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Major League Soccer fans prepare for a Tucson first as Old Pueblo gears up to play host to the Desert Cup.


Tucson is host to numerous sporting events each year due to its favorable climate and hoards of sports lovers. As Arizona prepares to take golf’s center stage for the last time in 2011 at the Accenture Match Play Championship, a very different arena will steal the spotlight in Tucson.

The 2011 Major League Soccer Desert Cup featuring the New York Red Bulls and Sporting Kansas City is slated to be the most important professional soccer event in Tucson's history.

This two-day event marks the first time MLS teams have ever played in the Old Pueblo. On Friday, March 4th and Saturday, March 5th at Hi Corbett Field, two of the nation's premier teams will square off against each other as well as challenge local Arizona clubs FC Tucson and the Phoenix Sahuaros.

The MLS rosters are chock full of international stars including Thierry Henry, star of the French National team and striker for Arsenal in the English Premier League, Omar Bravo, hero of Chivas in the Mexican League, and Defender Rafael Marquez, beloved captain the Mexican National squad and Barcelona FC in Spain's Premier Soccer League. Offering the highest level of professional competition, The Desert Cup promises to offer thrills for both the devoted and casual soccer fan alike.

The Desert Cup, hosted by FC Tucson Events, working in collaboration with The Tucson Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, will showcase Tucson's leading companies and the Tucson community. Coordinators of the event say they are expecting an audience of over 6000 spectators from Tucson, southern Arizona, northern Mexico, as well as visitor from New York and Kansas City.

To Learn More

Major League Soccer, www.mlssoccer.com.