CHICAGO - Anschutz Entertainment Group (AEG) in conjunction with Soccer United Marketing (SUM) has announced that Italian soccer powerhouse A.C. Milan has released its roster for the side's three contests in the 2005 World Series of Football. Milan's roster is headlined by a number of international soccer stars, including Cafú, Rui Costa, Paolo Maldini, Andriy Shevchenko and Christian Vieri. A.C. Milan will travel to Chicago to face the MLS Eastern Conference leading Chicago Fire on Wednesday, July 27 at Soldier Field at 8:00 p.m. CT on the Italian club's second stop in the World Series of Football tour.
A.C. Milan and Chelsea will travel to the United States next week to play a four-match series which includes matches against MLS Cup Champion D.C. United and the three-time Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup champion Fire. Most notable among the star-studded list of A.C. Milan players making the trip are Maldini and Shevchenko. Maldini, who is regarded as one of the best defenders in international football, is the most capped player in Italian National Team history with 126 appearances (64 as captain). On the attacking side of the ball Shevchenko is the current holder of the Golden Ball as the 2004 European Player of the Year.
The kick-off match of the 2005 World Series of Football will feature the two world soccer powers head-to-head with A.C. Milan taking on Chelsea FC on Sunday, July 24, at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, MA (kick-off time 6:00 p.m. CT). Following their opening match with Chelsea FC, Milan will head to Chicago for its match-up against the 1998 MLS Cup champion Fire on July 27, while D.C. United will host Chelsea FC in Washington, D.C.'s FedEx Field one night later in a battle of the current champions of England and the United States' top leagues (a match to be televised live on ESPN2). The World Series of Football culminates on Sunday, July 31, when A.C. Milan and Chelsea FC square off once again, this time at Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ (kick-off time 2:00 p.m. CT).
A six-time European Champion, A.C. Milan is owned by Fininvest, the holding company of Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, and managed by Carlo Ancelotti. In 106 years of existence, the storied franchise has won 17 Serie A titles, most recently winning the 2004 League title. The Italian superpower finished second in the 2005 Champion's League, falling to Liverpool in penalty kicks after tying 3-3 during regulation this past May.
Information on how to apply for credentials for the A.C. Milan-Chicago Fire match at Soldier Field and details on Milan's itinerary in Chicago will be made available to the media in the near future. Milan has already announced the club will conduct an open practice session at Soldier Field on Tuesday, July 26, with tickets costing $15 for the general public and $10 for Fire season ticket holders.
A.C. Milan 2005 World Series of Football Roster
Goalkeepers: Dimitrios Eleftheropoulos, Eros Favaretto, Valerio Fiori
Defenders: Cafú, Alessandro Costacurta, Kakha Kaladze, Paolo Maldini, Lino Marzoratti, Alessandro Nesta, Dario Simic, Jakob Stam.
Midfielders: Massimo Ambrosini, Manuel Rui Costa, Gennaro Gattuso, Andrea Pirlo, Clarence Seedorf, Louis Vogel Johann, Sergio Claudio Dos Santos.
Forwards: Andriy Shevchenko, Jon Dahl Tomasson, Christian Vieri.
About AEG
AEG is one of the leading sports and entertainment presenters in the world. AEG, a wholly owned subsidiary of The Anschutz Corporation, owns or controls a collection of companies including facilities such as STAPLES Center, The Home Depot Center, The Manchester Evening News Arena and NOKIA Live at Grand Prairie; sports franchises including the Los Angeles Kings (NHL), five Major League Soccer franchises, two hockey franchises operated in Europe and management of shares of the Los Angeles Lakers (NBA) and Los Angeles Sparks (WNBA) owned by Philip Anschutz; AEG Marketing, a sponsorship, sales, naming rights and consulting company; AEG Merchandising, a multi-faceted merchandising company; and AEG Creative, a full-service marketing and advertising agency.
