Two former Liga MX superstars who joined Major League Soccer this season will take their rivalry into the virtual realm at 1 p.m. CT Saturday as Sporting Kansas City striker Alan Pulido faces Inter Miami CF attacking midfielder Rodolfo Pizarro in an EA SPORTS FIFA 20 showdown.
The marquee matchup will be available to stream via the ESPN Deportes digital channels, Twitch.tv/eSportingKC and Sporting's Twitter, Facebook and YouTube platforms. Saturday's event will be hosted by ESPN Deportes and Ahora o Nunca’s Mauricio Pedroza and Herculez Gomez.
Pulido joined Sporting last December on a club-record transfer from Chivas de Guadalajara, while Pizarro became the biggest acquisition for expansion side Inter Miami CF in February.
In an April interview with Ahora o Nunca, Pulido challenged Pizarro to a head-to-head FIFA contest. “I have to challenge him in FIFA to see if it's true,” Pulido said when the hosts referenced Pizarro’s confidence in his own gaming abilities.
Pulido and Pizarro both have recent FIFA 20 success under their belts. The Sporting striker defeated San Jose Earthquakes defender and former Chivas teammate Oswaldo Alanis on the sticks in April, while Pizarro beat Wolverhampton forward and fellow Mexican Raul Jimenez last week and previously won Inter Miami's FIFA 20 tournament as part of Stream Aid 2020.
The heralded MLS newcomers share a long history as both teammates and competitors, having played together for Chivas and the Mexican Men's National Team while also squaring off at various stages of their Liga MX careers. The duo has teamed up twice for Mexico and enjoyed a successful partnership at Chivas from 2016-2018, notably hoisting the 2018 Concacaf Champions League with a dramatic victory over Toronto FC in the finals.
Pulido and Pizarro have also gone head-to-head in four Liga MX fixtures, three of which came when Pulido played for Tigres UANL and Pizarro played for C.F. Pachuca. The most recent meeting took place in March 2019 when Monterrey's Pizarro received a red card against Pulido and Chivas.
