On July 26, the Houston Dynamo will host Aston Villa of the Barclays Premier League for the sixth annual BBVA Compass Dynamo Charities Cup. Before traveling to Houston, Villa will visit FC Dallas on July 23. Here are some recent news and updates on the Aston Villa squad from the British media.
Aston Villa has signed Fulham versatile player Kieran Richardson on a two-year contract. The 29-year-old follows the acquisitions of Joe Cole and Philippe Senderos.
Richardson is thrilled to play with Senderos, his former teammate, and believes he will be a great addition to an improved defense.
Senderos, who has 54 caps for Switzerland and played with Valencia last season, earned praise from Villa manager Paul Lambert for his experience.
“Philippe is a big-time player, he knows the game and exactly what it entails. He’s played at three World Cups and there are not many players that can turn round and say that.”
“I think he will be another brilliant acquisition for us, with the problems we did have at the back last year, then he’s certainly going to add that experience in abundance.
TICKETS: Get your seats for Dynamo vs. Aston Villa on July 26 at BBVA Compass Stadium.
Aston Villa recently hired Roy Keane to become Lambert’s assistant manager. Keane will also remain as assistant coach for the Ireland national team. Ireland head coach Martin O’Neill strongly believes that Keane will benefit from his role as Aston Villa’s assistant manager.
With five players already added to the Villa squad this summer, South Korean midfielder Ki Sung-yueng is on the verge of signing with Villa for £6 million, even though he has one year left on his contract with Swansea City. Sung-yueng performed well for South Korea at the 2014 World Cup, playing all 270 minutes of the group stage and providing an assist.
Aston Villa captain Ron Vlaar shined for Holland in the World Cup, making the World Cup Best XI for several outlets. Vlaar played every minute of every game for the Netherlands and helped hold Costa Rica and Argentina scoreless for a combined 240 minutes before the Dutch fell to Argentina on penalties.
Vlaar’s teammate Jores Okore had nothing but respect and admiration for the talented skipper in his performance at the World Cup, and was no shock for Okore.
