Timbers to host Mexico's Morelia at PGE Park

PORTLAND
, Ore. –
The Portland Timbers announced today that the club will play host to Mexico’s Monarcas Morelia of the Primera División in an international exhibition match on Thursday, July 3, at PGE Park presented by Allstate and Widmer. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.
Tickets, which range in price from $16-36, go on sale to the public June 11 at 10 a.m. through the PGE Park box office, area Ticketmaster locations, online at www.ticketmaster.com or by phone at (503) 224-4400.




Timbers season-ticket holders can purchase their seats by contacting the Timbers ticket office at (503) 553-5555 during an exclusive pre-sale period starting Saturday at 10 a.m. Discounted tickets are available for groups of 15 or more by contacting the Timbers ticket office.
“Proved by their participation in last year’s SuperLiga Tournament, Morelia is one of the best clubs in Mexico.” said
Gavin Wilkinson
, Timbers head coach and general manager. “With Morelia, we are excited to continue to bring in some of the best teams from different parts of the world and showcase our team and the city of Portland.”
Founded in 1924, Morelia has been a consistent contender in Mexico’s top league – the Primera
División – since earning a promotion following the 1981 season. Simply known as “Monarcas” (Monarchs), Morelia captured the Invierno season title in 2000 and was a finalist in the 2002 CONCACAF Champions Cup. In 2007, Morelia was one of eight teams competing in the inaugural SuperLiga competition, which pits the top four Mexican clubs against the top four squads from Major League Soccer.
Morelia’s current roster includes three current Mexican National Team members in goalkeeper
Moisés Munoz
, defender
Omar Trujillo
and midfielder
Adrián Aldrete
. Both Aldrete and Trujillo recently played in a friendly between Mexico and China on April 16 in Seattle.
On May 3, Morelia concluded its 17-game 2008 Clausura schedule, competing against clubs such as Chivas de Guadalajara and Cruz Azul, who played each other in an exhibition match at PGE Park in 2002, and Necaxa, one of four exhibition opponents for the Timbers last season. The 2008 Apertura schedule begins in late July and runs through November.
ABOUT MONARCAS MORELIA
Morelia was founded on Nov. 21, 1924, as Atletico Monarcas Morelia and has a successful history in the first and second divisions of Mexican soccer. Since earning its first promotion into the Primera
División in 1951, Morelia has captured two Champions Cups (1956; 1968-69), several seasonal titles and their first Primavera División championship in 2000. Establishing itself as one of the top teams in the league, Morelia was awarded the 2004-05 Golden Ball for accumulating the most points from the opening of the 2004 season to the close of the 2005 season.
Based in the Michoacán state capitol of Morelia, the Monarcas are owned by Mexican broadcast company TV Azteca and play at the 41,000-seat Estadio Morelos built in 1989.