Manchester City’s Yaya Toure (pictured) will be on show against the Houston Dynamo on May 28th in the Dynamo Charities Cup game at BBVA Compass Stadium
HOUSTON (Thursday, April 30, 2015) – The Houston Dynamo will host 2013/14 English Premier League champions Manchester City F.C. on May 28 at BBVA Compass Stadium as part of the Dynamo Charities Cup, presented by BBVA Compass. This is the first-ever meeting between the Dynamo and one of the largest clubs in global soccer
Founded in 1880, Manchester City has won two of the last three English Premier League titles. In addition, City have won five FA Cup titles, four Premier League/First Division championships, three League Cups and one UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup.
“We are extremely excited to have the Dynamo playing Manchester City and to be hosting this historic match at BBVA Compass Stadium,” Dynamo president Chris Canetti said. “We have dreamed of having a home match versus a globally-relevant club like Manchester City, and now we can finally say it’s going to happen. This is a special opportunity for the Dynamo, our fans, our sponsors, and the City of Houston.”
The BBVA Compass Dynamo Charities Cup is part of the “Building a Better Houston” initiative, a campaign led by Dynamo Charities and BBVA Compass to make improvements in Houston’s East End. The annual game funds Junior Achievement scholarships and the Business of Sports program for high school students in the fall.
“The Dynamo Charities Cup speaks to our capabilities as a bank and our character as a corporate citizen,” said BBVA Compass Chairman and CEO Manolo Sanchez. “We are a global organization, so it’s fitting that we sponsor international soccer. More importantly, giving back to the community is part of our DNA.”
The game will kick off at 7:30 p.m. CT and tickets are included in Dynamo full-season ticket packages. Individual tickets will go on sale to the general public at 1 p.m. on May 6 and will be available through www.HoustonDynamo.com, by calling 713-276-GOAL, or at the BBVA Compass Stadium ticket office (2200 Texas St., Houston).
“We are delighted to play in Houston for the first time and have again the opportunity to play in the US in front of our American fans. We are all looking forward to visiting this great city,” said Manchester City FC CEO Ferran Soriano.
Manchester City feature a roster loaded with international players, including captain Vincent Kompany (Belgium), Yaya Touré (Ivory Coast), Pablo Zabaleta, Martín Demichelis and Sergio Aguero (Argentina), David Silva and Jesús Navas (Spain), Joe Hart and James Milner (England), Samir Nasri, Gael Clichy and Bacary Sagna (France), and Edin Dzeko (Bosnia and Herzegovina).
“Manchester City will come to Houston with one of the best squads in world soccer,” Dynamo head coach Owen Coyle said. “They have a superb coach in Manuel Pellegrini and an outstanding crop of world class players, including David Silva, Vincent Kompany, Yaya Touré, Sergio Aguero, Edin Dzeko, Gael Clichy, Joe Hart and Pablo Zabaleta. It is a great opportunity for our fans to see all the elite players up close and a great moment for the Houston Dynamo.”
Manchester City are the seventh international opponent to face the Dynamo in the Dynamo Charities Cup, following Aston Villa (England), Stoke City (England), Valencia (Spain), Bolton Wanderers (England), Club Deportivo Aguila (El Salvador) and CF Monterrey (Mexico).
The Houston Dynamo will take on interstate rivals FC Dallas in MLS play on Friday, May 1 at 7 p.m. and the San Jose Earthquakes on Tuesday, May 5 at 7:30 p.m. For more information or to purchase tickets, please log on to www.houstondynamo.com or call 713-276-GOAL.
Follow Scott Nicholls on twitter: @scottnicholls
