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FC Barcelona to Face Mexican Powerhouse Chivas de Guadalajara

June 17, 2009 - Major League Soccer (MLS) News Release


NEW YORK (Wednesday, June 17, 2009) - FC Barcelona will take on Mexican powerhouse Club Deportivo Guadalajara S.A. de C.V. (more popularly known as Chivas) as part of a doubleheader spectacular on Saturday, Aug. 8 at Candlestick Park in San Francisco, Calif. (8 p.m., local time). In the first game, Major League Soccer's San Jose Earthquakes take on the Columbus Crew in regular season action (5:30 p.m. local time) followed by UEFA Champions League winners FC Barcelona squaring off against Guadalajara. The match will mark Barça's first visit to the Bay Area. The two teams have played twice before in the United States with Barça posting a win and a tie.

Tickets to see the Spanish giant, whose honors include 19 La Liga trophies, a record-setting 25 Copa del Rey championships and three UEFA Champions League titles, will go on sale to the general public on Monday, June 22. Season ticket holders will receive a comparable ticket to the match and will receive new tickets to the match in the mail. A special presale will be held for Earthquakes season ticket holders and other Earthquakes partners from Wednesday, June 17-21. Season ticket holders should contact the Earthquakes front office at 408-556-7700 to purchase additional tickets or for any questions and concerns. Tickets prices start at $30 and can be purchased by calling (800) 225-2277 or by logging on to sjearthquakes.com.

FC Barcelona - the current UEFA Champions League, La Liga and Copa del Rey Champions - will return to the United States this summer for the second consecutive year. FC Barcelona will tour the West coast, taking on the LA Galaxy on Saturday, Aug. 1 at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif. (11:00 p.m. ET), and Seattle Sounders FC on Wednesday, Aug. 5 at Qwest Field in Seattle (10:30 p.m. ET) before coming to the Bay Area.

FC Barcelona, whose heralded roster of international superstars currently includes Lionel Messi, Rafael Marquez, Xavi, Carles Puyol, Thierry Henry and Andres Iniesta, just finished their treble winning season. They won all three of their major competitions: Spain's La Liga, UEFA Champions League and Copa del Rey. After finishing the season with 87 points and capturing the La Liga title, Barça went on to defeat Manchester United 2-0 in the UEFA Champions League Final with goals from Samuel Eto'o and Lionel Messi. Messi, a 21-year-old Argentinean, finished as the highest scorer, with nine goals, and as the Most Valuable Player of the UEFA competition. He is also in the running for the FIFA World Player of the Year Award for 2009. Barça also defeated Athletic Bilbao 4-1 in the final of the Copa del Rey.

Guadalajara is one of the top teams in the Primera Division de Mexico, the highest professional division in Mexico, and returns to the U.S. to take part in what will be a rematch against FC Barcelona of the 1-1 tie played in 2008 in front of 92,650 fans at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Chivas have won a Mexican Primera Division record 11 league titles in their existence.

In the second year of a five-year partnership, FC Barcelona, MLS and its commercial arm Soccer United Marketing (SUM), proudly see this year's tour as a continuation of the cooperation fostered in FCB's visits in 2006 and 2008.

"We're pleased to have FC Barcelona return to the United States this summer," said Soccer United Marketing President Doug Quinn. "Arguably, they are the most exciting team in international soccer today. Their partnership with MLS and their upcoming tour reflect their commitment to soccer and their fans in the region. We look forward to memorable matches with great stadium atmosphere featuring MLS clubs against an opponent whose year could be remembered as one of the best of all time."

This will mark Barça's third tour on American soil in partnership with SUM. In 2006, the FC Barcelona USA Tour registered the highest average attendance for any club tour in U.S. history, averaging 80,734 in three matches. Barcelona played in front of three sold-out crowds: at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum (vs. CD Guadalajara, 1-1 on Aug. 6 in front of 92,650), at Houston's Reliant Stadium (vs. Club America, 3-3 on Aug. 9, with a crowd of 70,550), and at Giants Stadium in E. Rutherford, NJ (vs. NY Red Bulls, 4-1 on Aug. 12, in front of 79,002).

In 2008, FC Barcelona USA Tour visited two cities and averaged 40,000 fans. On August 3, FC Barcelona defeated one of Mexico's most historic clubs, CD Guadalajara, 5-2 at Chicago's Soldier Field. Three days later, on Aug. 6, Barça defeated MLS' New York Red Bulls 6-2 at New Jersey's Giants Stadium.

Information regarding media accreditation for the tour will be made available to the national and international press in the coming days.

FCB 2009 U.S. Tour Schedule

Aug. 1 LA Galaxy (USA) Rose Bowl, Pasadena, CA 11:00 p.m. ET

Aug. 5 Seattle Sounders FC (USA) Qwest Field, Seattle, WA 10:30 p.m. ET

Aug. 8 CD Guadalajara (MEX) Candlestick Park, San Francisco, CA 11:00 p.m. ET

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The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.


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