COLUMBUS, Ohio - The Columbus Crew announced today that it will play Asociación Deportiva Isidro Metapan of El Salvador's Premier Division on Saturday, March 22, at 4 p.m., at Crew Stadium in its final preseason match before kicking off the 2008 MLS regular season.
The match is being produced by promoter Jorge Ponce. An exclusive pre-sale offer will be made available to Crew Soccer Nation members.
Tickets will be available in advance of the game for $18 and for $20 on the day of the match. Tickets go on sale at Noon Friday, March 7, and will be available at the Crew Stadium Box Office, all central Ohio Ticketmaster retail locations, via Ticketmaster phone at 614-431-3600 and on-line at TheCrew.com.
"This is a terrific opportunity for our team to play a competitive game against very good international competition in our own stadium a week before our regular-season home opener," said Crew General Manager Mark McCullers. "At the same time, it gives our fans the chance to see the team in person prior to the March 29 opener vs. Toronto. It's great to see an international match promoter emerge in Columbus and we look forward to working with Don Jorge, who is also a tremendous friend to the Crew. We encourage our fans to come out and support his efforts."
Metapan, as the club is commonly known, is one of El Salvador's most popular and successful clubs. It is the country's reigning champion, having won the 2007 Clausura (Closing) title after finishing third in the 2007 Apertura (Opening) campaign. The municipality of Metapan is located in the metropolitan area of Santa Ana.
"As Salvadorans ourselves, we are proud and excited to bring this event to Crew Stadium and the City of Columbus," said event promoter Jorge Ponce. "Metapan is one of the most popular clubs in El Salvador and they have a tremendous following within our local Salvadoran community. I know those fans can't wait to see their heroes in their adopted hometown. At the same time, we hope that our region's entire Hispanic community will take this opportunity to come out and see international fútbol."
The Crew is 8-2-2 all-time in international exhibitions, most recently claiming a 2-0 victory over Tecos UAG of the Mexican Premier Division on Nov. 13 at Crew Stadium.
Founded by American sports pioneer Lamar Hunt, the Columbus Crew is Ohio's Major League Soccer club, anchoring a diverse sports and entertainment enterprise. One of the league's Charter Members and U.S. Open Cup champion in 2002, it will open its 13th season overall and 10th in first-of-its-kind Columbus Crew Stadium on Saturday, March 29, when it plays host to Eastern Conference-rival Toronto FC.
