The New York Red Bulls, along with Relevant Sports, announced their games for this summer’s International Champions Cup presented by Guinness. The Red Bulls will take on English Premier League leader Chelsea FC on Wednesday, July 22nd, and Portuguese outfit FC Porto on Sunday, July 26th at Red Bull Arena.
Red Bull Arena will also host a third ICC match, with French powerhouse Paris Saint-Germain taking on ACF Fiorentina from Italy’s top league Serie A on Tuesday, July 21.
Chelsea is coached by Jose Mourinho and led by John Terry, Didier Drogba, and Eden Hazard. They are currently in first place in the English Premier League, and will likely clinch the title soon. They also won the League Cup in England and made it to the Round of 16 in the UEFA Champions League. Chelsea is one of the most successful teams in Europe over the past ten years, as they won the UEFA Champions League in 2012, the UEFA Europa League in 2013, the English Premier League in 2005, 2006, and 2010; and the FA Cup in 2007 and 2010.
FC Porto made it to the Round of 8 in this year’s Champions League and lost to Bayern Munich. They are led by midfielders Casemiro and Herrera. They are currently in second place in Portugal’s Premeira Liga, behind their rivals Benfica. Porto has won a lot in Europe, as they won the UEFA Cup in 2002-03, the UEFA Champions League in 2003-04 with Mourinho as Manager, the Intercontinental Cup in 2004, and the Europa League, in 2010-11.
Rui Barros, FC Porto assistant coach said at the press conference to present the competition, held this Tuesday, in New York, “I’d like to thank the organization for the invite issued to FC Porto. This is an important tournament, with several strong teams. It will take a part of our pre-season, when it is important to prepare the team for the 2015/16 season. The friendlies are a test to the work done during that stage. We’ll have a tight schedule, which we will have to study and plan every single detail, so that work will go as intended.”
2015 Red Bulls Season Ticket Holders will enjoy the Red Bulls vs. Porto game as part of their Season Ticket Package. As an added bonus, Red Bulls Season Ticket Holders will also receive tickets to the PSG-Fiorentina matchup, as well as an exclusive 24-hour pre-sale window to purchase tickets for the Red Bulls vs. Chelsea FC match. More details on the pre-sale, as well as other offers for partial season ticket holders, training partners, and group buyers will be announced at a later date.
The matches bring three 2015 UEFA Champions League opponents to Red Bull Arena in Chelsea, Porto and PSG. In all, ten clubs from across the globe will participate in the highly anticipated summer tournament, including teams from Spain, England, Portugal, Mexico and Italy. The Red Bulls are one of three Major League Soccer teams invited to compete. In addition to those listed above, the tournament also includes storied European clubs FC Barcelona and Manchester United. The LA Galaxy and San Jose Earthquakes will represent MLS alongside New York.
Fans can still purchase Red Bulls season ticket packages now to participate in these benefits by visiting www.newyorkredbulls.com/tickets or calling 877.RB.SOCCER
About the International Champions Cup North America
The International Champions Cup is an annual summer soccer tournament organized by Relevent Sports, featuring the best clubs from around the world. A staple property of Relevent Sports and RSE Ventures, the International Champions Cup brings the best in soccer to iconic sports venues across North America, Australia, Europe and China.
Last year, the International Champions Cup featured premier European clubs including Manchester United, Liverpool, Real Madrid, Manchester City, AC Milan, Roma, Inter Milan and Olympiacos. The tournament, played across 13 North American cities, saw Manchester United go undefeated en route to the championship. The International Champions Cup also featured the largest attended soccer match in United States history, when 109,318 fans packed the “Big House” at the University of Michigan to witness Manchester United defeat Real Madrid. The inaugural tournament in 2013 featured eight clubs – Real Madrid, Juventus, Chelsea, Inter Milan, AC Milan, Valencia, Everton and the L.A. Galaxy. It concluded with Real Madrid’s victory over Chelsea in front of nearly 70,000 fans.
Since its inception in 2013, more than one million fans have packed stadiums to watch clubs compete in the International Champions Cup, along with more than 700 million households watching worldwide. In 2015, the tournament will expand to Asia and Australia, as it continues to grow rapidly and attract fans from all over the world.