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Metro area gets World Cup qualifier

By Pat Rooney, Special to the Rocky

Published May 14, 2008 at 11:55 p.m.

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One of the goals of building Dick's Sporting Goods Park in Commerce City not only was to provide a more comfortable home for the Colorado Rapids but to give the metro Denver area a more attractive venue for top- flight international matches.

After hosting a handful of friendlies last year, the venue will be the site of much more intense international play later this year.

On Wednesday, U.S. Soccer announced Dick's Sporting Goods Park will be the site of one of three qualifying matches for the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

Assuming the U.S. advances past a second-round, home-and- home qualifying series with Barbados in June, the national team will play Guatemala or St. Lucia at Dick's Sporting Goods Park on Nov. 19 in the third match of the semifinal round.

In earlier qualifiers, the U.S. will face Trinidad and Tobago or Bermuda on Sept. 10 at Toyota Park in suburban Chicago.

The Americans would play Cuba or Antigua and Barbuda on Oct. 11 in Washington.

Ticket information will be announced later.

Additionally, during a news conference today as part of the second annual Women's Soccer Celebration, U.S. Soccer also is expected to announce Dick's Sporting Goods Park will be the site of one of two "send off" matches the women's Olympic team will play before leaving for the Summer Games in China.

The U.S. women's team will play Brazil, likely July 13.