NEW YORK - The "Road to the MLS Cup" officially kicked off in Dallas on Thursday, Sept. 14 with the unveiling of the 2006 MLS Cup Trophy at Tiffany & Co in the Galleria Dallas. Known as the "Alan I. Rothenberg Trophy", in honor of the first chairman of Major League Soccer, the MLS Cup will begin a 50-day MLS Cup Trophy tour that will conclude on Sunday, Nov. 12 with the 2006 MLS Cup Championship game, which will be played for the second consecutive year at the home of FC Dallas - Pizza Hut Park in Frisco, Texas (Live on ABC Sports - 3:30 p.m. ET).
Created by Tiffany & Co in Parsippany, N.J., the MLS Cup Trophy is made of 100 percent sterling silver and presented annually to the winner of the MLS Cup Championship Game. The design features a regulation-size soccer ball rendered entirely in sterling silver atop a fluid stand of twenty-two fluted strips. Eleven strips rise from each side of the stand, representing the number of starting players per team and symbolic of the teamwork integral to winning a championship. Standing twenty-four inches tall and weighing 20.2 pounds, the sterling silver trophy captures the energy of and athletic grace on the soccer field. The approximate value of the 2006 MLS Cup is $38,000.
As hosts of MLS Cup 2006, FC Dallas will execute the MLS Cup Trophy Tour which will make stops through various area locations as well as in Oklahoma and Houston, Texas. Visitors to the Tour stops will have an opportunity to see and take photographs with the prized possession in United States professional soccer. Fans may bring their own cameras for photographs or can acquire an electronically framed photo in exchange for a $1 donation to the FC Dallas Foundation. At each stop of the MLS Cup Trophy Tour, fans will have the opportunity to win MLS Cup prizes by spinning the MLS Cup Prize Wheel, as well as an opportunity to purchase tickets to the MLS Cup Championship Game (subject to availability).
Similar to the National Hockey League's Stanley Cup, the "Commissioner's MLS Cup Trophy" has a base which includes the names of the entire roster of each MLS Cup Champion team and is housed at the MLS Headquarters in New York City.
Tiffany & Co. creates trophies for many of the world's greatest sporting events. These designs include the Vince Lombardi Trophy for the National Football League, the National Basketball Association Larry O'Brien Championship Trophy, the World Series Trophy for Major League Baseball, and the U.S. Open Tennis Championship Trophies. Inspired by the transcendent form and energy of competition, these outstanding Tiffany designs are a lasting tribute to the athletes' dedication and the thrill of victory.
Fans may continue registering for tickets to the 2006 MLS Cup through the RANDOM COMPUTERIZED DRAWING (RCD) until midnight Sept. 29 by filling out an application on the League's official Web site, www.MLSnet.com. RCD tickets are available in six different price ranges - $35, $45, $55, $60, $65 and $110. The RCD allows fans to register to purchase tickets for the League's premier event, the MLS Cup, prior to tickets going on sale to the public thus gaining a greater chance of obtaining seats in their preferred seating category. All applicants will be notified of the result of their application on Sept 30.
For information about the MLS Cup Trophy Tour or other information, please call 1-888-FCD-GOAL.
CURRENT 2006 MLS CUP TROPHY TOUR DATES:
September 14- Tiffany & Company (Dallas Galleria)
September 18- Verizon Wireless Tailgate Party (5:00-7:00 pm), Carnival Food Store; West Illinois Ave
September 19- Castle Hills Golf Club (8:00-10:00 am), Lewisville, Texas
September 20- Richardson Soccer Assoc (6:00-8:00 pm), Richardson, Texas
September 21- Denton Soccer Club (6:00-8:00 pm), North Lakes Athletics Complex, Denton, Texas
September 23- Austin Ranch (early morning), The Colony, Texas
September 23- Verizon Wireless Club; FCD v RSL (7:00-10:00 pm), Pizza Hut Park, Frisco, Texas
September 24- Carnival Food Stores (4:00-5:30 pm), West Illinois Ave Dallas, Texas
September 25- Oscar Pareja Clinic (7:00-8:30 pm) Conrad High School, Dallas, Texas
September 26- Founders Fields Wiley (6:00-8:00 pm), Wiley, Texas
September 26- UTD (women) vs. Southwestern University (3:30-8:30 pm), Univ. of Texas at Dallas Soccer Field Richardson, Texas
September 27- Baylor Health Rehabilitation at Pizza Hut Park (3:00-5:00 pm), Frisco, Texas
September 29- Dave & Busters (5:00-7:00pm), Frisco, Texas
September 30- Oklahoma City University (men) vs. Oklahoma Baptist (6:00-8:00 pm), Oklahoma City University Stars Field, Oklahoma City, Okla.
October 1- Great Steak of Texas Family Day (10 am-6:00 pm), Frisco Square, Frisco, Texas
October 2- Oscar Pareja Clinic (5:30-7:00 pm), Cox Park Farmer's Branch, Farmers Branch, Texas
October 3- FSA Clinic at Warren Soccer Complex (6:00-8:00 pm), Frisco, Texas
October 5- MSA Clinic at Craig Ranch Soccer Complex (6:00-8:00 pm), McKinney, Texas
October 7- Verizon Wireless Club - FCD v LA Galaxy (6:00-10:00 pm), Pizza Hut Park, Frisco, Texas
October 11- Oscar Pareja Clinic (Location TBD 4:00-6:00 pm)
October 14- Robertson Stadium; Houston Dynamo vs. Colorado Rapids (7:00-10:00 pm), University of Houston ,Houston, Texas
October 18- Pizza Hut Corporate Offices (11:00-1:00 pm), Dallas, Texas
