LA Galaxy to host Spanish giants Real Madrid on July 16 at the L.A. Coliseum

CARSON, Calif. (Friday, May 6, 2011) – The LA Galaxy, in conjunction with Major League Soccer, CAA Sports and Multimedia Sports, announced today the club will return to the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum for the first time since 2007 to take on Spanish power Real Madrid on Saturday, July 16 at 7 p.m. as part of the 2011 World Football Challenge. Complete details regarding tickets for this game will be released in the coming weeks, but Galaxy full season seat holders will be eligible for a special presale prior to the public on sale. 

“We are very excited to once again welcome back Real Madrid along with manager José Mourinho and their cadre of international talent to Los Angeles,” Galaxy President Tom Payne said. “Last year more than 89,000 fans witnessed these two clubs face off and the excitement for this rematch, at the historic Coliseum, will surely capture the attention of all sports fans in Southern California.”

A nine-time European champion and 31-time champion of Spain’s La Liga, Real Madrid recently won the Copa del Rey and currently sit in second place in La Liga while also advancing to the semifinals of the UEFA Champions League. Now in his first season as the club’s head coach, Jose Mourinho has a wealth of talent at his disposal including Portuguese internationals Cristiano Ronaldo, Ricardo Carvalho and Pepe, German internationals Mesut Ozil and Sami Khedira, as well as Iker Casillas, Sergio Ramos, Xabi Alonso, Raul Albiol and Alvaro Arbeloa, all of whom were members of Spain’s winning team at the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa.

The Galaxy first played Real Madrid on July 18, 2005 at The Home Depot Center, losing 2-0 behind goals from Michael Owen and Roberto Soldado in front of a capacity crowd. The two sides met again last year in front of more than 89,000 fans on August 7 at the Rose Bowl. The Galaxy led that game 2-0 at halftime on goals from Todd Dunivant and Landon Donovan, only for Real to score three unanswered goals in the second half, two from Gonzalo Higuain and one from Xabi Alonso, to claim a 3-2 win. This game is also expected to see Galaxy midfielder David Beckham face his former team for the first time since joining the Galaxy in 2007.

The site of Galaxy’s CONCACAF Champions’ Cup victory in 2000, the Coliseum has played host to a number of matches in the club’s history. The Galaxy most recently played at the Coliseum in 2007 as part of SuperLiga against CD Chivas de Guadalajara and in 2005 against Chivas USA as part of a doubleheader that also included Mexico’s Club America facing CD Chivas de Guadalajara, a doubleheader that attracted more than 88,000 fans to the stadium, making it the biggest crowd ever to see an MLS game.

For more information about this game, please contact the Galaxy by calling 1-877-3GALAXY (342-5299) or by visiting www.lagalaxy.com. For more information about the 2011 World Football Challenge, visit www.WorldFootballChallenge.com.

About Real Madrid

Real Madrid is a professional football club in Spain founded in 1902. The club plays its home games at Estadio Santiago Bernabéu, an 80,354 stadium in Madrid. The team is considered one of the premier clubs in the world and was voted by FIFA as the most successful club of the 20^th Century. Real Madrid is one of 20 teams in Spain’s La Liga and have won a record 31 La Liga titles and nine UEFA Champions League titles. For more information about the club, please visit their official website at www.realmadrid.com.

About LA Galaxy

One of Major League Soccer’s (MLS) original clubs, the LA 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 - Dominguez Hills in Carson, Calif. Boasting a host of top national and international stars, the Galaxy are one of the premier teams in MLS history, having won the MLS Cup in 2002 and 2005, while also claiming the U.S. Open Cup title in 2001 and 2005 and the 2000 CONCACAF Champions’ Cup. For more information or to order tickets, please call the Galaxy ticket office toll-free at 1-877-3GALAXY or visit the club’s official website at www.lagalaxy.com.

About Major League Soccer

Headquartered in New York City, Major League Soccer is the top-flight professional soccer league in the United States and Canada. MLS features many stars from the U.S., Canada, and around the world. Major League Soccer’s 16th season will feature 18 clubs each playing 34 regular season matches. Those clubs include Chicago Fire; Chivas USA; 2010 MLS Cup champion Colorado Rapids; Columbus Crew; D.C. United; FC Dallas; Houston Dynamo; LA Galaxy; New York Red Bulls; New England Revolution; Philadelphia Union; Real Salt Lake; San Jose Earthquakes; Seattle Sounders FC; Sporting Kansas City; Toronto FC; and, in their inaugural seasons, Portland Timbers and Vancouver Whitecaps FC. An expansion team in Montreal will debut in 2012. For more information about MLS, log on to the League’s official website at www.MLSsoccer.com.  

About CAA Sports

CAA Sports represents more than 650 of the world's best athletes in such sports as baseball, football, hockey, basketball, soccer, tennis, and golf, in addition to coaches, on-air broadcasters, and sports personalities.  Beyond traditional athlete representation, CAA Sports provides unique opportunities for clients off the field, in areas including licensing, endorsements, speaking, philanthropy, and video games.  CAA Sports also works in the areas of broadcast rights, corporate marketing initiatives, and sports properties for sales/sponsorships.  CAA Sports is a division of Creative Artists Agency (CAA), the world’s leading full-service agency.  CAA represents the most creative and successful artists working in film, television, music, theatre, and video games, and provides a range of strategic marketing services to corporate clients.  For more information about CAA Sports, visit www.sports.caa.com.

About Multimedia Sports

Multimedia Sports is one of the leading companies regarding the organization of soccer international tours and friendly games as well as regarding the sports TV rights management. Multimedia Sports has been organizing games with the most renowned European soccer clubs and national teams during the last decade, including the Real Madrid USA & Canada Tour in 2009 and a series of international friendlies prior to the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa. For more information about Multimedia Sports, visit www.msportsgroup.com

2011 World Football Challenge
As of May 16, 2011