October 11, 2012
BACK TO TUCSON
Red Bulls to compete at Desert Diamond Cup again

TUCSON, AZ — The Red Bulls might not know if they are playing in the Major League Soccer playoffs in November, but they do know where they will be performing in Februrary -- at the third annual FC Tucson Desert Diamond Cup.

FC Tucson, in partnership with Desert Diamond Casino, announced on Thursday that four MLS teams have accepted invitations to play at Kino Veterans Memorial Stadium -- the New England Revolution, Red Bulls, Real Salt Lake and Seattle Sounders.

“FC Tucson is quite pleased to continue building upon the success of last year’s tournament by welcoming back three of the four 2012 participants and introducing the community to the Seattle Sounders,” FC Tucson managing member Greg Foster said in a statement. “After talking extensively with MLS, Tucson has become the “Western Hub of MLS Pre-Season” and we look forward to celebrating the world’s game with our friends and family all around the region, including Northern Mexico. We also expect to see a sizable influx of fans from each team’s city as we turn Tucson into a soccer mecca for the entire month of February.”

the competition will be held on Wednesday, Feb. 13, Saturday, Feb. 17, Wednesday, Feb. 20 and Saturday Feb. 23. The teams will play a round-robin format through the first three dates. The tournament final and third-place game will be played on February 23.

More announcements, including game times and ticket information, will be released at a later date during the run up to the tournament.

“We are excited to participate in the 2013 Desert Diamond Cup," Red Bulls technical director Ricardo Campos said in a statement. "Last year, we had a very positive experience in Tucson, training in some very good facilities and playing in competitive matches which helped us prepare for our MLS season. We want to thank the tournament organizers for inviting us back.”