
FC Dallas, Pizza Hut Park, and SMU to Host 2008 College Cup
Published on March 6, 2007 under Major League Soccer (MLS)
FC Dallas News Release
FRISCO, Texas (Tuesday, March 6, 2007) - FC Dallas, together with the SMU Athletic Department, have been selected to host the 2008 NCAA Division I Men's College Cup, the selection committee announced today. The event will be held at the home of FC Dallas, Pizza Hut Park in Frisco, on Dec. 12 and 14, 2008.
"Pizza Hut Park has quickly become a home for big-time soccer events and we're excited to partner with SMU to host another one - the NCAA College Cup," said FC Dallas and Pizza Hut Park General Manager Michael Hitchcock. "We look forward to the opportunity to show the NCAA, their sponsors, VIPs and thousands of college sports fans that Pizza Hut Park is the perfect venue to host the NCAA National Soccer Championship. We'd love for Frisco and Pizza Hut Park to become the permanent home of the College Cup, in similar fashion to Omaha and the College World Series."
In a little over a decade, Dallas has hosted several national and international soccer events including the 1994 World Cup, the 1993 CONCACAF Gold Cup, the 2005 and 2006 MLS Cups, the 2001 Women's College Cup, the 2002 Men's College Cup and numerous international friendlies and exhibitions. Dallas is also home to SMU men's soccer, one of the nation's most all-time successful programs. The only NCAA Division I men's soccer program in the state of Texas, SMU has made 13 consecutive NCAA appearances. The Mustangs have won nine regular-season conference titles and six conference tournament titles in the last 10 years.
"After hosting two previous College Cups, we are very excited about bringing another National Championship event to the Dallas area," said SMU Director of Athletics Steve Orsini. "As the only Division I athletic program in Dallas, we feel a responsibility to our fans and all the residents of the Metroplex to host events such as these. SMU already offers tremendous collegiate athletic events and this will only add to what we already provide on the Hilltop."
Previous hosts of the NCAA Men's College Cup since 2000 include: Charlotte, N.C., (2000); Columbus, Ohio (2001 & 2003); Dallas (2002); and Carson, Calif., (2004), Cary, N.C. (2005) and St. Louis (2006).
FC Dallas will return from its preseason trip in Brazil on Fri. March 9. The team will play for the first time at Pizza Hut Park on Sun., March 11 when they face the Columbus Crew in the inaugural Lamar Hunt Pioneer Cup, a charity-fundraising preseason game with all net proceeds going to Dallas SCORES. Fans may select the price of admission (minimum $5) and parking is free. For more information, visit www.fcdallas.net or call 888-FCD-GOAL.
Major League Soccer Stories from March 6, 2007
- Rapids Announce "Dick's Sporting Goods Park Opening Week" Schedule - Colorado Rapids
- Crew to host L.A. in Open Cup Qualifier April 24 - Columbus Crew SC
- David Beckham Academy kicks off this month - LA Galaxy
- FC Dallas, Pizza Hut Park, and SMU to Host 2008 College Cup - FC Dallas
- Los Angeles Galaxy to Play Columbus Crew in U.S. Open Cup Qualifying Match on April 24 - LA Galaxy
- Fire fall to L.A. Galaxy, 2-1, in exhibition action - Chicago Fire FC
- Los Angeles Galaxy Weekly Update - LA Galaxy
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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