The Guinness Int'l Champions Cup will head to Heinz Field on July 27 for a match between EPL club Manchester City and Serie A club AC Milan, and Relevent Sports CEO Charlie Stillitano said that organizers have "seen a spike in ticket sales in recent weeks as fans have become hooked on the World Cup," according to Sam Werner of the PITTSBURGH POST-GAZETTE. Stillitano said, "We're well ahead of where we thought we'd be. We're really pleased. I think we're going to crush through our expectations in Pittsburgh." He estimated that around 30,000 tickets "have been sold for the game, already surpassing" the crowd of 25,137 that saw EPL club Chelsea take on Serie A club AS Roma at Heinz Field in '04. Stillitano: "We have benefited greatly from the U.S. success and the uptick in soccer, and Pittsburgh is no exception." Werner noted the "most remarkable sales boom" has come from Ann Arbor, Mich., where 110,000 tickets "have been sold for a match between Real Madrid and Manchester United at Michigan Stadium." Stillitano said that overall, he expects the tournament to "more than double the 300,000 tickets it sold a year ago." There were 12 Int'l Cup games in '13 and 13 this year. While most World Cup players "like to enjoy a vacation before their domestic seasons start in August," Stillitano said that he has "received assurances from teams that the stars would be there." Specifically, any player "knocked out in the group stage of the World Cup -- which includes the Italians and English -- would '100 percent' be in the USA for the ICC" (PITTSBURGH POST-GAZETTE, 7/6).
