Toronto FC II News Release - www.tfc2.ca

Monday, July 13, 2015

TORONTO - Toronto FC II announced Monday that the club will host a friendly match against AS Roma's Primavera Team (U-19) on Tuesday, July 28 at the Ontario Soccer Centre in Vaughan. Kick-off time will be at 8 p.m. ET.

“We are very excited to host AS Roma Primavera in a friendly match as part of our development partnership,” said Toronto FC General Manager Tim Bezbatchenko. “This is the first time a Serie A Primavera club has come to Toronto, and it will be an appropriate challenge for our young pro players going up against one of the top youth systems in Europe. Most importantly, it will allow us to continue measuring our players’ development on an international level.”

AS Roma Primavera, Italian Serie A club AS Roma's premier youth team. AS Roma's Primavera plays in the highest Italian youth league and this year was a finalist in the Coppa Italia Primavera and semifinalist in the UEFA Youth League (in which it posted victories against clubs such as Bayern Munich, Ajax Amsterdam and Manchester City). AS Roma Primavera has won the Campionato Nazionale Primavera seven times, the Coppa Italia Primavera four times, Supercoppa Primavera once and Torneo di Viareggio three times. First team players such as Daniele De Rossi, Alessandro Florenzi and club captain, Francesco Totti have graduated from the AS Roma Primavera squad. Alberto De Rossi, father of Daniele, has served as head coach since 2007. 

AS Roma’s first team has won the Scudetto (Italian Serie A championship) three times, the Coppa Italia nine times and the Supercoppa Italiana two times. This past season, Roma finished second in Serie A, qualifying for the 2015–16 UEFA Champions League.

AS Roma CEO Italo Zanzi commented, "We are very excited about our Primavera team's match vs. Toronto FC. This match will serve to continue to build on our great relationship with Toronto FC and the MLS. Most importantly, it will be a fantastic development opportunity. Over the past year we have made international play a priority for our Primavera team - they have competed in Vietnam, South Africa and at Disney in Orlando. We are confident this will be a very positive experience for our players as well."

Tickets will be available through a special pre-sale window for Toronto FC II season seat holders beginning Monday, July 13. Single tickets will go on sale Wednesday, July 15. For more details, visit www.tfc2.ca or by calling (416)-360-GOAL (4625).