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MetLife Stadium to Host Colombia vs. Brazil International Friendly
MetLife Stadium to Host Colombia vs. Brazil International Friendly
November Game Serves as the 25th Match-Up between the South American Countries and Preparation for the 2014 World Cup
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. – October 12, 2012 – MetLife Stadium and RSE Ventures today announced that it will host two of the world’s top teams, Colombia and Brazil, on Wednesday, November 14, 2012 at 7:30 PM EST.
Tickets, which range in price from $45 - $195, will go on-sale to the public on Wednesday, October 17 at 11 AM EST and will be available for purchase via Ticketmaster.com, by phone at 1-800-745-3000, at the MetLife Stadium and IZOD Center Box Offices, and at Wal-Mart Ticketmaster outlets throughout the New York/New Jersey area. For group sales (15+) call 201-460-4370. New Jersey Transit service will be operating from New York’s Penn Station to the Meadowlands Sports Complex train station. For more information, visit www.njtransit.com/meadowlands.
For Brazil, the home team, this is the team’s third match at MetLife Stadium, most recently facing Argentina on June 9, 2012 for the “Clash of the Titans” match-up. The November match marks the first time Colombia will play at MetLife Stadium and its first return to the Meadowlands region since August 2009, playing against Venezuela at Giants Stadium.
Historically, Brazil and Colombia have met 24 times with 15 wins by Brazil, two by Colombia, and seven ties. Of those matches, nine were World Cup Qualifiers with Brazil taking five wins and four ties.
“We’re thrilled to have the Brazil national team back at MetLife Stadium for the second time this year, and we welcome the Colombia national team to our building for the first time,” said Brad Mayne, President and CEO of MetLife Stadium. “We had an amazing turnout for the recent Brazil game, and are pleased to provide local fans of both teams an opportunity to see this exciting match in their own back yard.”
Brazil and Colombia are both expected to field their A-teams, giving fans the opportunity to see some of the best and youngest players in the world. Brazil’s Neymar, 20, (Santos) is one of the most sought after footballers by major European clubs. At age 19, Neymar won the 2011 South American Footballer of the Year award. Neymar has drawn considerations to many of Brazil’s greats.
Colombia’s Falcao, 26, (Atlético Madrid) is considered one of the top strikers in the world. Over the past three seasons, Falcao has scored over 100 goals during league competition. In 2011, Falcao became the first player in history to win two consecutive European titles with two different teams while at the same time becoming the top goal scorer for those teams.
“It is great to end the international football year against an opponent of Colombia’s level, while at the same time returning to the United States, and New Jersey, where we have always been very well received by the fans,” said Brazil Coach Mano Menenzes. “Colombia has been performing very well in their World Cup Qualification campaign and we expect a great game where the Seleção will treat the fans, who are certain to fill the stadium, as it was in the other matches, with the good football that we have been playing in our recent friendly matches. We are going to bring our strongest squad to the game as the most important thing is to play a great game against Colombia and show the fans the team that we are building.”
“Since we start working with Colombia, one of our biggest conditions was for us to be able to choose the friendly games we want to play, being a priority to play against good teams,” said Colombia Coach José Pekerman.
Brazil will host the 2013 Confederations Cup and the 2014 World Cup, which automatically qualifies the team for the Tournament. Led by Coach Mano Menezes, Brazil is the current holder of the FIFA Confederations Cup after winning the 2005 and the 2009 edition of the Tournament. Brazil is currently ranked 11th by FIFA and is consistently considered to be among the strongest football nations in the world. Brazil is the only national team to have played in every World Cup and the only team that has won 5 Cups.
Heading into the 2014 World Cup, Colombia is currently ranked ninth in the FIFA world rankings (highest ranking since 2002), with its recent success attributed to its new golden generation of stars. Coached by José Nestor Pekerman and led by top players Falcao and Guarin, Colombia is now second on the World Cup Qualifiers behind Argentina. Most recently, Colombia shocked 2011 Copa America winners, Uruguay and Chile, with convincing World Cup Qualifying wins.
About MetLife Stadium
MetLife Stadium, home to the New York Jets and New York Football Giants, sets the standard for venue excellence with state-of-the-art technology, comfort and amenities. The only active venue to serve as the home stadium for two NFL teams, MetLife Stadium hosts 20 NFL games per season, more than any other Stadium.
With a full, game-day seating capacity of 82,500, MetLife Stadium is one of the largest stadiums in the National Football League. It boasts numerous dining options and a rail line that drops guests directly at the front door. During its inaugural year in 2010, MetLife Stadium was selected to host Super Bowl XLVIII, and in 2014 the venue will become history’s first open-air venue in a cold-weather region to hold football’s biggest game.
In 2011, MetLife Stadium was ranked No. 1 for safety by Security magazine’s “Security 500” in the Arenas/Stadiums/Leagues/Entertainment division and for the second consecutive year was cited by Billboard magazine as the highest-grossing stadium in North America.
For more information, visit www.metlifestadium.com.
About RSE Ventures
Founded in 2012 by Stephen M. Ross and Matt Higgins, RSE Ventures operates in four interrelated verticals: Sports, Entertainment, Digital, and New Ventures. The company's growing roster of companies, venues and events includes the NFL's Miami Dolphins, Sun Life Stadium, Insignia Sports & Entertainment, and a newly created soccer division.
For more information, visit www.rseventures.com
About Pitch
MetLife Stadium has agreed to the match participation agreement with Pitch International LLP (“Pitch”). In August 2012, Pitch announced that it will be responsible for the organisation, promotion and commercialisation of all friendly matches of the Confederação Brasilera de Futebol (“CBF”) until the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
Pitch is a leading sports marketing agency specialising in the representation of rights for bodies such as sporting federations, clubs, rights holders and agencies, selling worldwide to television broadcasters, video/dvd distributors, media agencies and sponsors.
Collectively, the partners and senior executives at Pitch possess an extensive knowledge of the sports rights industry and are proud to work with some of the world’s leading sporting federations, clubs and global stars. With offices in London, Manchester, Amsterdam and Buenos Aires, Pitch’s global sales team sells sporting events and programming to over 150 countries around the world.
Pitch has a number of divisions, with experienced and specialist personnel in each, including TV Rights Distribution, Sponsorship, Event Management, Production and Technical Distribution.
Pitch’s client portfolio includes, amongst others, UEFA, the English Football Association, the English Football League, the Danish Football Association, Chelsea Football Club, Liverpool Football Club, Tottenham Hotspur Football Club, the English Rugby Football Union, RBS Six Nations, Welsh Rugby Union, Irish Rugby Union, the Aviva Premiership, the Argentine Rugby Union, Full Play Group, New Zealand Cricket, the London 2012 Paralympic Games and the International Handball Federation.
For further information please contact info@pitchinternational.com.
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Credentialing information to be distributed at a later date.
For MetLife Stadium:
Nicole Fountain
201.559.1735/nfountain@metlifestadium.com
For Team-Related Media Inquiries:
RSE Ventures
Kerry Kellogg
212.801.3928/kkellogg@rseventures.com
