CARSON, Calif. (Saturday, July 28, 2012) – Ahead of next week’s friendly against the LA Galaxy as part of the Herbalife World Football Challenge, Real Madrid will arrive in Southern California later this afternoon. Led by head coach Jose Mourinho, the reigning La Liga champions feature some of the world’s biggest stars including Cristiano Ronaldo, Iker Casillas, Kaka, Mesut Özil, Sergio Ramos and many more. They will face the Galaxy at The Home Depot Center on Thursday, August 2. BUY TICKETS
Winners of nine European championships and 32 Spanish La Liga titles, Real Madrid won their first La Liga title since the 2007-08 season, David Beckham’s last season with the club, in May. Their 32-2-4 record gave them a league-best 100 points and their 121 goals scored were league record.
Real Madrid’s offense, which has averaged 2.93 goals per league-game under head coach Jose Mourinho, is led by Portuguese forward Cristiano Ronaldo, who scored a team-high 64 goals in all competitions last season. A former FIFA World Player of the Year winner, Ronaldo is joined up front by Frenchmen Karim Benzema and Argentine Gonzalo Higuain, who have each scored more than 20 goals in La Liga the past two seasons. That trio is supported by a midfield that features World Cup and Euro champion Xabi Alonso, 2007 FIFA Player of the Year winner Kaka, Argentine winger Angel Di Maria and the German duo of Sami Khedira and Mesut Özil.
Along with their wealth of attacking talent, Madrid also have one of the best defenses in the world with World Cup champion and club captain Iker Casillas leading the way in goal for Mourinho’s squad. In front of him, Sergio Ramos, who was a member of Spain’s squads that captured the 2010 World Cup and the 2008 and 2012 Euro championships, marshals a back four that also features Portuguese internationals Fabio Coentrão and Pepe as well as Spanish internationals Raúl Albiol and Alvaro Arbeloa.
This will be the third consecutive season that Mourinho and Real Madrid will train in Southern California and face the Galaxy. The two sides played in front of more than 89,000 fans at the Rose Bowl in 2010 with the Galaxy jumping out to a 2-0 halftime lead, only to fall 3-2. Last season, more than 56,000 fans were at the L.A. Coliseum to see Madrid beat the Galaxy 4-1. The Galaxy first played Real Madrid in 2005, meeting in front of a capacity crowd at The Home Depot Center in a game that featured the Southern California debut of David Beckham with Madrid.
This year’s meeting between the two sides, which will be played on Thursday, August 2 at The Home Depot Center, is one of the most anticipated international friendlies of the year. The game is scheduled to kick off at 7:30 p.m. and will be broadcast live nationally in English on ESPN2, in Spanish on ESPN Deportes and online on ESPN3.com. The friendly, which is also being carried live in Spanish on ESPN Deportes Radio 1330 AM and in English on lagalaxy.com, is the Galaxy’s second and final friendly of the summer after having drawn 1-1 with Tottenham Hotspur on Tuesday.
Tickets for Thursday’s game are still available by calling 1-877-3GALAXY (342-5299) or by visiting www.lagalaxy.com/tickets. Fans wishing to sit with fellow Real Madrid fans are asked to request tickets in the Real Madrid supporters sections when purchasing their seats. BUY TICKETS
The Galaxy are urging fans to arrive at the stadium early to avoid traffic delays.
Real Madrid Herbalife World Football Challenge 2012 Roster
GOALKEEPER (3) – Iker Casillas, Antonio Adán, Jesus Fernandez Collado
DEFENDERS (7) – Raul Albiol, Alvaro Arbeola, Fabio Coentrão, Jose Nacho Fernández, Pepe, Sergio Ramos, Raphael Varane
MIDFIELDER (11) – Xabi Alonso, Jose Maria Callejon, Angel Di Maria, Lass Diarra, Alex Fernandez, Esteban Granero, Kaka, Sami Khedira, Mesut Özil, Jese Rodriguez, Nuri Sahin
FORWARD (4) – Karim Benzema, Gonzalo Higuain, Alvaro Morata, Cristiano Ronaldo
HEAD COACH – José Mourinho
