SAN JOSE, Calif. – Avaya Stadium, home of the San Jose Earthquakes, will host an international friendly between Cruz Azul and Atlas on Wednesday, July 10 as part of SocioMX Tour 2019. The match, which kicks off at 7:30 p.m., marks the 10th meeting all-time between two Liga MX sides at Avaya Stadium since its opening in 2015.
An exclusive presale for Earthquakes Season Pass Holders will begin on Tuesday, May 14 at 10 a.m. PT before being made available to the general public on Thursday, May 16 at 10 a.m. PT. Tickets can be purchased at ticketmaster.com, the Avaya Stadium box office or by calling 1-800-745-3000.
Founded in 1927, Cruz Azul has won seven league championships, most recently in 1997, and four Copa MX tournaments. Following a lengthy period in which the club failed to win trophies, Cruz Azul hired a new director of football and head coach and have become competitive once again.
Cruz Azul finished Apertura 2018 – the first of two regular seasons in 2018-19 – with the league’s best record at 11-3-3. After reaching the playoffs as Liga MX’s top seed, they defeated Queretaro and Monterrey before falling to Club America 2-0 on aggregate in the final. Cruz Azul also won Apertura 2018 Copa MX, the nation’s largest in-season tournament, by defeating Monterrey 2-0.
Most recently, Cruz Azul finished Clausura 2019 with the fourth best record in the league (8-3-6) before being eliminated in the quarterfinals.
Cruz Azul is led in attack by a trio of players with ties to Major League Soccer. Argentine forward Milton Caraglio, who tallied a team-high 11 goals during Clausura 2019, was the New England Revolution’s first-ever Designated Player back in 2011. Peruvian midfielder Yoshimar Yotun, Cruz Azul’s assist leader last season, made 32 appearances for Orlando City SC from 2017-18. The match will also see the return of Cruz Azul midfielder Rafa Baca, who made 79 appearances for the Earthquakes from 2011-13.
Atlas was founded in 1916 and has earned a reputation as one of the top talent-producing clubs in Mexico. Atlas’ youth academy has developed players such as Rafael Marquez, Andres Guardado, Pavel Pardo, Jared Borgetti and Jesus Corona, all of which have been prominent contributors for the Mexico National Team.
Atlas didn’t fare well in domestic competition last year, finishing with an 8-20-6 aggregate record across the two 2018-19 seasons, second worst in Liga MX. However, the club reached the playoffs following both of the back-to-back Clausura 2016 and Apertura 2017 seasons, finishing in sixth and eighth place, respectively.
The club is led on-field by Colombian forward Jefferson Duque, who scored a team-best nine goals last year, and American center back Omar Gonzalez, who has made nearly 50 appearances for the United States National Team.
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