Francisco Diez via Flickr
Baseball heaven will make way for a soccer friendly this summer.
With the St. Louis Cardinals out of town on a long summer road trip, Busch Stadium will once again host an international soccer friendly in August—its fifth since 2013.
The pro exhibition game will pit Liverpool of the Barclays Premier League against AS Roma of Serie A in Italy at 7:30 p.m. August 1. Ticket sales start at 10 a.m. June 8 at Cardinals.com/soccer. Prices start at $39.
See also: VIDEO: Soccer Fans Hate Stan Kroenke As Much As St. Louis Does
Mayor Francis Slay and Cardinals president Bill DeWitt confirmed rumors of a Liverpool-Roma match Wednesday morning.
“Pairing them with a city so rich in professional sports history like St Louis is a perfect fit, as the city has hosted numerous soccer matches over the years," said chairman of Relevent Sports Charlie Stillitano. "St. Louis has a passionate base of soccer fans that always support these great matchups, and we are thrilled at the opportunity to continue spreading the game of soccer to this wonderful city.”
The field at Busch will slightly shorter than in years past, running from the first base dugout to left field, since the Cardinals return to play the Atlanta Braves on August 5. That way, the pitcher’s mound can stay in place.
The match will bring Bosnian soccer player Edin Dzeko, who now plays for Roma, back to St. Louis for his third game at Busch stadium, according to KMOX. Dzeko played here in 2013 with Manchester City and in 2014 with the Bosnia-Herzegovina Men’s National Team.
Liverpool has played in St. Louis before, in 1948, 1953, and 1964, at old Public Schools Stadium. Almost two weeks after Liverpool takes the pitch at Busch Stadium in August, Liverpool native Sir Paul McCartney will play a concert there.
See also: Paul McCartney To Play Concert at Busch Stadium
Before the match announcement was even official, Amsterdam Tavern said it plans to throw a huge party before the game. The soccer bar says it will close down Morgan Ford in south St. Louis city on July 31 for a pre-party featuring Liverpool, Carlsberg, and New Balance.
Contact Lindsay Toler by email at LToler@stlmag.com or on Twitter @StLouisLindsay. For more from St. Louis Magazine, subscribe or follow us on Facebook and Twitter.
