Cuba has Potential for Good Soccer: President Santos Laguna Team

Cubans are candidates to have a good soccer, assured Alejandro Irarragorri, president of the Mexican Club Santos Laguna, who traveled today to the island heading his team. The biotype, high education level, happiness and way to face things that Cubans have make them candidates to be very good soccer players as there have been and have athletes of high level in other sports, said in an interview with Prensa Latina the director of the champi8on team of the Mexican Soccer League.

The Santos Laguna will play a friendly match with the national Cuban team at the Stadium Pedro Marrero of Havana, next Saturday, November 14.

He predicted "an intense game with stands full of people, with the joy of Cubans and the emotion of having a Mexican team after almost 60 years, playing with Cuba's national selection.

For Irarragori it will also be a reencounter, as he has close family links in the island.

He advanced the match will be televised by the international sports network (ESPN), "which will give visibility to Cuba, to its national team and also to the Santos."

He said his pupils will train at the Pedro Marrero, they will take a photo at the historic Revolution Square, they will have a reception at the Mexican embassy and also visit the beach resort of Varadero.

"We are going with all our players, except for goalkeeper Agustin Marchesin, winger Bryan Rabell and forward Jorge Dianiny," members of the national teams of Argentina, Chile and Cape Verde, respectively.

Among those playing against Cuba are central defense Carlos Izquierdoz (captain) and contention winger Diego Gonzalez, both Argentineans, and other figures that play professional soccer in Mexico. The technical director is Spaniard Pakio Ayestarán. Irarragori said there are on the way actions of technical cooperatiohnj with Cuba.

We have talked with the Cuban Federation of Soccer and several teams on the need of them having access to technologies being applied in the world today, he said.

He assured his club had the opportunity of preparing in Europe, "it is an institution that has invested a lot on infrastructure, formation projects and methodology."

"You will surely see many people from the Santos in Cuba; there will be many Cubans in our institution forming and learning", he advanced.

In that process, he predicted that Cuban players will meet versus the Santos Laguna, in an exchange he described as "positive for all".

Alejandro Irarragori did not want to advance a result in next Saturday's match.

"I don't have a crystal ball, he emphasized regarding the match against Cuba, despite his team has had a bad season that put them in the lower segment of the position table in the present season of the Mexican League.

Surely they will comment in Havana that the Santos is weak facing the Cuban national team, I said to provoke him.

"Itâ's the same they say to my friends of Chelsea back in England", he answered in a penalty shot.