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Show Notes
Welcome to this week's free podcast for learners of English. All the football news in this soccer podcast! This week a look at the Mexican league and the phrase to earn a recall.
Worksheet, transcripts and more
The Mexican League
By Damon Brewster (February 14th, 2007)
Listening for detail
Fill in the blank spaces with the correct word.
Well anyway, a couple of weeks ago we looked at the MLS, Major League Soccer, in the United States after it was a€¦a€¦a€¦a€¦a€¦a€¦a€¦a€¦a€¦ that David Beckham would be playing for LA Galaxy. And last week these two countries, America and Mexico, big football a€¦a€¦a€¦a€¦a€¦a€¦a€¦a€¦a€¦ also played a friendly, which the USA won a€¦a€¦a€¦a€¦a€¦a€¦a€¦a€¦a€¦. So we thought it was time to have a look at the Mexican league and to find out a little more about the teams and the a€¦a€¦a€¦a€¦a€¦a€¦a€¦a€¦a€¦ in this football mad nation.
So, Mexican football: what do you think of? The World Cup finals in 1970 or 1986? The a€¦a€¦a€¦a€¦a€¦a€¦a€¦a€¦a€¦ goalkeeper Campos Or tortilla and Tabasco sauce? Well, one thing is for sure and that is football is big in Mexico.
The modern league started in a€¦a€¦a€¦a€¦a€¦a€¦a€¦a€¦a€¦ with 10 teams from the regional amateur leagues, most of them from Mexico City, forming Liga Mayor later to become todaya€™s Primera División. There are now a€¦a€¦a€¦a€¦a€¦a€¦a€¦a€¦a€¦ teams taking part. These 18 teams are divided into three groups, or mini-leagues, and they play in the two championships, called the apertura and clausura each year. The a€¦a€¦a€¦a€¦a€¦a€¦a€¦a€¦a€¦ teams from each group go into playoffs to decide who will be crowned champions. One team is a€¦a€¦a€¦a€¦a€¦a€¦a€¦a€¦a€¦ and one a€¦a€¦a€¦a€¦a€¦a€¦a€¦a€¦a€¦ each year.
Listening for understanding
1. What is an interesting feature of the Mexican league? a€“ One company can own more than one team
2. Which two teams are involved in the biggest rivalry? (America and Deportiva Guadalajara (Chivas)
3. How many Championships has America won? (10, one less than Deportiva Guadalajara)
4. Where do Pachuca play? (in central Mexico in the city of Pachuca)
5. Who founded the team, Pachuca?
6. Who won last yeara€™s Championship? (Deportiva Guadalajara a€“ Chivas)
Answers and more worksheets here
www.languagecaster.com