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    • Historic Clasico de Mexico lands in Houston
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    Historic Clasico de Mexico lands in Houston

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    Houston Mayor John Whitmire didn’t hesitate to make room in his busy schedule when he was asked to participate in the coin toss before Sunday’s Clasico de Mexico at NRG Stadium. He agreed in part to recognize how important the rivalry between Chivas de Guadalajara and Club America is for the United States’ fourth-largest city.

    More than 50 percent of Houston’s population is Latino. The majority of these Latinos are of Mexican descent. Latinos in Houston love their Astros, Texans, Rockets, Dynamo and Dash. They also keep track of Liga MX, especially Chivas and Club America.

    Due to the proximity between Monterrey, Mexico and Houston, it can be argued that Monterrey and Tigres are the two most popular Liga MX clubs in the Houston area. PRIMETIME Sports, which brings the Clasico de Mexico to Houston, also brought the Clásico Regio between Monterrey and Tigres to Houston Dynamo’s Shell Energy Stadium last year. That game sold out within two days.

    However, Chivas and Club America are the two most popular and winningest clubs in Liga MX history.
    Those are the two largest football brands in North America. They are essentially the New York Yankees and Dallas Cowboys of Mexican team sports.

    Similar to Red Sox-Yankees

    The rivalry between Chivas and Club America is similar to the rivalry between the Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA or the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox in baseball.

    More than 50,000 spectators are expected for the game, which starts at 4:30 PM at the home of the Houston Texans. That’s an impressive turnout for a friendly match between clubs that will feature some of their youngest players, while the national team players are on international duty.

    The early ticket sales promise to make the crowd for Sunday’s Clasico de Mexico the largest to ever see a match between Liga MX teams in Texas.

    “Football has a big future in Houston,” Whitmire said. “My government wants to be part of that success.”

    Whitmire, who spent 50 years in the Texas Legislature before becoming mayor of Houston, is a regular at sporting events in Houston. He implemented the legislation that created the Houston-Harris County Sports Authority and led the way for the stadium boom that has seen the city and county build Minute Maid Park, NRG Stadium, Toyota Center and Shell Energy Stadium since 2000.

    Dedication to football

    On Thursday, Whitmire met with Houston Dynamo owner Ted Segal to discuss ways to make soccer more accessible to Houstonians.

    “I met (Thursday) with the owner of the Houston Dynamo, Mr. Segal, to ask how we can work together so that every Houstonian can experience soccer,” Whitmire said.

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    Club America, which has a history of signing foreign stars, has won a record 15 Liga MX titles in the past 108 years. Chivas has won twelve league titles, the second most in Liga MX history.

    Club America is located in Mexico City, the largest city in Mexico. Chivas is located in the second largest city in Mexico. Moreover, Chivas is loved throughout Mexico because the club only signed players from Mexico. That tradition has changed in recent years to include Mexican-Americans, but Chivas remains the only club in Liga MX to proudly field only players of Mexican descent.

    “We have wanted to come to Houston for a long time,” said Fernando Orvañanos, CEO of PRIMETIME Sports Entertainment. “It finally came through. It is clearly the biggest match in Liga MX and the Mexican League. And to bring it to Houston is great. We have a great turnout and hopefully we will bring it back.”

    Complete Clasico de Mexico experience

    The famous Mexican tenor Javier Camerana sings the Mexican national anthem. Houston native Jose Ignacio “Big Charro” Cortez will sing the U.S. national anthem. The halftime show will be performed by the Kumbia Kings of AB Quintanilla, the younger brother of the late Tejano music star Selena.

    PRIMETIME Sports will also hold a pregame FanFest, billed as Fiesta Futbolera. Legends from both clubs will sign autographs during the Fiesta Futbolera. Once the crowd starts pouring into the stadium, Whitmire will perform one of the final acts before kickoff.

    “It really takes the game to the next level,” Orvañanos said of the mayor’s coin toss. “It really shows his appreciation for Hispanic culture, for sports and for Houston itself.

    “Having him there basically recognizes these two clubs, Club America and Chivas. It will be great to have him there.”

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