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Vancouver Whitecaps FC to Face Manchester City FC in the 2011 World Football Challenge

Published on April 14, 2011 under Major League Soccer (MLS) News Release


NEW YORK/LOS ANGELES (April 14, 2011) - Major League Soccer and CAA Sports announced today that MLS' Vancouver Whitecaps FC and Manchester City FC will face off at Empire Field in Vancouver on Monday, July 18 (10:00 p.m. ET) as part of the 2011 World Football Challenge. This is the fourth announced match of the premier summer club competition.

Vancouver Whitecaps FC made its debut as the 17th team in MLS in this 2011 season and is one of the league's best supported clubs with 15,000 full season ticket holders at Empire Field. Currently the second Canadian team in the League, Whitecaps FC will be playing their first-ever game as an MLS club against a Premiership squad.

"We are thrilled to be playing an English Premier League club in Manchester City FC at Empire Field," said Paul Barber, Whitecaps FC chief executive officer. "Our inaugural season in Major League Soccer has been a tremendous success to this stage, with near capacity crowds at our first three home matches this season. As part of this exciting first season in MLS and as a special thank you for the great support we have received from our fans, we will be inviting all season ticket holders to join us for the Manchester City match as our guests."

Vancouver's standout players include U.S. National team defender Jay DeMerit, Camilo (Brazil), Eric Hassli (France), and Vancouver native Terry Dunfield, who began his career with Manchester City. The match is Vancouver's only game in the World Football Challenge.

Manchester City is currently in fourth place in the Barclays Premier League, and is a serious contender for the League title, due in large part to such key players as 2010 FIFA World Cup champion David Silva (Spain) and Edin Dzeko (Bosnia). Under the management of Italian Roberto Mancini, the club also counts on midfielder Yaya Touré (Ivory Coast) and Patrick Vieira (France). The balance of Manchester City's participation in the challenge will be announced soon.

"We're delighted to be heading to North America, and are very excited about travelling to Vancouver to play the Whitecaps," said City Chief Executive Garry Cook. "Vancouver is a great soccer city with a new MLS side and passionate supporters of the game. We already have a history with the Whitecaps, having played them in 1980 and 1981 at Empire Stadium. They won both matches in fine style and it will be our challenge to try to overturn those results. So it promises to be a fantastic occasion."

Ticket information for the World Football Challenge is now available by visiting www.WorldFootballChallenge.com. Complete details regarding the World Football Challenge including all participating teams, schedule, format, and event sponsors will be announced in the coming weeks.

2011 World Football Challenge As of April 14, 2011

Date Game Venue City Time (ET)

July 13 NE Revolution vs. Manchester United Gillette Stadium Foxboro, MA 8:00 p.m.

July 18 Vancouver Whitecaps FC vs. Manchester City Empire Field Vancouver, BC 10:00 p.m.

July 23 Chicago Fire vs. Manchester United Soldier Field Chicago, IL 8:00 p.m.

July 30 FC Barcelona vs. Manchester United FedExField Landover, MD 7:00 p.m.

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