close
close

The historic Clasico de Mexico lands in Houston

The historic Clasico de Mexico lands in Houston
Posted on | Posted on angela

Houston Mayor John Whitmire didn't hesitate to make room in his busy schedule when he was asked to attend 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 fourth-largest city in the United States.

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 up with Liga MX, particularly 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 the Houston Dynamo's Shell Energy Stadium last year. The game sold out within two days.

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

Similar to the 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 at the game, which begins at 4:30 p.m. at the home stadium of the Houston Texans. That's an impressive turnout for a friendly between clubs who will be using some of their youngest players while their national team players are away on international duty.

Early ticket sales promise Sunday's Clasico de Mexico crowd will be the largest ever to see a game between Liga MX teams in Texas.

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

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

Commitment 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 and work together so that every Houstonian can experience soccer,” Whitmire said.

More from Our Esquina

PRIMETIME Sports fills the need with Liga MX Clasicos

Texans Mariachi brings Fiesta to NRG Stadium

Diversity and ties with Mexico will help Houston bid for the 2026 World Cup

Club America, which has a history of signing foreign stars, has won a record 15 Liga MX titles in its 108 years. Chivas has won 12 league titles, which is the second most in Liga MX history.

Club America is based in Mexico City, the largest city in Mexico. Chivas is based in Mexico's second largest city. Additionally, Chivas is popular throughout Mexico as the club only signed players from Mexico. This tradition has changed in recent years to include Mexican Americans, but Chivas remains the only club in Liga MX that prides itself on fielding only players of Mexican descent on its rosters.

“We have wanted to come to Houston for a long time,” said Fernando Orvañanos, CEO of PRIMETIME Sports Entertainment. “It finally worked. Obviously it's the biggest game in Liga MX and the Mexican League. And bringing it to Houston is great. We have a large number of visitors and hope we can get them back.”

Complete Clasico de Mexico experience

Well-known Mexican tenor Javier Camerana will sing 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 AB Quintanilla's Kumbia Kings, the younger brother of the late Tejano music star Selena.

PRIMETIME Sports will also host a pre-game FanFest Fiesta Futbolera. Legends from both clubs will sign autographs at the Fiesta Futbolera. Once the crowd flows into the stadium, Whitmire will perform one of the final performances 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, sports and Houston itself.

“Having him there is basically a recognition of these two clubs, Club America and Chivas. Having him out there will be great.”

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *