PURCHASE TICKETS HEREFULLERTON, Calif. – Cal State Fullerton, the reigning Big West Conference Tournament champion, will host an exhibition against the Mexico Under-17 National Team on Saturday, Aug. 22 at Titan Stadium.
Tickets to the event can be purchased for $5 on gameday or online at www.FullertonTitans.com. The match is scheduled for a 4:30 p.m. kickoff.
"We are very excited about this opportunity to play a quality international exhibition versus one of the best youth sides in the world with a storied history," second-year head coach George Kuntz said. "Our fans can expect an exciting game and see our exciting brand of play with the 2015 Titans and Mexico's future superstars. We hope our fans and children in the community embrace this opportunity to see a wonderful game of 'futbol' in beautiful Titan Stadium."
This past March, the Mexican Under-17 national team won its sixth CONCACAF Under-17 championship in Honduras to secure its participation in the upcoming Under-17 World Cup that will be hosted in Chile this October.
At the upcoming World Cup in Chile, the Mexican Under-17 national team will attempt to win its third Under-17 World Cup after previously winning in Peru in 2005 and in Mexico 2011.
As the team enters the final stages of its preparation for the upcoming World Cup, it will face the following teams on a Southern California tour: UCLA (Aug. 18), Ventura County Fusion (Aug. 20) and Cal State Fullerton (Aug. 22).
The clubs that are most represented on this Mexican Under-17 national team include Chivas Guadalajara (5), Pachuca FC (5), Santos Laguna (3) and Club America (2).
The Mexico Under-17 National Team is coached by Mario Arteaga.
He played for the Mexican youth national teams and represented Mexico in the Olympic Games of Barcelona 1992. Arteaga was formed in Chivas Guadalajara's youth system, and made his professional debut in first division for the club. He also played for Pumas UNAM and Leon FC.
We are well aware of how competitive Cal State Fullerton is each year," Arteaga said. "Cal State Fullerton will have players that are a little older, more mature, stronger and faster than we are. Preparing for the upcoming World Cup in Chile, we look forward to this competitive match and we look forward to giving the fans an exciting match to watch."
The Titans finished 2014 with a 10-8-6 overall record and posted their first winning campaign since 2001. The team tied for the Fullerton school record for most shutouts in a single season (9) and moved into first place all-time for most goals scored in one season (34). With 10 wins in his inaugural season, Kuntz posted the most wins in his first season as head coach of the Titans since Al Mistri won 13 games in 1981.
Julian Okai, Colin Okirie, Nigel Patterson, Dyllan Stevens and Jeff Salt will all be playing their final year in a Titan uniform. In addition to those returners, Fullerton will add 17 new faces to the program in 2015 including 11 freshmen.
