Mexico’s national soccer team will play the Venezuelan national team in the first international soccer game at the Georgia Dome on June 24 at 7:30 p.m. local, event promoter Soccer United Marketing (SUM), the Atlanta Falcons and the Federación Mexicana de Fútbol (FMF) announced today. The exhibition match will be played on natural grass, the first time a sporting event will be played on grass at the Georgia Dome in the stadium’s 17-year history.
The match represents the third game of the Mexican squad’s 2009 U.S. tour, and the first in the states under the new leadership of Javier Aguirre, former Atlético de Madrid manager who led Mexico to the 2002 FIFA World Cup. Following the game in Atlanta, Mexico will travel to San Diego to take on Guatemala days later at Qualcomm Stadium on Sunday, June 28. Both the Atlanta and San Diego games will provide a preview of “el Tri” prior to the team competing in the 2009 CONCACAF Gold Cup, a month-long tournament in 13 U.S. cities that will crown the regional champion.
“We are excited that soccer fans in the metro Atlanta area will have the opportunity to watch two extremely talented national teams,” said Vice President of Marketing for the Atlanta Falcons, Jim Smith. “Atlanta’s diverse population creates a hotbed of support for the game of soccer and we’re pleased the Georgia Dome can serve as the host for the contest.”
Visa® is pleased to offer all Visa cardholders access to a private advance ticket sale for both June matches with tickets beginning as low as $25. The private sale starts Thursday, April 23, at 10 a.m. local at www.Ticketmaster.com. Visa will be the only payment method accepted through the Visa presale and is the preferred card of the Federacion Mexicana de Futbol.
Tickets for the general public will go on sale Tuesday, May 5 to celebrate Cinco de Mayo and the Battle of Puebla. Tickets can be purchased at www.Ticketmaster.com and by calling 1-800-745-3000. The Federación Mexicana de Fútbol invites you to use your Visa card.
The match on June 24, brought to soccer fans by AT&T, will be a historic one for Mexico as it will mark el Tri’s first match in Atlanta. While Mexico’s Under-23 team did take part in the 1996 Summer Olympic Games, its four soccer matches were all held in venues in other states, including neighboring Birmingham, Al. Venezuela and Mexico will meet for the ninth time with Mexico victorious in the previous eight matches. The team is led by RCD Mallorca midfielder Juan Arango, Atlante forward Giancarlo Maldonado and New York Red Bulls midfielder Jorge Rojas.
The game will mark the U.S. debut of Mexican national team head coach Javier “el Vasco” Aguirre since being named national team head coach on April 3, replacing Sven-Göran Eriksson. This is Aguirre’s second stint as the manager of Mexico, as he coached the Mexican team to the round of 16 in the 2002 FIFA World Cup. After the 2002 World Cup, Aguirre went to Spain, where he managed Osasuna (2002-2006) and Atlético de Madrid (2006-2009) in the Spanish La Liga. During his tenure with Atlético Madrid, he led the club to the UEFA Champions League for the first time in more than 10 years.
Mexico is currently in the middle of the Final Round of CONCACAF World Cup Qualifying and has a 1-2-0 record following the first three matches. Prior to its late June matches in the United States, Mexico will travel to play El Salvador on June 6 before hosting Trinidad and Tobago on June 10 in World Cup qualifiers.
Fans are recommended to arrive to the Georgia Dome grounds early and enjoy the popular Futbol Fiesta, the interactive fan zone prior to each game that spans more than 100,000 square feet. Futbol Fiesta includes live music and offers promotional items from the Mexican soccer federation’s U.S. sponsors – adidas, Allstate, AT&T, Bud Light, Chase, Coca-Cola, Jose Cuervo, Makita, McDonald’s, NAPA, The Home Depot and Visa.
Soccer United Marketing manages all promotional and marketing rights to Mexican national team matches played in the United States. Arguably the most powerful Hispanic sports marketing properties in North America, the Mexican national team fills stadiums with passionate fans that provide value for the national team’s corporate partners.
One of the most consistent national soccer teams in the world, Mexico has qualified for four consecutive FIFA World Cups, reaching the second round on all four occasions. The popularity of the Mexican national team continues to grow, as exhibition matches average approximately 50,000 fans per game in the United States.
ABOUT SUM
Founded in 2002, Soccer United Marketing (SUM) is the preeminent soccer business company in North America. SUM holds the exclusive rights to the most important soccer properties in the region, including: all commercial rights to Major League Soccer; the United States Soccer Federation; promotional and marketing rights to Mexican National Team games played in the United States; the marketing and promotion of the CONCACAF Gold Cup™, and marketing, promotional and broadcast rights to the prestigious eight-team Mexican club tournament – InterLiga™. SUM also manages promotional and marketing rights in the United States for Mexico’s most popular sports team, Club Deportivo Guadalajara (Chivas).
In addition, SUM created SuperLiga, the innovative professional tournament between MLS and Mexico’s First Division clubs that debuted in 2007, as well as the Pan-Pacific Championship, an international soccer tournament that crowns the top club from the Pan Pacific region. In 2008 SUM entered into a long term partnership with FC Barcelona which includes tours of the legendary Spanish club. These global properties are represented by SUM’s slogan: One Sport. One Company.™ For more information, please visit www.SUMworld.com.
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