PORTLAND
, Ore. –
The Portland Timbers face top Mexican club Monarcas Morelia, led by Mexican National Team goalkeeper
Moises Muños
and defender
Omar Trujillo
, on a Miller Lite Thursday in an international exhibition match at PGE Park presented by Widmer and Allstate. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.
Morelia begins a preseason tour of the Northwest in Portland as it prepares for its upcoming Apertura season starting at the end of July. A member of Mexico’s top-tier Primera División, Morelia competes against well-known clubs Chivas de Guadalajara, Cruz Azul and Necaxa.
Morelia’s preseason roster includes its first-team players and features national team members Muños and Trujillo. Muños, 28, has eight caps at the international level and was held back from the 2006 World Cup roster because of an injury. He is one of several players to watch as Mexico continues its qualification for the 2010 World Cup tournament. Trujillo, Morelia’s team captain, was recently called up for a friendly between Mexico and China in April in Seattle.
Other notable players for Morelia include Clausura season scoring leader
Ever Guzman
, former U-23 Mexican National Team striker
Luis Angel Landín
, Texas-born midfielder and former Mexico U-20 National Team member
Sonny Guadarrama
and midfielder
Aldo Ramirez
, who has played in four matches with the Colombian National Team.
Tickets for the exhibition match against Morelia start at $16 and are available through the PGE Park box office, area Ticketmaster outlets, online at
www.ticketmaster.com
or by phone at (503) 224-4400.
Morelia will conduct a training session on Wednesday at Mount Hood Community College in Gresham, Ore., that will be open to the public. The session will take place at the soccer stadium near the athletic facilities starting at 5 p.m.
Morelia is the first of two exhibition matches in the month of July for the Timbers. On July 15, the Timbers play host to Mexican club U.A.N.L. Tigres at PGE Park at 7 p.m. presented by The Oregonian.
BROWN SELECTED TO USL FIRST DIVISION TEAM OF THE WEEK
United Soccer Leagues today named Timbers forward Chris Brown to the USL First Division Team of the Week for Week 11. On the Timbers’ road trip through Carolina and Atlanta over the weekend, Brown started both matches at the midfield position and scored a goal, his fifth of the season, in the team’s 2-0 shutout win over the Silverbacks on June 28. It's his second Team of the Week selection this season. Brown’s goal was originally credited as an own goal by Atlanta; however the league has overturned the decision and awarded Brown the goal.
