SAN JOSE, Calif. – The San Jose Earthquakes announced today that the club will host West Bromwich Albion from the English Premier League (EPL) on Tuesday, July 12 at Buck Shaw Stadium at 7:30 p.m. PT.
Individual tickets will go on sale to the general public on Thursday, May 12 at 10 a.m. at SJEarthquakes.com and by calling (800) 225-2277. Season ticket holders should use their Bonus Game “B” ticket for the match. Season ticket holders will also be able to purchase additional individual and group tickets from Tuesday, May 10 until tickets go on sale to the general public on Thursday. Prices for individual seats range from $20 to $50.
“Between the match against the New York Red Bulls on July 2 at Stanford Stadium and West Brom on July 12, Bay Area soccer fans have an entertaining summer to look forward to,” said Earthquakes President David Kaval. “West Brom has a rich history dating back to earliest days of English association football and we are excited to have the opportunity to play them here in Soccer City USA.”
The Earthquakes have an exciting lineup beginning on Saturday, June 25 when the club hosts Southern California rival LA Galaxy. Next in line are the New York Red Bulls for Fireworks Night at Stanford Stadium followed by A&W Root Beer Float Night against the Philadelphia Union on Saturday, July 9. The match against West Brom caps a stretch of four home games in 18 days.
[inline_node:8847]West Brom, which is led by legendary manager Roy Hodgson, features a talented lineup that is bolstered by one of the top five scorers in the Premiership in Nigerian Peter Odemwingie. He has scored a personal best 15 goals this season. The team is captained by Chris Brunt, who is a member of the Northern Ireland National Team. He scored 13 goals last season and has notched four so far this season for the Baggies. Congo native Youssouf Mulumbu (Congo) and imposing center back Jonas Olsson (Sweden) have also been key components for the Baggies this season, as they have achieved a number of memorable results. They defeated Arsenal 3-2 at home, drew 2-2 away to Manchester United, crushed Everton away 4-1 and beat Liverpool 2-1 at home.
The squad is laden with internationals from around the globe Scott Carson (England), Marek Čech (Slovakia), Somen Tchoyi (Cameroon), Pablo Ibáñez (Spain), James Morrison (Scotland), Steven Reid (Republic of Ireland), Abdoulaye Méïté (Ivory Coast), Gabriel Tamaş (Romania), , Gonzalo Jara (Chile) and Dean Kiely (Republic of Ireland). Ibáñez was a starter for Spain alongside Carlos Puyol at center back during the 2006 World Cup.
West Brom defender Nicky Shorey played with Quakes midfielder Bobby Convey during Convey’s stint with Reading F.C.
San Jose will face West Brom for the first time in club history. The July 12 fixture marks the third time the Quakes have faced a team from the EPL. On July 17, 2010, San Jose hosted club partner Tottenham Hotspur at Buck Shaw Stadium and drew a Buck Shaw Stadium record crowd of 10,712. Aston Villa also visited San Jose to play the Quakes in 1997 at Spartan Stadium, a match that ended 1-1 with Shawn Medved scoring the lone goal for San Jose.
Established in 1878, West Brom was a founding member of The Football League, the top division in England at the time. The club has five FA Cups to its credit and won a Division One title in 1919-20. They are currently 13th in the Premiership this season with 43 points in 36 games, but sit just three points from the eighth spot. For more information, visit the club’s website at www.wba.co.uk.
Honors
-FA Cup Winners: 1888, 1892, 1931, 1954, 1968
-Football League First Division Winners: 1920
-League Cup Winners: 1966
