SEATTLE, WASH. – Seattle Sounders FC today announced that it is offering Season Ticket Members the first opportunity to purchase tickets to the July 17 friendly between Manchester United and Club América at CenturyLink Field. The Season Ticket Member pre-sale for the 2015 International Champions Cup North America match begins at 10:00 a.m. PT today, with Members receiving an email with further instructions on how to purchase. Ticket prices for the friendly match start at $34. Sounders FC does not manage inventory for this match, therefore season ticket seat locations are not guaranteed. The general public on-sale begins Thursday, May 7 at 10:00 a.m. PT, with tickets available through Ticketmaster.com and all Ticketmaster outlets.
“We are excited to welcome Manchester United and Club América to Seattle this summer,” said Sounders FC Owner Adrian Hanauer. “Seattle is home to the top domestic soccer in North America, and CenturyLink Field has a rich history of hosting high-profile international soccer events. We’re excited to continue that tradition this summer, and to offer our fans the ability to watch two of the most storied clubs in international football right here in our community.”
Relevent Sports, a division of RSE Ventures – a multi-national sports and entertainment venture firm with a focus on new technologies – announced last week that Manchester United and reigning Liga MX champion Club América will face-off on Friday, July 17 at CenturyLink Field in Seattle as part of the 2015 International Champions Cup North America Presented by Guinness. Kickoff for the contest is set for 8:00 p.m. PT.
Complete information on the 2015 International Champions Cup North America is available here.
“We are incredibly excited to play an International Champions Cup match in the Pacific Northwest,” said Charlie Stillitano, Chairman of Relevent Sports. “Seattle is well-known for having one of the most passionate and knowledgeable fan bases in the United States, and hosting a world-class soccer event in Seattle is a natural fit.”
The 2015 International Champions Cup North America runs from July 11 – August 5 and features 17 matches played across 12 regions throughout the world. Each team plays four contests, and the club with the most points at the end of the tournament will be crowned champion. Each win in regulation results in three points and a draw goes straight to a shootout. The winning team in a shootout receives two points and the losing team receives one. The results from in-season Major League Soccer contests involving tournament participants will be used as part of official tournament scoring.
In total, 10 teams from across the globe, including England (Manchester United, Chelsea), Portugal (FC Porto), France (Paris Saint-Germain), Mexico (Club América), Spain (Barcelona), Italy (ACF Fiorentina) and the United States (San Jose Earthquakes, Los Angeles Galaxy and New York Red Bulls) will compete in the 2015 International Champions Cup North America. The participating teams have won a total of 91 domestic league titles, 98 domestic cup titles, six CONCACAF Champions League / CONCACAF Champions Cup titles and 10 UEFA Champions League titles. The teams feature nine of the 2014-2015 FIFA Ballon d'Or nominees, as well as 31 of the top 100 players in the world as chosen yearly by renowned English magazine FourFourTwo.
Arguably the most recognizable football club in the world, Manchester United is the most successful team in English league football and has been home to some of the game’s greats, such as Sir Bobby Charlton, George Best and Denis Law. The club is also incredibly successful off the field, having become the first sports franchise to be valued at over $3 billion, according to Forbes.
The record 20-time league title winners have sat atop English football for much of the last 25 years. During that time, some of the biggest names in world football – including Eric Cantona, David Beckham, Ryan Giggs, Cristiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney – played under Sir Alex Ferguson, one of the most successful football managers of all time, who took charge of Manchester United in November 1986, before retiring in May 2013. Current manager Louis van Gaal took over the reins in the summer of 2014 following Ryan Giggs’ four-game stint in charge as caretaker manager and David Moyes’ departure toward the end of the 2013-2014 season. Giggs is now van Gaal’s assistant and remains the club’s record appearance-maker. The current squad features star strikers Wayne Rooney and Robin van Persie, as well as British transfer record-signing Angel Di Maria.
“Manchester United has a great history of visiting Seattle, creating memorable experiences for players and fans that date back to the 1980s,” said Manchester United Group Managing Director Richard Arnold. “Tour 2015, presented by Aon, will allow the team to train at some of the best facilities in the world and play in front of thousands of passionate U.S. supporters at first-class stadiums. After this month’s Manchester derby broke records to become the most-watched Premier League match in U.S. cable television history, the club is excited to be returning to the United States at a time when the appetite for football is greater than ever.”
Club América boasts 98 years of history and 35 titles between domestic and international tournaments, including five CONCACAF championships and eight FIFA-recognized international club trophies. Since its founding in 1916 by a group of young Mexican students attracted by the new sport of football, Club América has won the most titles (12) in the modern era of Mexican soccer, including an unforgettable 3-1 win over Tigres UANL in the 2014 Apertura Final.
Manchester United has previously visited CenturyLink Field on two occasions. The Red Devils faced-off with Celtic FC in front of 66,772 fans an international friendly in 2003, the first-ever sellout for the stadium. Sounders FC then hosted Manchester United in a 2011 international friendly before a sold-out crowd of 67,052. Club América previously visited Seattle for a friendly at CenturyLink Field against the USL Sounders in 2006. CenturyLink Field has played host to a bevy of other top-tier international clubs including Barcelona, Real Madrid, Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur, Boca Juniors and Chivas de Guadalajara, as well as National Teams such as Brazil, Mexico, Venezuela, China, Panama and the United States Men’s National Team.
In 2015, the International Champions Cup expands into new continents, as both China and Australia will host versions of the tournament during the summer. A.C. Milan, Inter Milan and Real Madrid will play in the International Champions Cup China in Shenzhen, Guangzhou and Shanghai that runs from July 25 – July 29. Real Madrid, Manchester City and AS Roma will play in the International Champions Cup Australia in Melbourne from July 18 – 24, providing even more fans from around the world the opportunity to see their favorite clubs live.
