Chelsea and AC Milan, the two oldest European Soccer clubs are coming to South Florida. The last meeting of these two prestigious teams was in 2009; three years after, they will face each other again for the first time. Be present at the ; this match is part of the World Football Challenge. Another first on this match is the fact that it will be the first time in 23 years that a major English team has played in South Florida. The last time was in 1989 when Arsenal played Argentina at the then Joe Robbie Stadium now Sun Life Stadium.
According to Mike Dee, the CEO of the Miami Dolphins, Miami is a soccer hotbed; the announcement continues the tradition of bringing world-class events to our facility. Sun Life Stadium is the home of the Miami Dolphins and it has hosted five Super Bowls and two baseball World Series. Sun Life has a capacity of 75,540.
Originally, the match was supposed to be played at the FedEx Field in Baltimore but was changed to South Florida. The Chelsea Vs. AC Milan match will mark the third world-class international match in less than a year. Last August 2011, FC Barcelona played Chivas Guadalajara, drawing 70,080 fans; and last February, 51,615 saw Colombia take on Mexico at Sun Life Stadium.
Chelsea’s match against AC Milan will be the conclusion of the four-match tour; on July 18th it’s versus Seattle Sounders at CenturyLink Field (Seattle), on July 22nd it’s Paris Saint-Germain at Yankee Stadium (New York City) and on July 25th versus MLS All-Star team at PPL Park (Chester, PA). The finale match was said to be the icing on the cake, according to Soccer fans.
“The four fixtures we have lined up in the US offer an exciting schedule and as a club we cannot wait to sample the ever-growing appetite for the game in America,” said Chelsea chief executive Ron Gourlay.
Chelsea FC is based in Fulham, London and was founded in 1905. They play in the Premier League and have spent most of their history in the top tier of English football. Chelsea have been English champions four times, FA Cup winners seven times and League Cup winners four times. They have also achieved European success, reaching theUEFA Champions League final twice and winning the UEFA Cup Winners Cup twice.
AC Milan is based in Milan, Lombardy and was founded in 1899. They play in the Serie A. They are the current Italian football champions, and are the most successful club in world football in terms of international trophies along with Boca Juniors, with 18 officially recognized UEFA and FIFA titles. Milan has won four world titles, more than any other club in the world, having won the Intercontinental Cup three times and the FIFA Club World Cup once.
The Chelsea match will be the fifth international friendly for AC Milan since July 2011. The team is 3-0-1 in their previous matches.
What: Chelsea FC vs AC Milan
Where: Sun Life Stadium, Miami Gardens, FL
When: July 28, 2012 at 6:00 p.m. EST
Tickets: Available at
