The LA Galaxy announced Friday that the club will travel to Kaiserslautern, Germany on Monday, November 23 to kick off the 2009 LA Galaxy Postseason Tour presented by Herbalife. The Galaxy will face FC Kaiserslautern at Fritz Walter Stadion on Thanksgiving; Thursday, November 26, with the game kicking off at 11:30 a.m. (PT). The local television schedule for this game will be set at a future date.
"This is an exciting opportunity for the Galaxy to be able to play a world renowned club like FC Kaiserslautern at an amazing World Cup venue in front of their loyal and passionate fans," LA Galaxy President of Business Operations Tom Payne said. "Our club has participated in postseason tours like this in the past and we believe that this year's tour will be even more successful. We expect this game to be a memorable experience for our players and coaches, but most importantly, soccer fans in Kaiserslautern and all of Germany.
FC Kaiserslautern are currently tied for the top spot in the Bundesliga 2, Germany's second division, and are the league's only undefeated team through the first two months of the season. The club plays their home games at Fritz Walter Stadion, a 48,500 seat venue that hosted five games during the 2006 FIFA World Cup, including the 1-1 draw between the United States and eventual champions Italy.
In addition to the game, the Galaxy will participate in a number of community outreach endeavors. The team is scheduled to visit with United States military personnel and their families as well as with local German children in the lead up to the game.
This will be the Galaxy's third consecutive year participating in a postseason tour. In 2007, the club traveled to Sydney, Australia and Wellington, New Zealand to face Sydney FC and Wellington Phoenix of the Hyundai A-League, losing 5-3 to Sydney and defeating Wellington 4-1. Then, in 2008, the Galaxy again traveled to New Zealand, defeating the Oceania All-Stars 3-0 in Auckland.
