Manchester City from the English Premier League and Club America from the Primera Division in Mexico will face off at 5 p.m. Saturday as part of the Herbalife World Football Challenge, a friendly tournament being held around the U.S. and in Vancouver, B.C.
The soccer match is the first at AT&T Park since March 2005, according to Jens Weiden, the ballpark's marketing manager. He said tickets ranging from $40 to $225 are still available by visiting www.tickets.com, and officials also expect a lot of walk-up business the day of the match.
The Football Association Cup, won by Manchester City in May, will also be available for viewing at AT&T Park before the match and will be placed alongside the World Series trophy won last year by the San Francisco Giants, the ballpark's usual tenants.
The FA Cup, first played in 1871, is among the oldest soccer competitions in the world.
Today, the FA Cup trophy was at the British Consulate General in San Francisco, where Acting British Consul General Mary Gilbert joined a representative of the Manchester City team to celebrate the event and also mark that the 2012 Olympic Games in London are exactly a year away.
"It's a really great opportunity to celebrate the diplomacy that's inherent in sports," said consulate general spokeswoman Kate McNally.
Also this weekend, a crowd is expected to gather in the city's Civic Center Plaza on Sunday for a viewing of the women's World Cup finals between the U.S. and Japan on a large 13-foot by 17-foot screen.
About 100 people came out to the plaza today to watch the American team defeat France 3-1 in the semifinals.
The city's Recreation and Park Department has been hosting the viewings during the women's tournament after attracting large crowds for several of the men's World Cup matches last year.
