The Seattle Sounders will host Liga MX side Club Necaxa on Saturday night at CenturyLink Field in the third-ever friendly against a Mexican side. (7 p.m. PT; JoeTV, ROOT Sports(Outside Seattle), KIRO Radio 97.3 FM, El Rey 1360AM | TICKETS)
Not familiar with Necaxa? Here all the facts you need to know:
Full club name: Impulsora del Deportivo Necaxa S.A. de C.V.
Manager: Alfonso Sosa (Mexico)
Location: Aguascalientes, Mexico
Stadium: Estadio Victoria de Aguascalientes
Capacity: 25,500
League: Liga MX
Current table standing: 15th Clausura (through 10 matches)
Nicknames: Los Rayos (The Thunderbolts), Los Electristas (The Electricians)
Founded: 1923
Origin: Necaxa began as the Light and Power Company (Compañia de Luz y Fuerza) after English engineer William H. Frasser founded the club in 1923, but league rules did not allow teams to be named after private companies. Frasser opted instead to call the club Necaxa after the Necaxa River near the electric plant Frasser operated. Club Necaxa was originally referred to as Las Electristas (The Electricians) and still go by that nickname today.
Honors: Necaxa has won Liga MX three times with the last win coming in 1998.
Return to the top flight: Necaxa returned to Liga MX for the first time in five years when they won Ascenso MX, Mexico’s second division, in 2015. They were promoted after the 2009-10 campaign, but were relegated the following season.
Three players to know:
- Edson Puch: The 30-year-old Chilean, who joined Necaxa in 2016 from Ecuadorian side LDU Quito, leads Los Rayos in scoring. He also has 15 caps with the Chilean national team.
- Felipe Gallegos: Another Chilean, Gallegos, 25, is in his third season with Necaxa. He’s scored nine goals in nearly 100 appearances and leads the team in minutes this year.
- Fabian Espindola: A name familiar in MLS circles, Espindola is in his first season with Necaxa after spending nearly the last decade in the United States. The Argentine midfielder scored 36 goals for Real Salt Lake from 2007-12 before spending 2013 with the New York Red Bulls and 2014-16 with D.C. United. He's scored four goals in his time with Necaxa.
