Home Depot Center News

Club América to face Guatemala National Team for 'Reto Aguila' Trophy on Dec. 29 at 7 p.m. PT

CARSON, CALIFORNIA (Monday, Dec. 13th, 2010) - Mexico's 2010 Apertura semifinalist Club América and the Guatemala National Team, in preparations for the 2011 Copa Centroamericana, will square off in just over two weeks, playing on December 29 at The Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif. Club América and the Guatemala National Team will play for the 'Reto Águila' Trophy on Wednesday, Dec. 29th at 7 p.m. PT. The teams will be facing off for the fourth time in history and for the first time in more than 80 years. Team itineraries will be announced in the next few days.

'Reto Águila' is the beginning of The Home Depot Center's new tradition of bringing international soccer to Southern California during the holidays. The Reto Águila Trophy will feature Club América and the Guatemala National Team squaring off for the first time in American soil, and the fourth time in history. The teams played three times early in 1923 in Guatemala, with Club América winning twice, 3-2 on Jan. 1 and 4-1 on Jan. 7, and Guatemala winning on Jan. 4 by a 3-1 score. All three games were played at Marte Stadium in Guatemala.

The Reto Águila Trophy will be awarded to the winner of the match, with the result being decided by penalties in case of a tie score after 90 minutes.

Tickets, starting as low as $20, are available at Ticketmaster.com, homedepotcenter.com and at The Home Depot Center Box Office, open Monday through Friday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and by phone at 800-745-3000. Tickets are available in the following categories; $20 endlines; $25 corners; $35 sidelines; $45 midfield; and $75 fieldside. Luxury suites, club seats and terrace cabana suites are also available for purchase by calling 877-604-8777.

Club América, Mexico's Apertura 2010 semifinalist, enjoyed a successful season finishing first in their group and qualifying for the Playoffs, where they defeated San Luis in the first round. 'Las Águilas' finished fourth overall in the regular season, behind only Santos, the Apertura 2010 finalists, Cruz Azul, the team with most points during the regular season, and Monterrey. Among Club America's stars is Argentinean attacker Vicente Matias Vuoso, who scored 10 goals in the tournament. Led by Head Coach Manolo Lapuente, Club America will also bring stars such as Mexican National Team members Guillermo Ochoa and Pavel Pardo, as well as Argentina's Daniel Montenegro.

Returning to The Home Depot Center after his appearances with the Los Angeles Galaxy and other MLS clubs, Carlos 'El Pescadito' Ruiz will lead the Guatemala National Team against Club América, along with Mario 'El Loco' Rodriguez and Marco Pappa, who currently plays for the Chicago Fire. Guatemala is currently preparing for the 2011 Copa Centroamericana, which will send five Central American teams to the 2011 CONCACAF Gold Cup. This will be Guatemala's sixth match in Carson and Head Coach Ever Hugo Almeida will be making his fifth appearance with the Guatemalan National Team on American soil.

Media who have been issued 2010 MLS season credentials by either the LA Galaxy or Chivas USA may use those credentials for the Dec. 29 match. Media inquiries may be directed to Alison Salcedo at asalcedo@homedepotcenter.com or Eduard Cauich at ecauich@homedepotcenter.com

About The Home Depot Center

The Home Depot Center is southern California's home of world-class competition and training facilities for amateur, Olympic, collegiate and professional athletes. The $150 million, privately financed facility was developed and is operated by AEG on a 125-acre site on the campus of California State University, Dominguez Hills (CSUDH) in Carson, California. The Home Depot Center features an 8,000-seat tennis stadium, a 27,000-seat stadium for soccer and other athletic competitions and outdoor concerts, a 10,000-seat facility for track & field and a 2,450-seat indoor Velodrome for track cycling. The Home Depot Center is home to two Major League Soccer teams, the Los Angeles Galaxy and Chivas USA. Named an Official U.S. Olympic Training Site, The Home Depot Center is also home of the United States Tennis Association's (USTA) High Performance Training Center, the national team training headquarters for the U.S. Soccer Federation (USSF) and Athletes' Performance, an international training center for elite and professional athletes. For more information, please visit www.homedepotcenter.com.

Contact:

The Home Depot Center Communications
Alison Groendal Salcedo, (310) 630-2032
Eduard Cauich, (310) 982-3656