Canada and Denmark will play the first international soccer “friendly” match in Tucson at Kino Veterans Memorial Stadium on Jan. 26.

The match was announced today by managing members of FC Tucson, Tucson Mayor Jonathan Rothschild, Visit Tucson President and CEO Brent DeRaad and Pima County Supervisor Richard Elías.

Pima County Supervisor Richard Elias participates in a news conference announcing the first international soccer match in Tucson, to be played at Kino Veterans Memorial Stadium. Also pictured are, from left, FC Tucson managing partners Rick Schantz, Jonathan Pearlman and Greg Foster.

“Tucson deserves professional sports,” Elías said at a news conference. “Pima County has put its money on the table” to make it possible for FC Tucson to bring “a month long of international sports that’s going to blow people’s mind.”

Pima County is investing $2 million to build five permanent soccer venues north of Ajo Way; two of them will be arenas that will seat 1,000 and 3,000 spectators.

The international match, hosted by FC Tucson, in partnership with Soccer United Marketing (SUM), the commercial arm of Major League Soccer, will be aired live in Denmark, Canada and across Europe.

It will precede nine friendlies that seven Major League Soccer teams will be playing at Kino Sports Complex from Jan. 29 to Feb. 8, followed by the FC Tucson Desert Diamond Cup at Kino Stadium on Feb. 13, 16, 20 and 23.

Five of the MLS teams participating in the friendlies – Colorado Rapids, Houston Dynamo, Portland Timbers, San Jose Earthquakes and Sporting Kansas City – will be training in Tucson. The two other teams – New England Revolution and Seattle Sounders – are also playing in the Desert Diamond Cup with New York Red Bulls and Real Salt Lake.

The MLS matches will be played at the Kino Sports Complex’s North Field #5, north of Ajo Way.

Tickets will go on sale before the Christmas holidays.

FC Tucson, established in 2010, owns FC Tucson Soccer, Tucson’s top-level soccer team and the FC Tucson Desert Diamond Cup. Follow FC Tucson at www.fctucson.com.

Kino Sports Complex (www.kinosportscomplex.com) is home to both the Triple-A Tucson Padres baseball team and the FC Tucson soccer club. It is the largest professional sports and entertainment venue of its kind in Pima County.  It includes the 11,000-seat Kino Veterans Memorial Stadium, seven baseball fields (four with lights), lighted softball fields, a regulation Soccer Stadium (lighted) and four additional fields for soccer, field hockey, rugby, and lacrosse. With its panoramic view of the Santa Catalina Mountains, it is a natural fit for youth, high school, collegiate, and professional sports. Plus, it makes a great setting for social gatherings, concerts, and community events.

Keep up with Pima County on Facebook at www.facebook.com/pimacountyarizona.

This entry was posted on Monday, November 19th, 2012 at 2:31 pm and is filed under Board of Supervisors, Kino Sports Complex, Pima County, Southern Arizona, Sports, Tourism, Tucson. Tags for this post: Canadian soccer team, Denmark soccer team, Major League Soccer, MLS. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.