CARSON, Calif. (Friday, March 09, 2007) - AEG, Chelsea Football Club and the Los Angeles Galaxy today announced the details of the 2007 World Series of Football that will be played on Tuesday, July 17 and Saturday, July 21 at The Home Depot Center on campus of California State University at Dominguez Hills. The second edition of the World Series of Football continues the unique long-term commitment between AEG and Chelsea FC to promote soccer in the United States thru tours, marketing initiatives and grassroots efforts.

\"We are extremely pleased to continue our strategic partnership with Chelsea, one of the most ambitious, forward thinking and recognizable clubs in world football,\" said AEG President and CEO Tim Leiweke. \"The World Series of Football is a tremendous platform to showcase the incredible skills of Chelsea, Suwon, Tigres and the Galaxy. Matches like this are the next step to providing MLS clubs, in particular the Galaxy, credibility throughout the world and proof that U.S. soccer can compete against the best clubs. We are also delighted to host another of the world's most popular and respected clubs at The Home Depot Center for our knowledgeable fans, who continue to request additional competitions featuring the best clubs in international soccer today.\"

The World Series of Football is a four-team tournament that will bring together two-time reigning English Premier League champion Chelsea FC, two-time MLS Cup champion Los Angeles Galaxy, three-time K-League champion Suwon Bluewings and two-time Mexican First Division champion Tigres UANL. All four teams will play two games in this tournament with the eventual winner being crowned the World Series of Football champion.

\"The World Series of Football is an important component of our alliance with AEG who are the leading force in U.S. soccer,\" said Chelsea Business Affairs Director Paul Smith. \"The tournament is a biannual showpiece with leading teams so not only will it give Chelsea's preseason a more competitive element than exhibition matches, which is good for our preparation, but also give U.S. soccer fans higher quality matches involving top global and U.S. teams on a regular basis.\"

\"Chelsea will bring a full strength squad this summer, as we always have done This demonstrates our commitment to the development of U.S. soccer as our involvement will also involve grass roots and community activity, while at the same time pushing forward our aim to be the leading European club in what is a key business market,\" added Smith.\"

In addition to bringing four of the world's most recognizable clubs, this tournament will also serve to build upon the club-to-club relationship forged between the Galaxy and Chelsea in March 2006. This special alliance covers programs and exchanges on young players, medical and coaching. Plans also call for extensive involvement from Chelsea in activity at U.S. grass roots level, as well as the professional game.

\"We are very happy that we are going back to the U.S. for preseason and we have done it every year since my arrival,\" said Chelsea First Team Coach and Manager Jose Mourinho. \"The facilities are very good and the people very well organized giving us the best conditions to prepare for this important work. In previous seasons we have always won a trophy and although I am not a superstitious person this has something to do with the good preparation.\"

The inaugural World Series of Football was played in 2005 and featured AC Milan, Chelsea and MLS clubs Chicago Fire and D.C. United, which is no longer owned and operated by AEG. In that tournament, Milan and Chelsea played a pair of matches at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass., a 1-0 Chelsea win, and Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J., a 1-1 draw, while Milan knocked off the Fire 3-1 at Soldier Field in Chicago and Chelsea defeated D.C. United 2-1 at FedEx Field in Landover, Md. The four games were played in front of more than 115,000 fans in the four cities.

\"We look forward to hosting these world-class clubs and providing our fans with quality international match-ups at The Home Depot Center,\" said L.A. Galaxy President and General Manager Alexi Lalas. But make no mistake, our hospitality ends at the start of the tournament. We aim to have the World Series of Football be the first trophy for the Galaxy in 2007.\"

Los Angeles will face off against Chelsea for the first time in history and it is just the second time that the club will play against a team from the English Premier League, having tied Aston Villa 1-1 in May 1997. The Galaxy will also take on Tigres UANL, a club that has won two of the last three InterLiga tournaments, for the first time ever.

\"It's a great opportunity for our players to play against the likes of Chelsea and Tigres and to experience different types of football here is the States,\" said Galaxy Head Coach Frank Yallop. \"Each club brings a very distinctive style of play that we're going to enjoy going up against. It's always nice to play a tournament at home in front of your own fans, and any time that you can play against world class players, it's a fantastic chance to see where you measure up.\"

The schedule for the inaugural World Series of Football is as follows…

Date	Teams	Location
Tuesday, July 17	Los Angeles Galaxy vs. Tigres UANL	The Home Depot Center
	Chelsea FC vs. Suwon Bluewings
Saturday, July 21	Suwon vs. Tigres UANL	The Home Depot Center
	Los Angeles Galaxy vs. Chelsea FC

 

All games will be played over 90 minutes with teams receiving three points for a win and one point for a draw in the competition. After all four games have been played, the team with the most points will be crowned the inaugural World Series of Football champion. If teams are tied for the most points, a series of tiebreakers will be used to determine a champion. The first tiebreaker will be goal differential, followed by goals scored and goals allowed with a coin flip being the final deciding factor if teams remain tied.

Galaxy full season ticket holders will receive tickets for the Saturday, July 21 games between Suwon-Tigres and the LA Galaxy-Chelsea as part of their season ticket package. Additionally, full season seat holders will have the right of first refusal for their seats for the games on Tuesday, July 17.

Galaxy half season seat holders and six game plan holders have the right of first refusal for their seats for both dates in the 2007 World Series of Football. Individual seats for this event are not on sale. Fans interested in securing tickets now to the World Series of Football can do so by purchasing a 2007 Galaxy ticket plan. For more information visit www.lagalaxy.com or call 1-877-3GALAXY.

Chelsea FC: Founded in 1905, Chelsea Football Club plays in the English Premier League and won the last two consecutive Premiership titles. Nicknamed The Blues, Chelsea calls Stamford Bridge in South West London home. For more information, visit www.chelseafc.com.

Los Angeles Galaxy: One of thirteen Major League Soccer (MLS) clubs, the Los Angeles Galaxy were founded on June 15, 1994 and play all of the club's home games at The Home Depot Center on the campus of California State University at Dominguez Hills in Carson, Calif. The L.A. Galaxy are one of the premier teams in MLS boasting five championships including the MLS Cup (2002, 2005), U.S. Open Cup (2001, 2005) and CONCACAF Champions' Cup (2000). For more information, visit the official website at www.lagalaxy.com.

Suwon Samsung Bluewings: Is a Korean football team, based in Suwon. Founded in 1996, the club has become one of Asian football's premier clubs, winning a host of domestic and continental honors, including three K-League championships in 1998, 1999 and 2004. In 2001 and 2002, Suwon captured the AFC Champions League and Asian Super Cups.

Tigres UNAL: Established in 1964, Tigres is one of the top Mexican First Division clubs. Based in Monterrey, Tigres plays their home matches at Estadio Universitario. The club was league champions in 1977-78 and 1981-82, as well as Mexico Cup champions in 1975-76 and 1995-96. Tigres recently finished its second consecutive appearance in the prestigious South American tournament, Copa Libertadores.

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CONTACTS:

AEG
Michael Roth (213) 742-7155
mroth@staplescenter.com

Chelsea FC
Lauren Lamkin
(310) 633-9432
lauren.lamkin@hillandknowlton.com

Los Angeles Galaxy
Patrick Donnelly
(310) 630-2214
pdonnelly@lagalaxy.com