PolishNews.com

Tickets to the game will go on sale to the general public on Saturday, May 17 at 10:00 a.m., with an exclusive pre-sale for Chicago Fire season ticket holders starting on Thursday, May 15. Tickets can be purchased online at Ticketmaster or by visiting any Ticketmaster outlet or at the Toyota Park box office (Monday-Friday, 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.).

“We are delighted to bring two of the world’s most renowned teams to a city with such a tremendous soccer tradition like Chicago,” said CMN Chief Executive Officer Henry Cardenas. “We look forward to bringing together the city’s most passionate soccer fans to celebrate the ‘beautiful game’ at a world-class stadium like Toyota Park.”

The Mexico City-based club and fan favorite Cruz Azul enjoyed a solid 2008 Clausura (Mexican league season) and prepares to enter the post-season having garnered a 9-4-4 (31 points) regular season record. Since its inception in 1927, Cruz Azul has been crowned the Mexican champion eight times – tied with Toluca and behind powerhouse clubs Chivas (11) and America (10).  

Cracovia Krakow currently stands in seventh place overall in Poland’s Orange Ekstraklasa (First Division) with an 11-13-6 record (39 points). Founded in 1906, MKS Cracovia is the oldest active club in Poland and has won five league titles all-time. The club currently plays at Pope John Paul II Stadium, located in the city of Krakow.

Both teams played against the Chicago Fire last year at Toyota Park, with the Fire defeating Cracovia 1-0 on June 22 and Cruz Azul downing the Fire 1-0 on October 10. Both clubs also feature players who have seen significant playing time with their respective national team squads, including goalkeeper Oscar Perez and Gerardo Torrado for Mexico and forward Tomasz Moskata for Poland. The July 5 friendly will mark the first time the “Maquina” (“Machine”) and “Pasy” (“Stripes”) meet in an exhibition match.

Since its opening in June 2006, Toyota Park has become a soccer cathedral of sorts, as the 20,000-seat, state-of-the-art venue has hosted such international teams as English Premiership club Chelsea FC, Club America (Mexico) and Celtic FC (Scotland). The $100 million, publicly-funded stadium is one of only five soccer-specific venues in the U.S. and is the official home of Major League Soccer’s Chicago Fire. Next year, the venue will house the new Chicago Women’s Pro Soccer club. For more information on Toyota Park, including parking and stadium guidelines, please visit www.toyotapark.com.