FOXBOROUGH, Mass. –The New England Revolution will look to reclaim its SuperLiga title beginning on Wednesday, July 14, when the team begins play in the group stage of SuperLiga 2010 at Gillette Stadium. SuperLiga, the annual summer championship between top Major League Soccer and Mexican Primera División teams, returns for its fourth installment this summer.
The Revolution will face two Mexican squads – Monarcas Morelia and Pumas UNAM – in addition to MLS rival Chicago Fire in the three-game group stage. The Revs will host Monarcas Morelia and Pumas UNAM at Gillette Stadium, and will play the Fire at Toyota Park in Bridgeview, Ill. The top two finishers in each group advance to the semifinals of SuperLiga 2010.
"We're very excited to compete in our third SuperLiga tournament," Revolution Chief Operating Officer Brian Bilello said. "Our league rewards its top teams each year with the opportunity to play in international tournaments to further showcase our teams, and we take tremendous pride in being the only MLS team to SuperLiga. After reaching the semifinals last year, our goal this year is to win our second SuperLiga title."
Individual tickets for SuperLiga 2010 matches at Gillette Stadium start at $20 are on sale now through the Revolution ticket office by calling 1-877-GET-REVS, or through all Ticketmaster outlets beginning on Friday, June 4. Special two-game ticket packages start at $30 and are available by calling the Revolution ticket office or through all Ticketmaster outlets. Tickets to both group-play dates are included in Revolution Season Ticket packages as Special Event C. Season Ticket Holders will receive more information from the Revolution in the coming weeks.
The Revolution is one of four MLS teams in the tournament, joining Chicago, Houston Dynamo and Chivas USA. The four teams from the Mexican Primera División are Monarcas Morelia, Pumas UNAM, Pachuca and Puebla FC.
Group A includes Chivas USA, Houston, Pachuca and Puebla FC. Group B includes Chicago, Monarcas Morelia , New England and Pumas UNAM.
The Revolution opens SuperLiga 2010 play on Wednesday, July 14, at 8 p.m., when the team hosts Pumas UNAM at Gillette Stadium.
After traveling to Chicago to face the Fire at 7 p.m., on Saturday, July 17, as part of a doubleheader that will also include the Monarcas Morelia-Pumas UNAM match-up, the Revs will return home to face Monarcas Morelia at 8 p.m. on Tuesday, July 20 to close group play.
The entire SuperLiga 2010 tournament will once again be broadcast live in Spanish by the Univision family of networks in the United States.
SuperLiga 2010 marks the third straight SuperLiga tournament in which the Revs will compete. The Revolution won SuperLiga 2008, defeating the Houston Dynamo in penalty kicks at Gillette Stadium after the teams played to a 2-2 draw after extra time. With its tournament victory, the Revolution became the first MLS team to win SuperLiga, and still remains the only MLS team to capture the title. The Revs are a perfect 5-0 all-time against Mexican opponents in SuperLiga.
For more information about SuperLiga 2010, visit the tournament’s official web site at superliga2010.com, or revolutionsoccer.net.
Group B Team Overviews
New England Revolution (2008 Champions, 2009, 2010), one of the original teams of Major League Soccer, arrives to SuperLiga looking to emulate their performance in 2008, when they reached the last stage of the tournament and were ultimately crowned SuperLiga champions. The squad, led by head coach Steve Nicol, brings several attacking options led by 2009 MLS MVP Finalist Shalrie Joseph in the midfield and Cory Gibbs in defense. In 2010, the Revolution will be looking to keep their title as the only American team to win the competition.
Chicago Fire (2009 runner up) returns to this edition of SuperLiga after falling to Tigres UANL in the 2009 championship match at TOYOTA PARK. The Fire looks to finish the job under the management of Mexican head coach Carlos de los Cobos. With quality players such as Guatemalan midfielder Marco Pappa and former U.S. international Brian McBride, Chicago Fire promises to be one of the favorites in the tournament.
Monarcas Morelia (2007, 2010) was a semifinalist of the Bicentenario 2010 tournament and will look to continue its good form this summer when it participates in the 2010 edition of SuperLiga. The squad, commanded by head coach Tomás Juan Boy, features a high profile attacking duo in Mexican internationals Miguel Sabah and Jared Borgetti. Morelia participated in SuperLiga 2007 and has participated in the prestigious Copa Libertadores on two different occasions.
Pumas UNAM (first appearance), one of the Mexican teams with the most domestic experience, will make their first appearance in SuperLiga during the 2010 edition of the annual tournament. Pumas bring a powerful mix of young and experienced players, which include midfielder Israel Castro, forward Pablo Barrera and the legendary international forward Francisco “Paco” Palencia, who played for Chivas USA in 2005-2006.
SuperLiga 2010 Schedule
(All Times Eastern and subject to change)
Wednesday, July 14
New England Revolution vs. Pumas UNAM (Gillette Stadium – Foxborough, Mass.) – 8 p.m.
Chicago Fire vs. Monarcas Morelia (Toyota Park – Bridgeview, Ill.) - 9:30 p.m.
Thursday, July 15
Houston Dynamo vs. Pachuca (Robertson Stadium – Houston, Texas) – 8 p.m.
Chivas USA vs. Puebla (The Home Depot Center – Carson, Calif.) - 10:30 p.m.
Saturday, July 17
Chicago Fire vs. New England Revolution (Toyota Park – Bridgeview, Ill.) – 7 p.m.
Monarcas Morelia vs. Pumas UNAM (Toyota Park – Bridgeview, Ill.) - 9:30 p.m.
Sunday, July 18
Houston Dynamo vs. Chivas USA (Robertson Stadium – Houston, Texas) – 8 p.m.
Pachuca vs. Puebla (Robertson Stadium – Houston, Texas) - 10:30 p.m.
Tuesday, July 20
New England Revolution vs. Monarcas Morelia (Gillette Stadium – Foxborough, Mass.) – 8 p.m.
Chicago Fire vs. Pumas UNAM (Toyota Park – Bridgeview, Ill.) - 9:30 p.m.
Wednesday, July 21
Houston Dynamo vs. Puebla (Robertson Stadium – Houston, Texas) – 8 p.m.
Chivas USA vs. Pachuca (The Home Depot Center – Carson, Calif.) - 10:30 p.m.
