NASL Minnesota United FC

Minnesota United Set to Face Historic Club León in International Friendly

Published on July 17, 2015 under North American Soccer League (NASL)
Minnesota United FC News Release


MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. (Friday, July 17th, 2015) -- Minnesota United will play its third match in eight days on Saturday as they face off against the historic Liga MX team Club León in an international friendly at National Sports Center Stadium. The match is set to kick off at 7 p.m. There will be no live stream or broadcast, but full highlights will be available following the match.

"We're playing a team that competes at a very high level, so it's a great opportunity for us to finish our week the right way and get better going forward," said Minnesota United Head Coach Manny Lagos. "It's important to think about how and what we want to get out of a match like this—whether that's getting some guys minutes that we haven't or getting some guys minutes in different positions, there are a lot of things we can assess from a match like this."

Club León is one of the premier football clubs in the world. Playing at the highest level in Mexico, León has won the Liga MX (Mexico First Division) title seven times: in 1948, 1949, 1952, 1956, 1992, Apertura 2013 and most recently Clausura 2014. This will mark the first time a Liga MX club has played a match in Minnesota since the Minnesota Thunder hosted Club Atlético Monarcas Morelia at NSC in 2004.

In 2014, United welcomed the first ever Premier League team to Minnesota when it hosted Swansea City A.F.C. in front of a sellout crowd at National Sports Center Stadium. The Loons prevailed 2-0 in a historic victory with goals from Justin Davis and Greg Jordan.

Minnesota United is coming off a comprehensive 4-0 win over the Jacksonville Armada in a midweek match at NSC that saw the Loon faithful set a franchise attendance record thanks to the 9,412 in the stands. Christian Ramirez scored his second goal in as many games and added an assist in the win.

"It's the right time for us to take a deep breath and play against a really good opponent and push ourselves to see where we're at as a group. León as a club are nearly through their preseason so this type of exhibition will be intense," said Lagos. "The rivalry between Mexico and the U.S. is picking up at all levels, in a good way, we're catching up and they're going to want to put their best forward and we're going to want to come out and perform for our fans."

Minnesota United recently sent Miguel Ibarra to Club León on a transfer. Ibarra will play the first half for for Minnesota and the second half for León.

"Minnesota and NSC are very special this time of year. The synergy between youth soccer, USA Cup and the team and the history of both is so relevant," said Lagos. "This weekend will be very special because we're breaking new ground on how we operate globally, and this type of game happens because of those types of operations. It's a great celebration and hopefully it's a great way to end the USA Cup for some of these kids."

Tickets are now available for that match at mnunitedfc.com/tickets or by calling 763.4SOCCER. Make your purchase and secure your seat for the international friendly today!

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North American Soccer League Stories from July 17, 2015


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