The Colorado Rapids of Major League Soccer and Club de Futbol Pachuca of the Primera Division in Mexico will form a partnership that includes an annual series of games and a sharing of training ground, the owner of the Rapids said Tuesday.
Kroenke Sports Enterprises, the Rapids owner, will set up the Pachuca Academy at the club’s home Dick’s Sporting Goods Park in Commerce City. It will be the only academy of its kind in the country, according to KSE vice president Paul Andrews.
The Rapids in February set up a similar partnership with English Premiere League team Arsenal FC.
The academy will be led by, among others, former Mexican national team player Enrique Borja.
“We are very pleased to establish a relationship with a club that has built one of the leading brands in all of Latin American sports,” Andrews said. “We are looking forward to a successful alliance that will help continue the expansion of our sport well into the future.”
CF Pachuca is the oldest soccer club in Mexico, dating to 1901. The team has won five league titles the past 10 years and two CONCACAF titles.
