For the second consecutive season, Fort Myers will not only host an Major League Soccer training camp but will also witness the FGCU men’s soccer program in a friendly match with the professional team. The MLS’ Chicago Fire will take on the Eagles at 7 p.m. Saturday Feb. 4.
Tickets can be purchased online or by calling the FGCU Ticket Office at 239-590-7145. Admission is $10 for adults and $7 for youth and military. Discounted group rates are also available, and interested groups should call the ticket office for more information.
Last season, FGCU welcomed MLS member New York City FC to its campus for an 11-day training period. To conclude the week, the Eagles battled the professional side featuring international stars David Villa, Frank Lampard and Andrea Pirlo to a 1-0 loss in front of a standing-room-only crowd and Soccer Complex record 3,000 fans.
One of the more storied clubs in MLS history, the Fire were introduced during the league’s first round of expansion in 1996. On the 126th anniversary of the Great Chicago Fire, the club was introduced and is now in its 20th season. The Fire were crowned MLS Cup champions and U.S. Open Cup Champions in 1998, 2000, 2003 and 2006.
FGCU is coming off its own historic season, ending the year 20th in the final NSCAA poll after climbing to as high as a 11 national ranking earlier in the season. The Eagles finished 14-4-3 and secured their fourth NCAA Tournament berth in six years of postseason eligibility. FGCU ended the year averaging a nation-best 2.95 goals per game, led by Albert Ruiz’s 22 goals (1.10 goals per game) — also a nation’s best. Ruiz also led the country with 49 points. For his play, Ruiz was named FGCU’s first ever First Team All-American and was one of three finalists for the MAC Hermann Award — college soccer’s equivalent of the Heisman Trophy.