Spokane Velocity eager for test in friendly with Chivas de Guadalajara U23

The Spokane Velocity will host an international friendly against a premier Mexican soccer club’s U23 team this weekend.

Chivas de Guadalajara U23 will travel to ONE Spokane Stadium to face off against the Velocity on Sunday. Kickoff is at 6 p.m.

Chivas’ primary club is a member of Liga MX, the top professional league in Mexico.

“It’s exciting for us to play against a team with such a high-profile brand in world football,” Velocity coach Leigh Veidman said.

“But for me, the coolest thing about this is that we will be filling ONE Spokane Stadium with fans from across the city, state and internationally.”

The match is the only international friendly on Spokane’s schedule this season, but more could be added as the season continues.

The Chivas’ U23 team, one of Guadalajara’s several youth and academy-level clubs, has played a number of international friendlies in the United States this year.

In a tour against a variety of American soccer clubs in March, the U23 team recorded three dominating wins and one loss.

Chivas sits in the middle of the pack among the 18 Liga MX U23 clubs.

The Velocity are coming off a scoreless draw to the Greenville Triumph last weekend in a group stage game in the Jagermeister Cup. Spokane fell in a penalty shootout, giving Greenville an extra point in the in-season tournament.

Spokane will return to Jagermeister Cup play on June 13 as it travels to Nebraska in a rematch against the Union Omaha. The Velocity took down Omaha 3-2 earlier in May thanks to an extra-time goal from Javier Martin Gil.

“Our focus and processes as a team leading into the game don’t change,” Veidman said of Sunday’s match. “We go about it as (if) it’s a normal match day and we go out with the focus to improve and enjoy what we do.”