MLS Chicago Fire FC

Fire Announce 2009 SuperLiga Games and Teams

May 15, 2009 - Major League Soccer (MLS)
Chicago Fire FC News Release


CHICAGO, IL (May 15, 2009) - Major League Soccer and the Federación Mexicana de Fútbol have unveiled the participating teams, venues and schedule for the 2009 edition of SuperLiga™. The Chicago Fire joins the tournament, now in its third year, for the first time in team history and will face off against top clubs from Major League Soccer and the Mexican First Division for one of the biggest purses in the region. The competition will kick off on June 20th with the finals to be held on Aug. 5th.

For the 2009 edition of SuperLiga, competitive criteria determined which four teams would represent their respective leagues. The top four MLS teams based on their 2008 regular season record, that are not competing in CONCACAF Champions League in 2009, qualified for SuperLiga 2009: Chicago Fire, New England Revolution, Chivas USA and Kansas City Wizards.

The participating FMF clubs of Mexico's Primera División were invited based on their record (highest number of points) in the 2008 Clausura and 2008 Apertura season, with the exception of those teams that qualified for the CONCACAF Champions League. FMF clubs who declined the invitation were replaced with the next club in line based on points. The four Mexican clubs participating in 2009 are: 2008 playoff contender San Luis, Santos Laguna led by national team star Oswaldo Sanchez, Tigres UANL led by Lucas Lobos, and Atlas, the young and exciting club led by former Mexican national team coach Ricardo Lavolpe.

The Fire will face San Luis on June 20 (7 p.m. CT), Chivas USA on June 23 (7 p.m. CT) and Tigres UANL on June 27 (7 p.m. CT). The Fire will host a doubleheader for their match on June 23 as San Luis and Tigres UANL face off following the Fire's match (9 p.m.).

Tickets, for both the single games on June 20 and 27, as well as the doubleheader on June 23, are on sale now through the TOYOTA PARK box office, by calling 888-MLS-FIRE, clicking on the TICKETS section of the team's official website, www.chicago-fire.com, or through all Ticketmaster outlets, www.Ticketmaster.com.

The Fire will offer a special Chicago Fire SuperLiga Pack which includes a ticket to all three of the SuperLiga dates at TOYOTA PARK and fans that purchase the Chicago Fire SuperLiga Pack will also receive a free ticket for the Fire versus Chivas USA match on Oct. 22. SuperLiga Packs start at just $71 and will be available through the TOYOTA PARK box office, by calling 888-MLS-FIRE or through www.chicago-fire.com.

During the inaugural edition of SuperLiga, CF Pachuca defeated the Los Angeles Galaxy in a dramatic match decided by penalty kicks at The Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif. on August 30, 2007. In 2008, the all-MLS final saw the New England Revolution defeat the Houston Dynamo in another memorable set of penalty kicks at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass.

"SuperLiga continues to showcase the rivalry between MLS and Mexican league clubs, and we expect to see intense matches once again this summer," said MLS Commissioner Don Garber. "SuperLiga kicks off an incredible summer of soccer that includes the CONCACAF Gold Cup, World Cup qualifiers and MLS teams playing international clubs FC Barcelona, Chelsea and AC Milan."

"At FMF, we look forward to our clubs participating in SuperLiga and reclaiming the title," said FMF President Justino Compeán. "SuperLiga has been a complete success in its past editions, and in such an important soccer year, we expect nothing less for the 2009 version."

The entire tournament will once again be broadcast live in primetime by TeleFutura in the United States. The semifinal and final information will be announced once teams are decided.

The SuperLiga field of teams is divided into two groups, each with two representatives from the respective leagues:

Group A Group B

Chicago Fire New England Revolution

Chivas USA Kansas City Wizards

San Luis Santos Laguna

Tigres UANL Atlas

SuperLiga™ 2009 Schedule*

* Subject to change

Saturday, June 20

Chicago Fire vs. San Luis (Toyota Park - Bridgeview, IL) 7 p.m. CT

Chivas USA vs. Tigres UANL (The Home Depot Center - Carson, Calif.) 9 p.m. CT

Sunday, June 21

Kansas City Wizards vs. Atlas (Venue TBD - St. Louis, Mo.) 3:30 p.m. CT

New England Revolution vs. Santos Laguna (Gillette Stadium - Foxborough, Mass.) 5:30 p.m. CT

Tuesday, June 23

Chicago Fire vs. Chivas USA (Toyota Park - Bridgeview, IL) 7 p.m. CT

San Luis vs. Tigres UANL (Toyota Park - Bridgeview, IL.) 9 p.m. CT

Wednesday, June 24

New England Revolution vs. Kansas City Wizards (Gillette Stadium - Foxborough, Mass.) 6 p.m. CT

Santos Laguna vs. Atlas (Gillette Stadium - Foxborough, Mass.) 8 p.m. CT

Saturday, June 27

Chicago Fire vs. Tigres UANL (Toyota Park - Bridgeview, IL) 7 p.m. CT

Chivas USA vs. San Luis (The Home Depot Center - Carson, Calif.) 9 p.m. CT

Sunday, June 28

New England Revolution vs. Atlas (Gillette Stadium - Foxborough, Mass.) 3:30 p.m. CT

Kansas City Wizards vs. Santos Laguna (CommunityAmerica Ballpark - Kansas City, Kan.) 5:30 p.m. CT

Wednesday, July 15

Semifinal 1 (TBD)

Semifinal 2 (TBD)

Wednesday, August 5

Final (TBD)

Check out the Chicago Fire FC Statistics



Major League Soccer Stories from May 15, 2009


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