Autzen turf will be replaced with grass for international soccer match

Originally Posted on Emerald Media via UWIRE

Zlatan Ibrahimovic is coming to Eugene.

The outspoken Swedish megastar and his Paris Saint-Germain teammates will face Italian powerhouse FC Internazionale at Autzen Stadium on July 23 in a friendly. The match will be one of 10 International Champions Cup fixtures that will be played throughout North America during the summer.

Tickets for the match went on sale today and will be available online through the Oregon ticket office. The listed price for a single reserve ticket ranges from $30.00 to $115.00.

“The International Champions Cup loves bringing top-caliber soccer to the university environment,” chairman of Relevant Sports Charlie Stillitano said while addressing the media Tuesday afternoon.

“There’s a great soccer market (in Eugene) and great youth soccer market… This is such a hot bed for soccer and for sports. We thought it just made great sense.”

Charlotte, North Carolina; Ann Arbor, Michigan and Columbus, Ohio are college towns that will also host matches during the tournament.

State-of-the-art Autzen Stadium was one of the numerous reasons Eugene selected to host a match, but there is a wrinkle: the field turf will have to be replaced with grass.

“So many of the stadiums now have gone to field turf, and it’s quite good,” Stillitano said. “The difference is that these guys have to play on grass once they start their season… They’ve all demanded that they want to play on the same surface that they will be playing on when the season starts two weeks later.”

The match will take place a few weeks after the UEFA European Championship concludes. It will be the first major non-football event held at Autzen Stadium since the rock band U2 played at the venue in 1997.

“I think this is one of those things that will be more than a soccer match; it will be a huge event,” Oregon athletic director Rob Mullens said.

Follow Jarrid on Twitter @jarrid_denney

Read more here: http://www.dailyemerald.com/2016/04/05/autzen-turf-will-be-replaced-with-grass-for-international-soccer-match/
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