HONOLULU, HI - Major League Soccer (USA), the J.League (Japan) and the Hyundai A-League (Australia) today announced an unprecedented and innovative partnership in the creation of a new international soccer tournament to be hosted in Honolulu, Hawaii: the Pan-Pacific Championship (PPC), which will crown the top club from the Asian and North American soccer confederations. The inaugural edition of the competition will be held on February 20 and 23, 2008 at Aloha Stadium and will feature four clubs competing in a semifinals doubleheader followed by a doubleheader to determine the third-place finisher and the Pan-Pacific Champion. Representatives from Major League Soccer (MLS), Japan's J.League and Australia's Hyundai A-League gathered in Honolulu, Hawaii to unveil details of the new tournament.
The four teams to participate in the 2008 tournament are: reigning MLS Cup champion Houston Dynamo and Haleiwa, Hawaii native Brian Ching; the Yamazaki Nabisco Cup Champion Gamba Osaka, with 19-year-old Japanese sensation Michihiro Yasuda and J.League star Yasuhito Endo; the 2007 SuperLiga finalists Los Angeles Galaxy, whose international roster includes English superstar David Beckham and perennial MLS all-star Landon Donovan; and a club to qualify from the Hyundai A-League Final Series, which concludes in February 2008 ahead of the Pan-Pacific Championship.
"This tournament will unite four terrific clubs from across the region to crown a true Pan-Pacific champion," said Doug Quinn, president of Soccer United Marketing, organizers of the event. "Honolulu was selected as the host not only for its geographical location in the center of the Pan-Pacific, but also for its community, its terrific infrastructure and its history of hosting top international sporting events. We will work closely with the local community to stage a world-class soccer tournament that will include festivities throughout the week."
The tournament will kick off with a semifinal doubleheader on Wednesday, February 20, with the Los Angeles Galaxy taking on Gamba Osaka in the opener, followed by the match between the Houston Dynamo and the A-League representative. The two winners will battle for the Pan-Pacific Championship on Saturday, February 23, preceded by the third-place match.
"The Pan-Pacific Championship is a great opportunity for MLS teams to compete against elite clubs from Japan and Australia and we are pleased to be partnering with the J.League and A-League to introduce this new exciting competition," said MLS Commissioner Don Garber. "The event will provide the participating teams with high level competition, while enhancing each league's exposure throughout the world."
Tickets for the Pan-Pacific Championship will go on sale in December, and further details will be shared as they become available. Fans are encouraged to visit the tournament's official website, www.PPChampionship.net, for further information.
"What a great pleasure it is that the winners of the 2007 J.League Yamazaki Nabisco Cup, Gamba Osaka, now have this opportunity to play against such strong opponents from MLS and the A-League at the Pan-Pacific Championship," said J. League Chairman Kenji Onitake. "I sincerely hope that these Pan-Pacific games will promote still more exchange through football all around the Pacific."
"The Pan-Pacific Championships is a new high-quality competition in which Football Federation Australia is proud to participate," said Football Federation Australia CEO, Ben Buckley. "Partnering with clubs from the internationally respected and sophisticated competitions such as the MLS and J-League validates the massive advances that the Hyundai A-League and football in Australia has made over the past three years.
Pan-Pacific Championship 2008 - Calendar
(All times local)
Wednesday, February 20
Gamba Osaka (J.League) vs. Los Angeles Galaxy (MLS) (6:00 p.m.)
Houston Dynamo (MLS) vs. A-League representative (8:30 p.m.)
Saturday, February 23
Third-place match (6:00 p.m.)
Pan-Pacific Championship Final (8:30 p.m.)
