SECAUCUS, N.J. - Sixteen of the best amateur soccer teams in New Jersey will battle it out for $5,000 in prize money this August and September in the 2004 Copa Budweiser Tournament. Copa Budweiser is an invitational six-on-six tournament consisting of a New Jersey qualifying tournament from noon to 8 p.m. on Saturday August 21 at Riverbank Park in Newark's Ironbound.
"With Anheuser-Busch's history in Newark, we are very excited to bring a first class men's amateur soccer tournament to Riverbank Park and to provide the opportunity for them to potentially advance to compete at Giants Stadium," said Mike Salvati, manager of Geographic Marketing, Anheuser-Busch, Inc.
Copa Budweiser will also feature the Budweiser Shootout to find New Jersey's most skilled players. Using the old Major League Soccer shootout format, Budweiser wants to identify New Jersey's best amateur striker and goalkeeper in a one-on-one individual challenge with $750 in prize money up for grabs. The New Jersey Budweiser Shootout champion will advance to face the New York Budweiser Shootout champion - decided during a competition on September 11 - at Giants Stadium during halftime of the MetroStars' match.
The event in Newark will feature appearances by MetroStars players, the Metro Mobile and the Bud Light Hummer, complete with interactive games and giveaways. There will also be a soccer festival featuring DJ's, food and live radio broadcasts with Latino Mix and WADO-AM 1280. Following the tournament, Budweiser will be hosting a party at Iberia Restaurant on Ferry Street in Ironbound for all fans and participants.
Invited New Jersey teams include Barcelona S.C., Sport Club Portuguese, Brisas Colombianas, Kappa Real, Roma, Korean Soccer Association of New Jersey, Kearny Scotts, Ecuastars, Centenario, C.D. Peru, Mexican-American Soccer League, C.D. Maraton, Islanders, Club Deportivo Bogota, Argentina Jr's and the New Brunswick Mexican League.
The top four finishers will move on to face New York's Rochelle United, NY Ecuador, Dragons and the New York Champions, Orion Costa Rica for the Copa Budweiser Metro Championship at Giants Stadium on September 11 after the MetroStars' 6:00 p.m. game against the New England Revolution. The day's festivities will start with a pre-game concert and festival celebrating Budweiser Hispanic Heritage Night at 3 p.m.
Budweiser is the "Official Beer" sponsor of Major League Soccer and it's 10 teams.
Based in St. Louis, Anheuser-Busch Cos., Inc. is the leading U.S. brewer and holds a 50 percent share in Grupo Modelo, Mexico's leading brewer. In a survey of 10,000 business leaders and securities analysts, Anheuser-Busch ranked first overall in quality of products and services among nearly 600 companies researched in FORTUNE magazine's 2004 "America's Most Admired Companies" listing. The company also is one of the largest theme park operators in the United States, is a major manufacturer of aluminum cans and is the world's largest recycler of aluminum beverage containers. For more information, visit www.anheuser-busch.com.
