One of four clubs still in the hunt for the UEFA Champions League title will be making a stop in the Bay Area this summer.
The San Jose Earthquakes announced Monday that they will host Atlético Madrid on July 27 at Candlestick Park. Tickets for the match will go on sale to the general public starting on Tuesday, May 20, at www.sjearthquakes.com.
Atlético are currently even in their semifinals series with Chelsea, with both teams failing to score in the opening leg, but are looking to move onto the final later this week with European club soccer's biggest prize on the line.
“This is a great opportunity for Bay Area soccer fans to watch their local team take on one of the premier clubs in the world,” Earthquakes president Dave Kaval said in a statement. “Hosting a UEFA Champions League semifinalist is a special experience. Earthquakes fans have some great games to look forward to this summer and this match adds to the list.”
San Jose’s 2014 Summer of Soccer includes a quartet of big games. It all starts with the United States national team hosting Azerbaijan at Candlestick Park on May 27 (10 pm ET | ESPN2, WatchESPN, Unimas). Next, the Earthquakes will host the LA Galaxy in the California Clasico at Stanford Stadium on June 28 (10:30 pm ET / NBC Sports Network).
One month later comes the Atlético Madrid match followed by a trip to Levi’s Stadium to take on the Seattle Sounders, the inaugural event at the state-of-the-art venue on Aug. 2.
With three games left in the La Liga season, Atlético Madrid are top of the table on 88 points. Their current roster includes Spanish international forwards David Villa and Diego Costa, who have combined for 40 goals in 31 starts for the club. The squad also features Belgian goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois, Brazilian defender Filipe Luís and Spanish midfielder Koke.
The Earthquakes last played at Candlestick Park on Aug. 8, 2009, when they hosted a doubleheader that featured an MLS regular-season game against the Columbus Crew and an international friendly between FC Barcelona and Chivas de Guadalajara.
