CARSON, CA (Tuesday, August 22, 2006) - The best lacrosse players in the world are set to arrive in Southern California this week, as The Home Depot Center is set to host the Major League Lacrosse (MLL) New Balance Championship Weekend on Friday, Aug. 25 and Sunday, Aug. 27. The MLL Semifinals feature the Western Conference Champion Denver Outlaws against the San Francisco Dragons on Aug. 25 at 6:00 p.m. followed by the Eastern Conference leaders Philadelphia Barrage vs. the Boston Cannons at 8:30 p.m. The MLL Semifinals will be broadcast live in full television quality at www.budlight.com. The MLL Finals take place on Aug. 27 at 2:00 p.m. live on ESPN2.

Tickets for New Balance MLL Championship Weekend at the Home Depot Center are on sale now. Championship Packs begin at just $50 and include a ticket to each of the three games and an autographed action photo of Riptide attackman Michael Watson. For more information or to purchase tickets, please call toll free at 1-866-4-LAX-TIX.

The weekend will be a celebration of lacrosse in Southern California, with a myriad of different events planned surrounding the final three games of the MLL season. On Friday night and Sunday, the popular Los Angeles-based band I'Kona, who has recently opened for Blues Traveler and Big Head Todd and the Monsters, will perform in the Deep End, a free fan village on the north side of the stadium that boasts interactive games and booths, food and drinks for purchase and a standing only area to watch the game on the field.

There is truly something for every sports fan at New Balance Championship Weekend. At the MLL Semifinals on Friday evening, lacrosse fans that are over 21 years of age can purchase the Friday Night Happy Hour Package that provides access to the Bud Light Beer Garden, an exclusive field level beer garden providing private beer concessions as well as appearances by Los Angeles Riptide players and the Bud Light Girls.

On Saturday, Aug. 26, the Riptide will host the first annual Feeding Frenzy Middle School Lacrosse Tournament on Field 5 at The Home Depot Center from 8:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. The round-robin tournament will feature four Southern California boys' lacrosse teams, with the top two teams winning tickets to the 2007 Riptide home opener, and the winning team earning a suite to a 2006-2007 L.A. Kings game. Following the tournament, Warrior Lacrosse will host a youth lacrosse clinic on Field 5 from 12:30 p.m. -1:30 p.m.

The MLL Award luncheon will take place on Saturday at 12:00 p.m. in the American Express Stadium Club at The Home Depot Center. Open to all media members, the MLL Award luncheon recognizes the best of Major League Lacrosse from the 2006 season.

The MLL Finals on Sunday, Aug. 27 conclude the biggest weekend of lacrosse at 2:00 p.m. at The Home Depot Center. Tickets start as low as $20 for the New Balance Championship Weekend, with fans able to save on special two-day packages. Call 1-866-4LAX (1-866-452-9849) or visit www.lariptide.com for more information.

MLL New Balance Championship Weekend Schedule
(All events at The Home Depot Center unless otherwise noted)

THURSDAY, AUG. 24
7:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. - Philadelphia Barrage practice
8:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. - Boston Cannons practice
9:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m. - San Francisco Dragons practice

FRIDAY, AUG. 25
11:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. - San Francisco Dragons (Mira Costa High School)
12:00 p.m. - 1:00 p.m. - Denver Outlaws practice
1:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m. - Philadelphia Barrage practice
2:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. - Boston Cannons practice
6:00 p.m. - MLL SEMIFINAL #1
  DENVER OUTLAWS VS. SAN FRANCISCO DRAGONS
  Live on www.budlight.com
8:00 p.m. - MLL SEMIFINAL #2
  PHILADELPHIA BARRAGE VS. BOSTON CANNONS
  Live on www.budlight.com

SATURDAY, AUG. 26
8:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. - Feeding Frenzy Middle School Lacrosse Tournament on Field #5
12:00 p.m. - MLL AWARD LUNCHEON IN THE AMERICAN EXPRESS STADIUM CLUB AT THE HOME DEPOT CENTER
12:30 p.m. -1:30 p.m. - Warrior Youth Lacrosse clinic on Field #5
4:00 p.m. - 5:30 p.m. - Higher seeded semifinal winner practice
5:30 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. - Lower seeded semifinal winner practice

SUNDAY, AUG. 27
2:00 P.M. - MLL FINAL - live on ESPN2

About the L.A. Riptide
The Los Angeles Riptide, southern California's newest professional sports franchise, finished its inaugural season in August of 2006, as a member of the 10-team Major League Lacrosse (MLL) league. The AEG-owned and operated team, based at The Home Depot Center's 10,000-seat track & field complex, provides fun and affordable family entertainment, showcasing America's fastest-growing team sport, in addition to becoming the foremost resource for the lacrosse community.

About Major League Lacrosse
Major League Lacrosse, a ten-team professional outdoor lacrosse league, was founded in 1999 by fitness entrepreneur Jake Steinfeld, CEO of Body by Jake Global L.L.C., and founding partners Dave Morrow, a former champion lacrosse player and current CEO of Warrior Lacrosse, a leading global provider of innovative and high performance lacrosse equipment, and Timothy B. Robertson, former CEO of The Family Channel and the current chairman of Bay Shore Enterprises, L.L.C., an investment holding company with activities in international media and Internet technology ventures. The MLL commenced play in June of 2001. The MLL is comprised of two conferences. The Eastern Conference contains the original six teams: Baltimore, Boston, Long Island, New Jersey, Philadelphia and Rochester. The Western Conference debuts in the 2006 season with MLL expansion franchises Chicago, Denver, Los Angeles and San Francisco. Additional league information can be found at www.majorleaguelacrosse.com.