The former Brazilian soccer player Edson Arantes do Nascimento ”Pelé” will be one of the big attractions of the friendly match between Cosmos of New York and the Cuban selection next Tuesday, reported today Juventud Rebelde daily.
Pele will travel to Cuba for the first time with the U.S. team to attend the considered historic game at the stadium Pedro Marrero of this caqpital, revealed Antonio Garces, vicepresident of the Cuban Soccer Association told the newspaper.
The executive addede the delegation of the North American team will arrive to the islands next Sunday and already the aficionados here await with expectation the arrival of Pele, who has thousands of followers in the island.
Also, he ratified the inclusión in the Cosmos roster of Spanish forward Raul Gonzalez and Brazilian winger Marco Senna.
The spokespÿrson of Cosmos, Jill Francisco, asked May 6 to followers of soccer in Cuba to overflow the stadium to welcome a selection of the United States that comes in peace and friendship and to enjoy a historic game
On his part, Raul said to be thrilled at the possibility of knowing the Island and described as historic the match in a video in English broadcast by the U.S. team.
It is a great opportunity as is the first time I go to Cuba and it is very thrilling. It is a historic game for Cosmos and for me, said the number one goal scorer in the history of Real Madrid.
Cosmos will be the first professional soccer club of the United States to play in the Caribbean country since 1978, although the national selection of that country disputed in 2008 in this capital a qualifying game for the World Cup.
In Cuba there are many soccer fans and of Real Madridâ, added Raul, who kinows the indcreasing love for the discipline, where this sports gains ground regarding baseball, considered the national sport.
It is an incredible country and I am illusioned. It is going to be a little soccer fiesta, historic. I hope to repeat this experience and that other teams of the United States can play against Cuban squads concluded the 37 year-old forward.
The American squad made history between 1975 and 1984, when it invested high sums of money to hire world stars in the last years of their profesional career, among them Pelé, German Franz Beckenbauer and Dutch Johan Neeskiens.
The match announced in March is part of a series of preparation meets organized by the Cuban Soccer Association toward their participation in the Gold Cup of the Northern, Central America and the Caribbean of soccer which will take place in July in the United States and Canada.
(Prensa Latina)