It looks like the SAS Soccer Park continues to attract exciting match-ups to whet the appetites of local soccer fans waiting for the inaugural season of the new USL 1st Div franchise. The U.S. team will face Jamaica at SAS in April!
My Soccer Blog notes that this will be the last match before the final U.S. World Cup roster is set, though there is some debate as to this match being a deciding factor in the final roster or perhaps a final warm-up with the roster already solidified.
Either way, this will be an exciting match for local soccer fans in North Carolina’s Research Triangle (Raleigh, Durham, and Chapel Hill) and of course Cary. The amount of interest in soccer continues to grow in North Carolina, from very strong teams at UNC Chapel Hill and Duke to the standing room only exhibition between MLS DC United and USL-1 Rochester last year. All of this is great news for the SAS Soccer Park which seemed to flounder for a true calling after the WUSA folded.
Marc Connolly echos the sentiments of many people who have been to matches there:
So the fact that U.S. Soccer choose this destination for the national team’s match against Jamaica on April 11 is a move I applaud.
Over the years, I’ve watched MLS exhibitions, WUSA matches, USL Division I games and an NCAA Final Four in this little high school-like stadium. But it’ll surely be an entirely different atmosphere when the U.S. plays down there. With only a two months separating the Jamaica match from the World Cup, one has to expect there will be a sellout crowd that evening. Then again, such a feat shouldn’t be that hard. SAS can seat about 7,000 people and allow for a few thousand more with additional stands and standing-room areas along the chain-link fence that surrounds the field.
Considering the frenzied crowd that showed up for the DC United exhibition, I can only imagine what it will be like when the U.S. team comes to town and World Cup excitement is building. I’m sure it will be a sellout crowd. Can’t wait until tickets go on sale! Triangle Soccer Fanatics is working to setup a supporters section too.
UPDATE: TriSoccerFan has ticket info and a special buying period for people who reserve season tickets for 2007. Tickets go on sale March 3rd!
2nd UPDATE: The information on the Sam’s Army section for this match is now available. Wear Red!
February 22nd, 2006 at 12:42 pm
We’ve got the Sam’s Army ticket info up now at our site:
http://www.trisoccerfan.com/usa_20060411.html
Hope to see you guys there!
Jarrett