It was in the works for quite some time and today it’s official: the Laredo Heat and the Nuevo Laredo Bravos are organizing a yearly contest.
“After several attempts over the past few years to have the Nuevo Laredo Bravos visit Laredo for a game against us, we were finally able to come to a mutually beneficial agreement with the Bravos administration,” Heat General Manager J.J. Vela said via press release.
The Bravos play in the second division of the Mexican Soccer Federation and are currently in the tail end of their season.
The Heat is on the opposite side of the spectrum, finalizing its roster as its Premier Development League season closes in.
“Our players, coaches and administration are truly looking forward to this event, and I say event, not game, because our cities are so intertwined in their day to day activities,” Vela said. “Citizens are one with each other, and we are excited to finally showcase both teams to soccer fans of the two Laredos.”
One of the obstacles for the team was getting the Bravos players’ visas to come into the United States.
All was cleared once the green light was given to give the players a one-day pass into the country in order to dispute the self-titled LareDos Cup.
The first match takes place on April 22 at the TAMIU soccer field.
Kick-off is set for 8 p.m.
Tickets are set at $5 for general admission and $30 for VIP seats. Children 12-and-under get in free.
The winner of the game takes home a trophy, which is to be provided by the home team on a yearly basis.
“When we initiated the discussions about the possibility of the match, one of the first things we talked about was making sure the game between the two teams would not be the only one ever scheduled, and that so long as the teams were competing in their respective leagues, there should be a home-and-away series established,” Vela said.
“With that being said, we agreed to establish a name for the annual game; something to give it a competitive feeling, something for the players to play for and we immediately agreed on giving the winner of the match a cup name La Copa LareDOS (LareDOS Cup).”
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