Jarom Jordan
jarom.jordan@byu.edu
801-471-4469

PROVO, Utah (April 26, 2010) — The BYU men’s soccer team will host the U-21 Mexican National Team, Wednesday May 12 in Provo.  Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. at the Stadium at South Field in Provo, Utah.  The game will be broadcast live, worldwide on BYU Television.  It will also be streamed online, for free at www.byu.tv.  Tickets are $10 for reserved seating and $6 for general admission.   Those can be purchased at Rancho Markets, Utah Community Credit Union, or www.byutickets.com.  BYU expects a sellout.

“It will be a huge event,” said BYU head coach, Chris Watkins.  “Obviously it will be a great game for us.  There’s no question about their abilities and talents.  They are all full professional players and have been for several years and are the very best of what Mexico has to offer.  It’s a great challenge, opportunity, and platform for our team to play on.  Hopefully we bring out some of the local Latino population that want to come out and watch them play.  Hopefully we will represent ourselves well and have a good night.”

The Mexican under-21 team is second only to the senior national men’s team, which will compete in this summer’s World Cup in South Africa.  This is the first time a Mexican national team has played against the BYU men’s team.  It is the first international friendly for the Cougars since defeating the Fijian national team, 3-1 in 2007.

Other national teams to visit Provo are the USA (2005) and El Salvador (2009) senior men’s national teams who used BYU’s facilities to practice for games in Salt Lake City.

PDL SEASON APPROACHES
BYU’s Premier Development League season is almost underway. The Cougars will practice Thursday and Friday of this week, scrimmage Weber State on Saturday at Haws Field and begin afternoon practices next week.  BYU opens on the road at the Orange County Blue Star, May 8.  The first home game is May 21 versus the Los Angeles Legends.

2010 SPRING SEASON REVIEW
BYU is 2-1-1 in spring pre-season play. The Cougars defeated the Mesa State Mavericks twice on March 20 in Grand Junction, Colorado in the team’s first pre-season games. The Cougars won the first game 3-0 on goals from BJ Pugmire (‘13), Zach DeFrancis (‘16), and Brady Marshall (‘56). In the second game the Cougars won 2-1. March 27 BYU tied the UNLV Rebels 0-0 in Las Vegas, Nevada.  April 7, MLS Cup Champion, Real Salt Lake won 6-0 in a scrimmage in Lehi.  In the fall, BYU went 1-1-1, defeating Utah State (2-0), tying Weber State (1-1), and losing to Real Salt Lake (4-1).

PREVIEWING THE COUGARS
Eight starters return this season, including goal keeper, Bryan Black, veteran defenders, KC Whitworth and Drew VanWagenen, midfielders Brent Jensen and Britt Osborne, as well as forwards Zach De Francis, Brady Marshall, and BJ Pugmire. The Cougars lost seven players to graduation, including All-PDL western conference honorable mention midfielder, Richie Bindrup.  BYU welcomes back five returned missionaries and seven freshman will join the team out of high school in June after their graduations.

2009 REVIEW
BYU finished 7-5-4 overall, in fourth position in the southwest division and just one spot out of the playoffs. Despite some major injuries the Cougars defeated Southwest Division champion, Hollywood Hitmen, 1-0 and tied eventual PDL champ, Ventura County 2-2.

PREMIER DEVELOPMENT LEAGUE
After winning seven club national championships, Brigham Young University joined the PDL in 2003. The Cougars reached the elite eight in 2006 and 2007. The PDL is the top U23 men’s league in North America and features 68 teams within four conferences across the United States and Canada. The PDL season consists of 16 regular season matches for each team, eight home and eight away. The PDL provides elite collegiate players the opportunity to taste a higher level of competition while maintaining their eligibility. BYU is the first and only university to own a franchise in the PDL. In addition to league play, PDL teams compete in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup as well as various exhibitions. The USL Premier Development League has proven to be an important stepping stone for top professionals now playing around the world.

FOLLOW THE COUGARS ONLINE
Check out the Cougars on twitter at www.twitter.com/byusoccer or on the official website at www.byusoccer.com.

QUICK FACTS
Who: BYU Cougars vs. U-21 Mexican National Team
When: Wednesday, May 12, 2010 at 7 p.m. MT
Where: The Stadium at South Field in Provo, Utah
Tickets:  $10 reserved, $6 general admission
TV: BYUtv or www.byu.tv

BYU will host the U-21 Mexican National Team on May 12 at 7 p.m.

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