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May 19, 2006

THE HOME DEPOT CENTER HOSTS WEEKEND OF WORLD-CLASS EVENTS MAY 19-21

CARSON, CALIFORNIA (May 17, 2006)
Following back-to-back California State University, Dominguez Hills (CSUDH) commencement ceremonies this Thursday and Friday, The Home Depot Center packs the weekend with two soccer games and a world-class track and field event.  The Los Angeles Galaxy play the Colorado Rapids on Saturday, May 20 and on Sunday, May 21, the adidas Track Classic returns to Carson, followed by the Team USA vs. Team Mexico 1997 rematch game.  All three headline events feature all-star athletes including Cobi Jones (L.A. Galaxy) and Clint Mathis (Colorado Rapids), Ana Guevara (2003 World Champion at 400 meters - track & field) and Alexi Lalas (L.A. Galaxy President and General Manger, playing in the USA vs. Mexico reunion game). 

Tomorrow at 7:00 p.m., The Home Depot Center will host the 2006 CSUDH Graduate Commencement and Hooding Ceremony in the 8,000-seat tennis stadium.  The following morning on Friday, May 19 at 9:00 a.m., the facility will host the 2006 CSUDH Undergraduate Commencement in the soccer stadium, honoring baccalaureates.  In a quick, day-and-night conversion of the 27,000-seat facility, The Home Depot Center will return to a soccer stadium for the remainder of the weekend with the help of an operations and events crew of more than 50 people, 10 John Deere Gators and three forklifts.

The Los Angeles Galaxy kick-off on Saturday, May 20 at 7:30 p.m. against the Colorado Rapids in a rematch of the 2005 Western Conference Final, won by the Galaxy.  The Galaxy now sit tied with Colorado for third place in the Western Conference with a 2-5-1 record and seven points.  Colorado enters the game with a 2-3-1 record and seven points.  The game begins at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday and tickets are available by calling 1-877-3-GALAXY.

On Sunday, May 21, the adidas Track Classic returns to Carson, featuring Olympic and World Championship medalists, including American Jeremy Wariner and Mexican superstar Ana Guevara.  Joining Wariner (the Olympic gold medalist and World Champion at 400 meters) and Guevara (the 2003 World Champion at 400 meters) in the international event will be Veronica Campbell of Jamaica, the No. 1 female track athlete at the 2004 Olympic Games and Alastair Cragg of Ireland, the 2005 European Indoor Champion at 5,000 meters.  In addition, hip-hop artists Bow Wow will make a special guest appearance.  The finals-only event on Sunday begins at 12:30 p.m. and tickets are available at www.ticketmaster.com or at The Home Depot Center box office. 

Following the track meet is a rematch of the Team USA vs. Team Mexico 1998 World Cup Qualifiers, beginning at 6:00 p.m.  The soccer rivalry dates back to 1997 when Mexico and the U.S. competed with each other twice to qualify for the 1998 World Cup, and both games resulted in a draw.  Featured in Sunday's reunion game are current Los Angeles Galaxy Head Coach Steve Sampson and Galaxy President and General Manager Alexi Lalas, as well as other former U.S. players including Jeff Agoos, Tab Ramos, Eric Wynalda, Tomas Dooley and John Harkes.  The U.S. will take on Bora Milutinovic's Mexican team featuring legends like Carlos Hermosillo, Roberto Zague, Joaquin Del Olmo, Alberto Garcia Aspe, Luis Garcia and Luis Hernandez.  The game is part of a Fox Sports en Español television reality series, \"El Reto Final Nissan.\"  Kick-off is at 6:00 p.m. on Sunday, May 21 in the soccer stadium.  Tickets are available at www.ticketmaster.com or at The Home Depot Center box office.

About The Home Depot Center

The Home Depot Center is southern California's home of world-class competition and training facilities for amateur, Olympic, collegiate and professional athletes.  The $150 million, privately financed facility was developed and is operated by AEG on a 125-acre site on the campus of California State University, Dominguez Hills (CSUDH) in Carson, California.  The Home Depot Center features an 8,000-seat tennis stadium, a 27,000-seat stadium for soccer, rugby and other athletic competitions and outdoor concerts, a 10,000-seat facility for track & field and lacrosse, the ADT Event Center (a 2,450-seat indoor velodrome for cycling) and other facilities for softball, baseball, beach volleyball, basketball and other sports. The Home Depot Center is home to three professional sports teams - Major League Soccer's 2005 MLS and U.S. Open Cup Champion Los Angeles Galaxy; Club Deportivo (CD) Chivas USA; and Major League Lacrosse's (MLL) Los Angeles Riptide.  Named an Official U.S. Olympic Training Site, The Home Depot Center is also home of the United States Tennis Association (USTA) USA Tennis High Performance Training Center and is the national team training headquarters for the U.S. Soccer Federation (USSF).  The David Beckham Academy for youth soccer, Andre Agassi's Safe Passage All-Stars at-risk youth tennis program and Athletes' Performance's training center for elite and professional athletes are all based at The Home Depot Center.  The Home Depot Center has additionally been designated official training sites for USA Cycling and USA Track & Field.  For more information, please visit www.homedepotcenter.com.

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Contact:
The Home Depot Center Communications

Alison Groendal, (310) 630-2032