It is official: Athletic Club will play the Basque Soccer Friendly, on July 29th, in Boise, Idaho. Yesterday, at a press conference held at the city’s Basque Center, organizers announced that the Basque team will play against Mexico’s Tijuana Xoloitzcuintles de Caliente, better known as ‘The Xolos.’ “We’re very excited and we know that Athletic will be playing with its home colors, red and white,” said Argia Beristain, spokeswoman, to EuskalKultura.com. The organizing committee is planning to go to Tijuana, Mexico during this month while three journalist of KTVB will head the Basque Country, in order to film some videos for the American audience.
Boise, ID. The press conference was hosted at the Boise Euzkaldunak Basque Club’s building and around 75 people attended it. Among them, mayor Dave Bieter; Mexico’s Deputy consul Wilma Gandoy; Imanol Pradales and Gabino Martínez de Arenaza, on behalf of the Government of Biscay; members of the organizing committee; and local and state media outlets. Athletic Club representative Jokin Garatea, expressed the Basque soccer team’s excitement through a video, and at the end of the press conference, the two representatives from Biscay refused to make any aditional statements to EuskalKultura.com.
Athletic Club was formed 117 years ago, but it will be the first time they'll play in the US. Xolos, on the contrary, is closely related to the country, since seven of its players are American, being midfielder Joe Corona, who has played fourteen times with the National Team, the best known one.
Beristain explained that Xolos’ players are “very happy.” “In fact, it took them just minutes to respond to our offer of participating in this game.” The organizer foresees a “beautiful” game and is already aware of soccer aficionados’ enthusiastic reaction on social media.
Tickets will be available on the 27th of this month, via Ticketmaster. Nevertheless, VIP members of the Kuadrilla supporting team, will have the chance to get theirs four days in advance, on the 23rd. To become a VIP Kuadrilla member and support this way in a closer way the match and its cultural golas click on this link (the cost is $45).
To Mexico and to the Basque Country
After the press conference, Beristain told EuskalKultura.com that she, along with members of the committee John Bieter and Bill Taylor –also president of the Idaho Youth Soccer Association− will travel to Tijuana in April, to see The Xolos play against Chivas and to set a strategy to advertise the match in Mexico.
KTVB journalists Mark Johnson and Brian Holmes and Boisean Basque photojournalist Xanti Alcelay will go to the Basque Country from the 26th to the 30th of April. There, they will shoot some footage for the American audience and will also cover the derby between Athletic Club and Real Sociedad, to be played on the 28th, in the new San Mames stadium. The Boise Euskal Etxea will project the game live.
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