Argentine Side Estudiantes de La Plata to compete alongside the Tampa Bay Rowdies in the 2017 Florida Cup Challenge

St. Petersburg and Orlando, Fla. – Oct. 21, 2016 – Current Argentine Primera División leaders Estudiantes de la Plata were announced today as the final team to join the Florida Cup Challenge 2017. Estudiantes joins the event as invited guests of co-hosts Tampa Bay Rowdies.

Bill Edwards, Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and Governor of the Tampa Bay Rowdies, said, “We are honored to host the Argentine first division leaders to play alongside the Rowdies in the Florida Cup Challenge 2017. It could not be more fitting to involve a club from another world soccer powerhouse such as Argentina to raise the stakes in the upcoming clash of nations in January.”

Estudiantes will play its Florida Cup matches against Bayer 04 Leverkusen (GER) at Al Lang Stadium on January 8^th, 2017, and against Clube de Regatas Flamengo (BRA) at UCF’s Brighthouse Network Stadium on January 15^th, 2017.

The Club’s Chairman, legendary Argentine midfielder Juan Sebastián Verón, commented on the news, “Estudiantes de la Plata is honored to participate in the Florida Cup in January 2017, against some of the most talented and powerful teams in the world.”

Estudiantes de la Plata (ARG) are currently leading the Argentine Primera División and is one of the most successful clubs in Argentina. The club has won five professional league titles in addition to its international success. Estudiantes won four Copa Libertadores (including three straight from 1968–70), an Intercontinental Cup (precursor to the FIFA Club World Cup), and an Interamerican Cup.

The Florida Cup features two distinct formats in 2017:

● FC Challenge – A Davis Cup-modeled competition similar to the format during the Florida Cup’s debut in 2015, with Clubs representing Countries, each vying for points to secure the tournament title for their home nation. This phase will occur from Jan. 8 – Jan. 15.

● FC Playoff – A single-elimination round of international teams where only one remaining champion will thrive. This phase will occur from Jan. 15 – Jan 21.

Tickets for the Florida Cup will go on sale in the coming weeks. Fans interested in attending the matches can visit www.FloridaCup.com/tickets to join the advance sale list to receive first notification when tickets are available.

About the Florida Cup:

The Florida Cup is the largest international sporting event held annually in Central Florida. Broadcast live to over 170 countries, the tournament reaches over 650 million households. Globally recognized soccer clubs from four different continents will convene in Central Florida for this premier tournament – a final tune-up before the start of their respective campaigns. For more information on the Florida Cup, visit www.floridacup.com, or follow us on Facebook andInstagram.

– Florida Cup –

For Florida Cup: Lenny Santiago | (386) 451-5809 | lenny@lmsmarcomm.com
For Tampa Bay Rowdies: Nico Castillo | (813) 527-1376 | ncastillo@rowdiessoccer.com
For UCF: Nate Blythe | (407) 823-6489 | nblythe@athletics.ucf.edu