Soccer championships will be held Dec. 10 and 12, 2004 in Carson.

The NCAA Division I Men's Soccer Committee selected UCLA and The Home Depot Center, being developed by AEG, to host the 2004 Men's College Cup, and Cary, North Carolina and North Carolina State University as host of the 2005 Men's College Cup. The NCAA Division I Championships/Competition Cabinet recently approved the sites.

\"UCLA is honored to be selected to serve as host institution for this fine event,\" said UCLA Athletic Director Daniel G. Guerrero, \"The combination of experience in hosting NCAA events and a world-class facility will provide an environment of which Southern California and collegiate soccer would be proud.\"

The 2004 Men's College Cup, which includes two national semifinal matches and the championship game, will be played December 10 and 12, at the brand-new Home Depot Center, which is scheduled to open June 1, 2003. The $140-million Home Depot Center, currently under construction in Carson, CA, is an 85-acre multi-sports complex, which was recently designated by the U.S. Olympic Committee as an Official U.S. Olympic Training Site. The complex includes a 27,000-seat soccer stadium, a 13,000-seat tennis stadium, a 20,000-seat track & field stadium and facilities for cycling, basketball and other sports. The soccer stadium will be the home of the 2002 MLS Cup Champion Los Angeles Galaxy. The 2004 NCAA Men's College Cup will be the first NCAA championship held at that facility.

The 2004 championship was originally scheduled to be played at Gerald J. Ford Stadium on the campus of Southern Methodist University in Dallas. However, Ford Stadium will be scheduled to support several athletic events during the fall 2004, which will make it difficult to guarantee field conditions suitable to host the Men's College Cup. There is also the possibility that Southern Methodist will be installing a new artificial in-fill surface at Ford Stadium that would require the inlay of yard lines and logos.

The 2005 Men's College Cup, which will be played December 9 and 11, will be held at the SAS Soccer Stadium, currently the home of the Women's United Soccer Association's Carolina Courage. This will also be the site of the 2003 and 2004 Women's College Cup. In addition to North Carolina State, the Capital Area Soccer League and Greater Raleigh Convention and Visitors Bureau will co-host the event.

\"We are extremely excited with both sites,\" said Donna DeMarco, chair of the Division I Men's Soccer Committee. \"They are state-of-the-art soccer-only facilities and should showcase our event on the highest level.\"

Tickets for the 2003 Men's College Cup, which will be held at Columbus Crew Stadium in Columbus, Ohio, December 12 and 14, are currently on sale at the Crew Stadium Ticket Office at 614/447-2739 or toll-free at 877/273-9326.