For the first time in its 14-year history, the SMU Athletic Forum will host a soccer-related speaker, featuring United States National Team Coach Bruce Arena. The luncheon will take place on Tuesday, November 12, at Noon at the Fairmont Hotel. Tickets for this event, which are normally $50 per seat, or $500 for a table of 10, have been discounted to $45 and $450 respectively for Dallas Burn fans. Tickets may be ordered by contacting Becky Walker in the SMU office at (214) 768-4314. To receive the discount, you must mention the Dallas Burn when ordering. Seating will be allocated according to when tickets are ordered, so please contact Becky at your earliest convenience to ensure you receive the best possible location. SMU will try to accommodate Burn fans that order individual tickets, instead of a table, by pairing them with other Burn fans. We encourage all soccer and Burn fans to attend this event to show their support of soccer in this area, Bruce Arena, and the United States National Team. We believe this luncheon will sell the most single-event tables (in addition to the "season" tables that have been purchased for the entire Forum series) in the history of the event, and has a chance to be the highest attended event ever, IF soccer fans support it. The SMU Athletic Forum Luncheon is considered to be the most prominent athletic luncheon series in the nation. Speakers this year other than Bruce Arena include Rick Pitino, Cal Ripken Jr, and Sugar Ray Leonard, along with the annual Doak Walker Award banquet. FREE CONCERT TICKETS The Dallas Burn and La Mexicana Cheese are teaming up to offer you free tickets to tomorrow night's Pepe Aguilar concert at Reunion Arena. The concert begins at 8:00 p.m. and features popular Mexican singer Pepe Aguilar, nominated this year for a Latino Music Grammy. To get your FREE tickets, you must call Cecilia Novoa at (214) 777-0235 no later than 12:00 noon tomorrow. But, you must hurry, as supplies are limited. MEN'S COLLEGE CUP COMES TO DALLAS For the first time ever, the NCAA Men's College Cup will be held in Dallas on the weekend of December 13th thru 15th at Gerald J. Ford Stadium on the campus of Southern Methodist University. The weekend will feature the top four men's college teams from around the nation and will feature three games, two Semifinals on Friday and the Final on Sunday. Make sure to get your tickets early so you can catch all the action. To ensure that the games are packed with soccer fans to show the rest of the nation that this is Soccer Town USA, the Dallas Burn is working closely with SMU, NCAA and NTSSA to offer great seats to soccer teams that play in the various leagues around the Metroplex. You and your team can get discounted tickets for either Friday or Sunday or both days. Simply call Ali at (214) 777-0211 or Michelle at (214) 777-0218 and let them know what team you play on and in what soccer association. They will get you great seats at a great price ($13 each), so your team can sit together and cheer together. And, the Burn, SMU, NCAA and NTSSA will donate $1 from each ticket sold to your soccer association. This is your chance to see some great soccer and to see future stars of Major League Soccer, and possibly even the US Men's National Team, while supporting your local soccer association. Order your tickets now...call Ali at (214) 777-0211 or Michelle at (214) 777-0218. See you at the Men's College Cup. DALLAS BURN SEASON SEATS NOW ON SALE Your Dallas Burn continues to impress both on and off the field. The Burn made the playoffs for the sixth consecutive season, along with the L.A. Galaxy the only two teams to have done so each year of their existence. Average attendance increased for the fourth consecutive year. The team is already looking toward next season with the start of the Season Seat drive. Beginning today, the Burn are accepting seat deposits for the 2003 season. For every purchase of a season seat, you will receive a free Dallas Burn visor. And, if you purchase two full season seats or four mini-packages by December 13th, you will receive a free autographed Jason Kreis Bobblehead Doll. Also, remember, Dallas Burn Season Seats make the perfect holiday gift for that soccer player, coach, or sports fan in your life. You are not just giving tickets, you are giving memories that will last a lifetime. Avoid the traffic, crowded stores, and long lines by simply picking up the phone and calling a Dallas Burn account executive. They will help you pick out the perfect seats at the perfect price. Season Seat packages start as low as $72! Some of the many benefits of being a Season Seat Holder are: · Big Savings - You will save money by purchasing Season Seats! There is a substantial saving off of day of game ticket