PORTLAND, Ore.
– The Portland Timbers take a break from league play on Saturday as the club plays host to world-renowned club Boca Juniors of Argentina in an international exhibition match at PGE Park at 7 p.m.
Tickets start at $19 in advance and are available through the PGE Park box office, area Ticketmaster outlets, online at
www.ticketmaster.com
or by phoning (800) 745-3000.
Boca Juniors, a winner of a combined 41 domestic and international championships, visits Portland as part of a three-stop U.S. tour. One of the most successful clubs in the world, Boca Juniors’ 18 international titles is a world record, and an accomplishment matched only by Italy’s AC Milan.
A 23-time Argentina first division champion, Boca Juniors features former Argentina National Team defender
Hugo Ibarra
, current Argentina National Team midfielder
Jesús Mendez
and long-time Argentine league veteran
Matías Giménez
. The roster also includes a rising star in goalkeeper
Javier Garcia
, who became the club’s starting goalkeeper during the recent Clausura season at the age of 23.
The Timbers are 6-3-4 all-time against international opponents since 2001; Boca Juniors is Portland’s first opponent from Argentina. Earlier this month, Portland faced Costa Rica’s Puntarenas FC, and the club will face Manchester City of England’s Premier League on July 17.
Saturday’s friendly between the Timbers and Boca Juniors will be televised live on FSN and broadcast on 95.5 The Game. A live Spanish-language broadcast will also be available on 910AM+1390AM ESPN Deportes.
The Timbers rank third in the USL Conference, just three points back of the first-place Austin Aztex. Portland (3-3-2, 11pts) finished its USSF Division-2 Pro League slate for this month on May 22 on the road against Crystal Palace Baltimore. Midfielder
Ryan Pore
scored his league-leading seventh goal of the season in the 2-1 defeat.
The Timbers return to league play on Sunday, June 6, at PGE Park as they play host to the Carolina RailHawks.
