May 11, 2010

TFC to Face Bolton Wanderers at BMO

RELEASE - Toronto FC announced Tuesday that English Premier League club Bolton Wanderers FC will play in Toronto Wednesday, July 21in the annual Carlsberg Cup. Last season River Plate of Argentina defeated Toronto FC 4-3 on penalties to take the trophy. Kick-off for the Bolton match is set for 7:30 pm ET.

Bolton, a borough of Greater Manchester, England is currently the club with the highest number of seasons in the top flight; this past season was their 71st.

“Anytime you can bring a Premiership side over to North America it is exciting news,” said senior director of business operations Paul Beirne. “We look forward to seeing Bolton here this summer, as we continue our commitment of providing our fans top class opposition. It is a treat for us to host founder members of the English Football League.”

Managed by Owen Coyle, Bolton finished 14th in the Premiership this season. Led by Captain Kevin Davies, their squad contains a number of top international players. Included in that mix, U.S. International and former Houston Dynamo midfielder Stuart Holden, Swedish forward Johan Elmander and Croatian forward Ivan Klasnic. The roster that will make their way to Toronto will be set at a later date.

The Trotters, as they are also known, qualified for the UEFA Cup (now known as the UEFA Europa League) for the first time in their history in the 2005/06 season. A year later, they progressed to the final 16 of the same competition.

Four time winners of the FA Cup, their last trophy in England’s fabled competition was in 1958. The victory took place at Wembley Stadium as they defeated Manchester United 2-0 with both goals coming from Nat Lofthouse.

Toronto FC Season Seat Holders will have the ticket for this match already included in their package. Details on public on-sale will be released at a later date.