FOXBOROUGH, Mass. –The New England Revolution today announced that the team will play the legendary Portuguese club SL Benfica on Wednesday, May 19, at Gillette Stadium. Kickoff is set for 8 p.m.
Benfica, founded in 1904, boasts a record 32 Portuguese league titles, 24 Portuguese Cup titles and back-to-back Portuguese League Cups, including the 2009-10 championship. Benfica has also won two UEFA European Cups, which is now the UEFA Champions League, and earned a runner-up finish five other seasons.
Benfica, who currently sits atop the Portuguese Liga with a six point lead and three games remaining, has a current roster that includes such stars as Portugal’s Carlos Martins, David Luis, Quim and Nuno Gomes, and Argentina’s Aimar and Javier Saviola.
“We’re very pleased to bring a European power like Benfica to Gillette Stadium,” Revolution Vice President of Business Development Craig Tornberg said. “Benfica is one of the most popular clubs in the world - with a passionate and substantial following in the Northeast region - and we anticipate a fantastic match against the Revolution.”
Benfica claims a record number of paid club members throughout the world and holds a Guinness World Record for paid supporters, who also call themselves benfiquistas.
Enjoying a recent resurgence under new manager Jorge Jesus, Benfica recently advanced to the quarterfinals of the 2009-2010 UEFA Europa League. The club went undefeated in the group stage and advanced through the round of 16, defeating Marseille, but ultimately fell to Liverpool after winning the clubs’ opening match, 2-1.
Benfica also holds a unique connection with the Revolution as bronzed statues of Eusébio, the Portugal and Benfica legend who was the 1965 European Footballer of the Year and six-time European scoring leader, sit outside both Gillette Stadium and Benfica’s Estádio da Luz.
Tickets to the match are included in the 2010 season ticket packages as Special Event A. Season Ticket Holders will have access to a special pre-sale, which will begin on Monday, April 26, at 10 a.m. Tickets will go on sale to the general public on Thursday, April 29. Ticket prices start at $40, and are available through all Ticketmaster outlets and through the Revolution Ticket Office (1-877-GET-REVS).
For more information about the match or the New England Revolution, visit revolutionsoccer.net.
