Carlos Vela (pictured) and Real Sociedad are headed stateside to face San Jose Earthquakes (May 18) and Houston Dynamo (May 24) as part of the LFP World Challenge. Photo Credit: Real Sociedad
Spanish club Real Sociedad have announced two friendlies in late May when they will face off against Major League Soccer clubs San Jose Earthquakes and Houston Dynamo. The friendlies will take place on May 18 (vs. San Jose at Avaya Stadium) and May 24 (vs. Houston at BBVA Compass Stadium) following La Real‘s final game of the 2015-16 La Liga season against Valencia.
The Basque club currently sits 10th on the Liga BBVA standings and will have plenty of eyeballs on them this weekend when they host defending champions FC Barcelona on Saturday. One of the 10 founding clubs of the Primera División in 1929, Real Sociedad are twice winners of La Liga and the Copa del Rey as well as the 1982 winners of the Spanish Supercup.
La @RealSociedad viajará a EE.UU. y se medirá a @SJEarthquakes y @HoustonDynamo https://t.co/T6Lrl57NAc #LaLigaWorld pic.twitter.com/749GY09SeU
— LaLiga (@LaLiga) April 7, 2016
The Spanish club released the following statement on their website regarding the U.S. friendlies:
With this tour Real Sociedad confront a new experience which will also serve to enhance and promote the Real Sociedad brand and the club’s image in a country where the popularity of Soccer is on the rise. Guided and supported by LFP World Challenge, the first team will take part in a series of events with local businesses and representatives from various different social and economic sectors of North American society.
Real Sociedad is expected to feature Mexico national team forward Carlos Vela and defender Diego Reyes as well as former Real Madrid midfielders Asier Illarramendi and Esteban Granero. La Real is managed by Eusebio Sacristán, who had a 20-year career as a player in La Liga with Real Valladolid and FC Barcelona.
May 18, 2016 at San Jose Earthquakes
NEWS: #Quakes74 to Play @RealSociedadEN at @AvayaStadium on May 18: https://t.co/bXPDIGspcP pic.twitter.com/YEpyaVPmUm
— San Jose Earthquakes (@SJEarthquakes) April 7, 2016
The San Jose Earthquakes will host Real Sociedad at Avaya Stadiym on Wednesday, May 18, kickoff scheduled for 7:30 p.m. PT. Additionally, the first 9,000 fans into the stadium will receive a voucher from Alaska Airlines for a 50% discounted flight originating from the Bay Area for up to two people.
Earthquakes season ticket holders already have a ticket reserved to the match, labeled “Bonus Game A”, and may purchase additional tickets by contacting their respective STH representative. Tickets will go on sale to the general public on Monday, April 11 (beginning at $22, discounts for groups of 10 or more) and are available at Ticketmaster.com or by calling 800-745-3000.
May 24, 2016 at Houston Dynamo (Dynamo Charities Cup)
NEWS: @RealSociedad announced as @BBVACompass Dynamo Charities Cup opponent: https://t.co/DgW9jiFbRg pic.twitter.com/iN6Zs1WaW1
— Houston Dynamo (@HoustonDynamo) April 7, 2016
Houston Dynamo will host Real Sociedad on Tuesday, May 24 in the BBVA Compass Dynamo Charities Cup, an annual friendly in which the Dynamo take on an international club with all proceeds benefiting a local nonprofit organization. The match will take place at BBVA Compass Stadium with kickoff to be announced.
Dynamo season ticket holders are assured their entry into the game and the rest of the tickets will be available for purchase to the general public beginning Wednesday, April 13 at www.HoustonDynamo.com, by calling 713-276-GOAL or at the BBVA Compass Stadium ticket office (2200 Texas St., Houston).
“We are excited to announce Real Sociedad as the opponent for this flourishing annual tradition,” Dynamo president Chris Canetti said via HoustonDynamo.com. “We’ve had a variety of clubs from around the world, and it’s exciting to see the return of a La Liga club. It will be a wonderful event for the community and local soccer fans.”
The Dynamo lost their only other Charities Cup match against a Spanish team when they lost 2-1 to Valencia CF in 2012, the inaugural season of BBVA Compass Stadium. They have 1 win and 3 losses against European competition in the Charites Cup and hold a 4-3-0 record overall.
The two matches are part of the “La Liga World” initiative and will be held under the banner of the “LFP World Challenge”, where La Liga teams face off against the top clubs of foreign countries.
Victor Araiza is a beat writer covering the Houston Dynamo for Prost Amerika.
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