Cubans get tickets for first friendly in 69 years between U.S. and Cuban soccer teams
Record ID:
84677
Cubans get tickets for first friendly in 69 years between U.S. and Cuban soccer teams
- Title: Cubans get tickets for first friendly in 69 years between U.S. and Cuban soccer teams
- Date: 5th October 2016
- Summary: HAVANA, CUBA (OCTOBER 5, 2016) (REUTERS) EXTERIOR OF PEDRO MARRERO SOCCER STADIUM SIGN READING 'PEDRO MARRERO STADIUM' SIGN ANNOUNCING CUBA-U.S. FRIENDLY MAN BUYING TICKETS AT STADIUM WINDOW MAN REVIEWING TICKETS YOUTH ARRIVING AT WINDOW TO BUY TICKETS (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) CUBAN SOCCER FAN, ERNESTO GARCIA, SAYING: "I expect it to be a bit closed but, really, the U.S. team's level of play is very superior to ours because they have players who play in the European leagues like (Christian) Pulisic who plays for (Borussia) Dortmund and other players who belong to important teams." VARIOUS OF CUBAN SOCCER FAN ALBERTO BUYING TICKETS (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) SOCCER CUBAN FAN, ALBERTO MARTI, SAYING: "We want to watch a good football match. We have never seen a team at that level, a world level, in this country. Well, at least since my birth, I have never seen it. The biggest thing I saw was the Cosmos game (referring to 2015 N.Y. Cosmos match against Cuban national team) and I expect to see a good football match, and for Cuba to win, of course." VARIOUS OF WOMAN BUYING TICKETS SIGN AT STADIUM TRUCK WITH PORTABLE TOILETS OUTSIDE STADIUM
- Embargoed: 20th October 2016 18:39
- Keywords: U.S. Cuba friendly soccer match football
- Location: HAVANA, CUBA
- City: HAVANA, CUBA
- Country: Cuba
- Topics: Soccer,Sport
- Reuters ID: LVA00152QDC1V
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: A steady trickle of Cubans bought tickets on Wednesday (October 5) for the first U.S.-Cuba football friendly to take place in Havana in 69 years. The match, scheduled for Friday (October 7), is moving ahead despite concerns over Hurricane Matthew, which spared the capital city.
U.S. coach Jurgen Klinsmann has brought together 23 players, who belong to teams in seven different countries while Cuban coach Idalberto Raul has gathered 20 players, including Cuban national soccer star Maikel Reyes.
Cuban soccer fan Ernesto Garcia said the U.S. team gathers an uncommon level of experience for Havana.
"I expect it to be a bit closed but, really, the U.S. team's level of play is very superior to ours because they have players who play in the European leagues like (Christian) Pulisic who plays for (Borussia) Dortmund and other players who belong to important teams," he said, referring to Pulisic who, at not quite 18 years of age, is the youngest player to start in a FIFA World Cup qualifier, according to U.S. Soccer.
The Cuban team is scheduled to arrive in Havana on Thursday (October 6) and will play here, at Pedro Marrero stadium, with a capacity of 28,000.
According to U.S. Soccer, the two teams have played against each other 11 times with a record of 9-1-1 in the U.S. favor, but this is only the third time they meet in Cuba.
The last time the two teams faced each other in Havana was in 2008 when the U.S. won the World Cup qualifier 1-0.
Cuban Alberto Marti said the biggest match he had ever seen was in 2015 when the New York Cosmos had a 4-1 victory against Cuba in Havana.
"We want to watch a good football match. We have never seen a team at that level, a world level, in this country. Well, at least since my birth, I have never seen it. The biggest thing I saw was the Cosmos game (referring to 2015 N.Y. Cosmos match against Cuban national team) and I expect to see a good football match, and for Cuba to win, of course," he said.
Klinsmann has said he was using the friendly against Cuba and a subsequent one four days later against New Zealand to assess players ahead of choosing squads for the competitive Mexico and Costa Rica matches.
The historic match will begin at 4pm local time (2000gmt) and will be broadcast live in the U.S.
In December 2014, U.S. President Barack Obama and Cuban President Raul Castro announced a historic diplomatic opening that ended an estrangement between the two countries that began after the Cuban revolution.
Since rapprochement, the two sides have restored diplomatic ties, increased exchanges, signed commercial deals and the U.S. has loosened trade and travel restrictions. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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