Near-Sellout For Soccer At Citi Field, With More Matches On Tap

A "near-sellout" crowd of 39,656 last night attended the "first soccer match ever" at Citi Field, a Greece-Ecuador exhibition match. The game provided "many needed dollars for the Met organization" (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 6/8).

Mets Exec VP/Business Operations Dave Howard said the ballpark this summer also will host a friendly between "two very well-known professional club teams, one from Europe and one from Central America." An announcement is expected within the next week. Howard: "We certainly intend to make money. That's all part of the motivation of doing events like this." This comes as MLS is looking to expand with a second team in the N.Y. area, "with Flushing the likely destination" (N.Y. TIMES, 6/8).