COLUMBUS — The Columbus Crew announced today that it will play host to reigning FA Cup champion Wigan Athletic on Saturday July, 13 at Columbus Crew Stadium in an international friendly. The game will kick-off at 7:30 p.m. ET and be classified as ‘Special Game A’ for Crew Soccer Nation Fan Club Gold Level Members.
Individual advance ticket prices start at $23 and will go on sale Tuesday, June 25 at 10:00 a.m. at the Crew Stadium Box Office, all central Ohio Ticketmaster retail locations, via Ticketmaster phone at 1-800-745-3000 and online via TheCrew.com.
“We look forward to hosting another international club at Crew Stadium on July 13,” said Crew President & General Manager Mark McCullers. “Wigan has a long and storied history in the English game, and as the current FA Champion and a 2013-2014 UEFA Europa League participant, their squad will provide a good test for our team and compelling action for the fans.”
Based in the northwest of England and founded in 1932, Wigan is currently playing in the English Championship following an eight-year spell in the Barclays Premier League. Wigan is the holder of England’s most storied trophy, the FA Cup, defeating Manchester City 1-0 at the end of the 2012-13 season. This historic victory earned the club passage into the 2013-2014 UEFA Europa League – an elite continent-wide knockout competition featuring Europe’s best clubs. The Latics, as Wigan is known, are managed by first-year coach Owen Coyle, who previously managed American international and former-MLS player Stuart Holden at Bolton. Current players for Wigan include Honduran Roger Espinoza, who played for Sporting Kansas City of MLS and attended The Ohio State University.
The tilt marks the first-ever meeting between Wigan Athletic and the Columbus Crew, and the Latics are the ninth English opponent to face the Black & Gold. The Crew is 10-4-2 all-time in international exhibitions and 3-3-2 against English opposition. The Crew downed Leeds United 2-1 in 1997; drew Newcastle United 2-2 in 2000; defeated Fulham 2-1 in 2005; drew Everton 1-1 in 2006; lost to Aston Villa 3-1 in 2007; fell to West Ham United 3-1 in 2008; lost to Newcastle United 3-0 in 2011 and beat Stoke City 2-1 last July.
