WASHINGTON, D.C. - D.C. United announced today it has reached an agreement with Comcast SportsNet to televise the club's upcoming international friendly against legendary Spanish club Real Madrid. The exhibition, set for Wednesday, August 9, will air live on the network beginning at 11:00 p.m. ET. Dave Johnson and Garth Lagerwey will serve as broadcasters for the match, which will also be simulcast at MLSLIVE.tv.
"Though it was impossible to play this game in our market, we're excited to be playing Real Madrid next week," said United President and CEO Kevin Payne. "We're especially happy to now be able to share this game with our fans."
In addition to the most recognized athlete in the world, David Beckham, the Real Madrid roster includes superstars Ronaldo, Emerson, Roberto Carlos, Robinho and Cicinho from the Brazilian National Team, Raúl, captain of the Spanish National Team, and recently signed Italian mega-star, Italian captain and 2006 World Cup Champion member, Fabio Cannavaro.
Real Madrid have been European Champions a record nine times and have also won a record 29 Spanish First Division titles. Since the start of the Spanish national league in 1928, Madrid has never been relegated from the top division. The club's home is Santiago Bernabéu in Madrid. The stadium is one of Europe's finest and holds more than 80,000 fans.
United's roster boasts seven MLS All-Stars and the Black-and-Red's 45 points from 21 matches are the best in the MLS overall table, six points ahead of FC Dallas. D.C. leads the Eastern Conference by 19 points ahead of the New England Revolution. United defeated Scottish champion Celtic FC 4-0 in a friendly on July 12th at RFK Stadium. D.C. United has been impressive in international friendlies and holds a 15-5-3 all-time record in such games.
