Author: Shannon Shark @metspolice

ECUADOR TO PLAY CHILE AT CITI FIELD
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 15 AT 8:00 P.M.

Tickets Start at $30 and Go On Sale This Thursday, July 5
At Tickets.com and (718) 507-TIXX

FLUSHING, N.Y., July 3, 2012 – The New York Mets today announced that the Ecuadorian national soccer team will return to Citi Field to play its South American rival Chile Wednesday, August 15 at 8:00 p.m.

Tickets start at $30 and go on sale this Thursday, July 5 at 10:00 a.m. at Tickets.com and (718) 507-TIXX. The game will take place rain or shine. Gates will open at 6:30 p.m.

The match features two national teams with a large following in the tri-state area. Queens County has the largest population of Ecuadorians of any county in the United States with more than 100,000 residents, while the New York City/Northern New Jersey/Long Island region boasts the largest Chilean population in the country with more than 20,000 residents.

Ecuador is ranked 36th in the world and has a 3-2-0 record in the South American Football Confederation (CONMEBOL) for fourth place. The squad, coached by Reinaldo Rueda, won a 1-0 match over Colombia June 10 in the current qualifiers.

Chile, led by manager Claudio Borghi, is ranked No. 11 in the world and is seeking qualification for the 2014 FIFA World Cup. The team reached the second round of the 2010 FIFA World Cup and most recently ousted Venezuela in a World Cup Qualifying match June 9 with a final score of 2-0. Chile leads the CONMEBOL standings with 12 points and a 4-2-0 record.

The Ecuador-Chile match marks the second straight year that Citi Field has hosted an international competition. Ecuador and Greece battled to a 1-1 tie before a near sell-out crowd of 39,656 on June 7, 2011.

@peteyitaly tweeted this one..

Thanks to @ceetar