By NINO CARDENAS
LAREDO MORNING TIMES
The Laredo Heat get a day off from Premier Development League competition to welcome the Mexico Under-20 national team tonight at the Texas A&M International soccer complex.
The game is set for an 8:15 p.m. start.
The last time the Heat took on a national squad was in 2005, when it fell 4-1 to the U.S. Under 17 team.
Tickets can be purchased at the gate for $10 for adults, and $5 for children 12-and-under.
VIP seating is $20.
The friendly game offers a chance for the Heat to forget about its PDL worries for at least one day and a chance to measure itself against some of the best young talent its neighboring country has to offer.
The Mexican side arrived early Tuesday and had a light training session that night. Mexico, like the U.S. Under 20 squad, is gearing up for the 2009 World Cup taking place in Egypt.
The two sides play on Friday.
“It’s like the first game is a bonus because people get to see the Mexican National team twice,” Heat owner Shashi Vaswani said.
The Friday tickets are $35 for general admission and $50 for VIP seating. You can buy tickets tomorrow for $10 less by calling (956) 723-4700.
“We worked very hard in trying to bring these two events to Laredo,” Vaswani said. “Also not one, but two local Laredoans are on the USA roster, so when are we going to get a chance to see this again? It’ll be great to have the support of Laredo and have the teams leave with a positive experience.”
The Heat, on the other hand, not only get a chance to play for the love of the game, but a chance to let go of the mounting pressure of the Mid South Division.
The Heat returns to PDL play on Saturday when it hosts the Houston Leones. It’ll have two games remaining after Saturday.
All are must win contests.
The Heat (5-4-4, 19 points) trails El Paso (6-4-3, 21) and has a slim edge over the Mississippi Brilla (5-5-3, 18) for the second and final postseason spot.
Also on the radar is New Orleans (4-5-3, 15) and Baton Rouge (5-7-1, 16). The Austin Aztex (10-2-1, 31) clinched the championship last weekend with a win over Mississippi.
Mexican national youth coach Jesus “Chucho” Ramirez, whose tenure as interim coach for the Mexican national team recently came to an end, is going to be on the sidelines, but was not with the team on Tuesday evening during their light practice at TAMIU.
Ramirez returns to Mexico after coaching the team Wednesday and is scheduled to return for Friday’s game versus the U.S.
On Thursday, new Mexican national coach Sven-Goran Eriksson’s returns to Mexico to name his fellow staff members.
Ramirez turned down Eriksson’s proposal to stay on as an assistant in order to concentrate with his nation’s youth team and program.
On the sidelines are assistants Rafael Jardon and Cesar Vega Perrone.
The coaches are preparing to find the squad that’ll travel to Trinidad & Tobago for the CONCACAF Championships which are tentailvey set for January and February.
The top four finishers in the tourney earn a berth to the World Cup in Egypt.
The team flew in 22 youngsters, including goalies Alejandro Vela Gonzalez (Coatzacoalcos), Hugo Alfonso Gonzalez (America); defensemen Marco Antonio de Leon Almanza (Guadalajara), Daniel Carlos Montes Rodriguez (Guadalajar), Oswaldo Alanis Pantoja (U.A.G.), Kristian Omar Alvarez Nuno (Guadalajara), Ivan Islas Rodriguez (Monterrey), Juan Antonio Ocampo Silva (Guadalajara); midfielders Cesar Martinez Montalvo (Monterrey), Israel Sabdi Jimenez Nanez (Tigres), Homero Guajardo Parra (Monterrey), Alberto Soto Pacheco (Santos), Eduardo Arce Pena (Toluca), Francisco Javier Dorame Sasturain (Morelia); Forwards Americo Jonas Rodriguez Ramos (Tigres), Arnold Rivas Martinez (U.A.G.), Axel Velazquez Caballero (Atlas), Jose Guadalupe Garza Avila (Morelia), Ulises Alejandro Davila Plascencia (Guadalajara) and Moises Adrian Velasco Herrera (Toluca).
The Heat has its own national team member in Felix Garcia, who as a member of the U.S. Under 20 squad gets the privilege of facing the Mexican team twice.
Fellow Heat and high school (LBJ) teammate Frank Lara was invited to take part with the U.S. Under 20 team.
The only question for Laredo remains how Coach Israel Collazo is going to use Garcia, and potentially Lara, being that both play Friday and again on Saturday.
A chance to represent your country though, is an opportunity that could make that situation moot.
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