May 9, 2007 - Portland Timbers vs. Club Necaxa, PGE Park, 7 p.m.
PORTLAND
, Ore.
– Club Necaxa of Mexico’s Primera Division announced today the club’s travel roster for its trip to Portland to face the Timbers on May 9 at PGE Park. Highlighting Necaxa’s 18-man roster is defender
Alfonso Loera
, goalkeeper
Pablo Orozco
, forward
Fernado Villanueva
and coach
Pablo Luna Gamio.
Loera, a former Mexcian National Team member, joined Necaxa after starting his career with Primera Division-rival Chivas in 1997. The central defender, who was first discovered at an open tryout, also played 12 matches for Chivas USA of Major League Soccer in 2005.
Villanueva, currently a member of Necaxa’s first team, helped the Primera Division’s Club America capture the league title in 2005. Orozco is currently a member of Mexico’s U-21 National Team.
Gamio, the coach of Necaxa during its U.S. tour, played for the Mexican National Team during the 1979 World Cup in Japan. He has also coached Primera Division clubs UNAM Pumas (1996), Tuluca (2005) and has been a part of Mexico’s Olympic coaching staff.
Necaxa’s travel roster:
Raul Patino
Salvador Aguierre
Issac Nava
Alfonso Loera
Raul Guzman
Francisco Rosales
Alejandro Sanchez
Oscar Alba
Cesar Samaniego
Jose de la Torre
Hector Valdez
Antonio Velasco
Jose Gonzalez
Fernando Villanueva
Jonathan Ibarra
Oscar Macias
Pablo Orozco
Joel Alvarado
Necaxa opens round two of the Copa Libertadores Thursday in Uruguay against Nacional de Montevideo and will conclude the two-game series May 10 in Mexico. Due to their Copa Libertadores schedule, changes to the travel roster may be made.
Necaxa and the Timbers square off on May 9 at PGE Park presented by Tecate. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. Tickets, starting at $14, are available at the PGE Park Box Office, area Ticketmaster outlets, www.ticketmaster.com or by calling (503) 224-4400.
About Tecate
Tecate is a Mexican beer that was first produced in the 1950s and was the first beer in Mexico to be sold in a can. Known for its innovative personality and unique advertising campaigns, Tecate has become one of the cutting edge brands in Mexico.
