This January, several high profile soccer clubs will travel to the United States to participate in the second-annual Florida Cup. The clubs participating include Shakhtar Donestk, Schalke 04, Bayer Leverkusen, Fort Lauderdale Strikers, Independiente Santa Fe, Corinthians, Fluminense, Atletico Mineiro and Internacional.
The nine-team tournament will be played in Orlando, Boca Raton and Fort Lauderdale between January 10-20. Each team will play two games in the competition.
The clubs representing the Bundesliga in the tournament are two of the most storied in German soccer. Since their stunning UEFA Cup championship in 1997, Schalke has risen to one of the league’s premier teams. With three German Cup titles (2001, 2002 and 2011), a German League Cup victory (2005) and a German Supercup championship (2011), Schalke’s recent success provides excitement and optimism for one of the Bundesliga’s most passionate and dedicated fan bases.
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Led by newly acquired forward Javier ‘Chicharito’ Hernández, Bayer 04 Leverkusen is equipped with one of the most potent offenses in the Bundesliga. After a fourth place finish last season that resulted in qualifying for the UEFA Champions League, Leverkusen will heavily count on the dynamic forward as a key player during the 2015-16 campaign.
The schedule for Florida Cup matches is as follows:
Sunday, January 10
Bayer Leverkusen vs. Independiente Santa Fe, 5pm ET (ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex, Orlando)
Schalke 04 vs. Fort Lauderdale Strikers, 7:30pm ET (ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex, Orlando)
Wednesday, January 13
Schalke 04 vs. Atletico Mineiro, 6:30pm ET (Lockhart Stadium, Fort Lauderdale)
Bayer Leverkusen vs. Internacional, 8:30pm ET (ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex, Orlando)
Saturday, January 16
Florida Cup all-star game, 6:30pm ET (ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex, Orlando)
Sunday, January 17
Shakhtar Donetsk vs. Fluminense, 2pm ET (ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex, Orlando)
Atletico Mineiro vs. Corinthians, 2pm ET (FAU Stadium, Boca Raton)
Santa Fe vs. Fort Lauderdale Strikers, 4:30pm ET (FAU Stadium, Boca Raton)
Wednesday, January 20
Corinthians vs. Shakhtar Donetsk, 6:45pm ET (ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex, Orlando)
Fluminense vs. Internacional, 6:45pm ET (Lockhart Stadium, Fort Lauderdale)
More information and tickets for the Florida Cup can be found at FloridaCup.com.
