LOS ANGELES - AEG, in conjunction with Soccer United Marketing (SUM), announced that the international friendly between the Los Angeles Galaxy and nine-time European club champions Real Madrid is sold out for Monday, July 18, 2005 (7:30 p.m. PT / 10:30 p.m. ET) at The Home Depot Center on the campus of California State University, Dominguez Hills. Real Madrid will play two games in July in a tour of the United States. The Spanish club, featuring a selection of the greatest players in the world, will face Mexican power CD Guadalajara in Chicago's Soldier Field on Saturday, July 16 (5:30 p.m. CT / 6:30 p.m. ET) followed by the match against Cobi Jones and the Galaxy.
"There are no more tickets available for Monday's Galaxy - Real Madrid game," said L.A. Galaxy President and General Manager Doug Hamilton. "Once again, the soccer community in Southern California has responded in great numbers in support of our club and our sport. The match is one that everyone lucky enough to be in attendance will remember for years to come."
Real Madrid, winners of a record 29 Spanish league titles, is widely recognized as the world's most storied and star-studded soccer club. The Spanish giants make their first trip to the United States since August 2002 and only their second since 1990. Led by Brazilian head coach Vanderlei Luxemburgo, Real Madrid features several of the world's soccer superstars popularly known as the "galacticos": David Beckham (England), Ronaldo (Brazil), Zinedine Zidane (France), Luis Figo (Portugal), Michael Owen (England), Roberto Carlos (Brazil) and captain Raul (Spain). Following the games in the United States, Real Madrid will continue its preseason preparations in the Far East, with matches scheduled against local sides in China and Japan.
The Los Angeles Galaxy, currently in third place in Major League Soccer's Western Conference, are one of the most successful clubs in MLS history. Winners of the 2000 CONCACAF Champions Cup, the 2001 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup and MLS Cup 2002, the Galaxy are led by several of the top players in the U.S. and CONCACAF region. Among them are Landon Donovan (USA), Guillermo "Pando" Ramirez (Guatemala), Pablo Chinchilla (Costa Rica), Tyrone Marshall (Jamaica), Jones (USA) and Jovan Kirovski (USA). The Galaxy, the only club that has never failed to qualify for the MLS Cup Playoffs in the League's first nine seasons, are undefeated at home this year in MLS (6-0-3 record) under the direction of head coach Steve Sampson.
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.