prices built into your Season Seat price. Youths and seniors save even more! · Flexible Plans - The Burn offers a Full Season Seat package, a 12-game pack (Striker), a 6-game pack (Sweeper) and even a Flexi-Pass. Pick a plan that is right for you and your schedule. The Burn even offers a convenient payment plan. · Ticket Exchange Privileges - The Burn offers the most flexible ticket exchange program in the metroplex sports scene. If you cannot make a game, simply turn in your tickets to the Burn and you will receive tickets to another game of your choice. · Meet the Burn Players - Season Seat Holders are invited to private parties throughout the year, where they can meet the players and coaches! · Free Stuff - Season Seat Holders receive a Dallas Burn media guide, Dallas Burn newsletters, and discounts off Burn merchandise in our pro shop. Pick up the phone and call a Dallas Burn account executive at (214) 979-0303 to order your seats today. It's simple, easy, and will save you money. You only need to put down a $100 deposit to reserve you seats. DALLAS BURN UPDATE Burn Midfielder Oscar Pareja Undergoes Successful Knee Surgery: Dallas Burn midfielder and two-time team Most Valuable Player Oscar Pareja underwent successful arthroscopic surgery today to repair a torn lateral meniscus in his right knee. The surgery was performed by Burn Medical Director Dr. T.O. Souryal of Texas Sports Medicine, who also serves as the Dallas Mavericks team physician. Pareja, the team's MVP for the past two seasons, will be sidelined for 3-6 weeks. Jeffries Named Finalist For MLS Coach Of Year Honors: Burn Head Coach Mike Jeffries has been named one of three finalists for MLS Coach of the Year honors. In his second year at the helm for the Burn, Jeffries mixed a blend of veterans with an infusion of young talent, which resulted in the team placing third in the overall league table and garnering the second-best record in team history. Additionally, Jeffries kept alive the team's impressive streak of qualifying for the playoffs every year of the league's existence, a feat matched only by the Los Angeles Galaxy. Steve Nicol of New England and Sigi Schmid of Los Angeles are the other two candidates for the MLS Coach of the Year award. Burn To Face Olimpia Of Honduras In New Orleans:: The Burn will face Club Olimpia Deportivo of Honduras at 5:00 p.m. on Saturday, October 26 at the Tulane Soccer Complex in New Orleans. The match is the highlight of a weekend sports extravaganza hosted by the New Orleans Saints that includes autograph sessions and clinics by both teams throughout the weekend as well as a full day of soccer matches on Saturday. Additionally, both the Burn and Olimpia will be introduced on the Superdome field as part of a pre-game ceremony prior to a noon kickoff between the Saints and the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday, October 27. THIS WEEK'S AUCTION ITEM Our next item up for bid is a 2002 Lee Morrison game jersey. Morrison was selected in the third round (12th overall) in the 2002 MLS SuperDraft. The Stanford grad saw action in three games on the year. Morrison saw his first MLS action vs. Colorado on June 8th at the Cotton Bowl. He started his first MLS match, playing 90 minutes at Colorado on September 1st. Jersey size is a XL. Opening bid is $60.00. KOMEN DALLAS RACE FOR THE CURE You are invited to join Dallas Burn for Komen Dallas Race For The Cure® - October 19 at NorthPark You can register for this event at: http://www.active.com/register/index.cfm?event_id=981899&subevent_id=155801& team_id=78677
Has anyone ever been to one of these SMU events? I want to know whether its worth it to pay $45 to see Arena. Bruce is the quiet type typically so I can't imagine he would let too much info out.
Damn. Good thing I don't live in Dallas. I'd be tempted to take a long lunch. Seems to me like this could be vaguely interesting, being as we're getting close to the time when il Bruce should be signing his next contract with the Fed.
It definitely was worth it. Arena was very forthcoming and shared some things that nobody at my table (Sam's Army Inferno contingent) had heard before. La locura rojinegra
Two of the Inferno's own have an article on it at: http://www.cybersoccernews.com/usmen/021112arena.shtml .
Is it just me or does Bruce Arena seem more likable post-World Cup? Before Japan/Korea he usually seemed to wear a smug expression on his face, and typically treated the press and fans in a condescending manner. While I haven't seen nearly as much of Arena after the World Cup as I did before, he does seem to be more tolerant now toward the press and fans. And it's nice to see his sense of humor come through -- something he seemed to avoid showing back in the days before Japan/Korea.