time in history that Tigres will make an appearance in San Antonio. The Mexican powerhouse will bring their frontline first team to play in a match against the Scorpions during the month long NASL break between the spring and fall seasons. The match will mark the second to last game for Tigres before the start of their Liga MX season.

"We are committed to bringing in great matches for our loyal fan base," said Cornfield. "Tigres has a huge following in our area and we know fans will enjoy seeing the Scorpions take them on. This deal took over five months to complete and I greatly appreciate the help of our goalkeeper coach Juan Lamadrid, and our midfielder, and former Tigres star, Javier Saavedra to make this happen."

Tigres, also known as Tigres de la UANL, was founded in 1960 and plays their matches at the Estadio Universitario that can hold up to 42,000 screaming fans per game. Tigres represents one of the two professional soccer clubs in the state of Nueva Leon and were first promoted to the first division in Mexico in 1974. Just four years later, they would go on to win their first of three first division championships, with the others coming in 1982 and 2011. Their 2011 Apertura title was claimed after finishing third in the regular season standings, before defeating Pachuca, Queretaro and Santos in the playoffs.

Tigres is currently managed by Ricardo Ferretti, who led Tigres UANL to a 12th place finish in the 2012-13 season. The squad finished with the eighth best goal differential in Liga MX, making them one of the most competitive teams in the league over the course of the season. Captain Lucas Lobos led Tigres in scoring in the 2012-13 season and remains one of the top players on the club. Some notable players that have passed through the UANL ranks include Walter Gaitan, Nestor Silvera, Carlos Salcido, Tab Ramos and current Scorpion Javier Saavedra. Saavedra played nearly 300 matches as a member of the Monterrey area club and established himself as one of the top players in the Mexican league during his time with them. Saavedra will have the chance to face his former club for the first time since joining the Scorpions in early 2012.

"This match will be a great day for our Scorpions player, Javier Saavedra to lead us against his old club where he played 300 games," said Scorpions Head Coach Tim Hankinson. "It will be a bigger day for the San Antonio community to cheer for their Scorpions team and their Tigres team at Toyota Field."

Toyota Field, one of America's newest soccer specific stadiums, will accommodate the biggest club it has yet to see in its short history when Tigres take the field against the hometown Scorpions. Scorpions' season ticket holders will already own a ticket to this primetime matchup and will also have the first opportunity to purchase additional tickets today and Thursday before they are on sale to the general public.

Because of the expected high-demand for tickets, the Scorpions will make special on field seating available for the match to accommodate the expected capacity plus crowd. The Once in a Lifetime VIP Experience Packages will be just another chance to see the game from an incredible vantage point. A limited number of Luxury Suites at Toyota Field may also be available for the showdown between Tigres and the Scorpions. Details on the Once in a Lifetime VIP Experience Packages can be found below.

Tickets for the match will start from as low as $25 per seat and will go on sale to the general public starting Friday morning at 10:00 am. You can purchase tickets by visiting Ticketmaster.com or calling the Scorpions Ticket Office at 210-495-8686. You can also visit the Toyota Field Box Office Monday through Friday from 10:00 am to 6:00 pm.

Share: Facebook | Twitter/X | LinkedIn | Reddit | Email



North American Soccer League Stories from June 12, 2013


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

OurSports Central