Press Release

Chicago Fire and Aston Villa to Hold Joint Press Conference

Frank Klopas

CHICAGO, Ill.  – The Chicago Fire Soccer Club and Aston Villa FC will hold a joint press conference on Friday, July 20 at 2:30 p.m. CT at the Swissôtel Chicago (323 East Wacker Drive, Chicago, IL 60601) to discuss the upcoming Chicago Fire vs. Aston Villa match Presented by TrueCar at Toyota Park on Saturday, July 21 at 7:30 p.m. CT. The match will be streamed live across the world on the Comcast SportsNet Chicago website www.CSNChicago.com and www.Chicago-Fire.com.

Chicago Fire Head Coach Frank Klopas and defender Arne Friedrich will be joined by Aston Villa Manager Paul Lambert and defender and Downers Grove, Ill. native Eric Lichaj.

Newly re-signed Aston Villa goalkeeper and Homer Glen, Ill. product Brad Guzan will be joined by Fire defender Jalil Anibaba and Fire forward Chris Rolfe at the Children’s Hospital University of Illinois (1740 W. Taylor Street, Chicago, IL 60612) to visit with patients and sign autographs this afternoon, Friday, July 20 at 2:00 p.m. CT.

Aston Villa, one of the oldest and most successful clubs in English football history, will make their first trip to Chicago. Since its founding in 1874, Villa has amassed 19 major domestic honors, including seven English League titles and seven FA Cups. The Villans also won the 1981-1982 European Cup. One of the founding members of the Premier League in 1992, Aston Villa has competed in the top flight of English soccer ever since.

The match in Chicago is Aston Villa’s second of their three-city American tour. On Wednesday, July 18 Aston Villa defeated the Philadelphia Union 1-0 at PPL Park in Chester, Penn. After the match in Chicago, Aston Villa will head to Portland to take on the Timbers July 24 at JELD-WEN Field in Portland, Ore.

Who:           Chicago Fire Head Coach Frank Klopas, Aston Villa Manager Paul Lambert, Fire defender Arne Friedrich and Aston Villa defender Eric Lichaj

What:          Chicago Fire Soccer Club and Aston Villa FC to hold joint news conference to discuss Saturday evening’s international friendly

Where:       Matterhorn Room
                   Swissôtel Chicago
                   323 East Wacker Drive
                   Chicago, IL 60601                  

When:          Friday, July 20
                    2:30 p.m. CT