By Benson Petit-Clair
Gillette Stadium will host a high profile international friendly featuring Brazil and Portugal on Sept 10, 2013, with kickoff scheduled for 8:30 pm EST.
Brazil hosted and won the 2013 Confederation Cup defeating world cup champions and number one FIFA ranked Spain 3-0 in the final to claim the trophy for the third straight time.
The Portuguese will come into the match with their own fanfare as well, though, on a smaller note. In World Cup qualification matches this year, the Portuguese defeated Azerbaijan and Russia respectively to claim the top spot in their group. Their most recent match ended on a 1-1 draw against the Netherlands a week ago. Portugal currently ranked 7th in the latest FIFA rankings.
Neymar, the Brazilian star who scored the equalizer for his new Catalan club in its first leg match against Atletico Madrid on Wednesday in the Spanish Supercopa, is extremely happy about playing a match in the U.S.
“It is always a thrill to come to the United States and I am very happy to play against Portugal in Boston at Gillette Stadium on September 10,” Added Neymar, Brazil forward. “The Boston-area has a very large Brazilian population and I invite all of our fans in the United States to come out and enjoy the match.”
Neymar, the Brazilian sensation, will get a chance to compete against Cristiano Ronaldo before they get to meet in a Clasico in Spain.
The match organizers have indicated that more 40, 000 tickets are already sold and the 300-level at Gillette Stadium have been opened for the match.
“We’re very excited to be able to present this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to fans in our region who care so deeply about these two legendary national teams,” Said Revolution president Brian Bilello. “Being able to host this match during an official FIFA window, and therefore attracting the top squads from both countries – and some of the world’s top players – means this will be a truly memorable event for everyone in attendance.” He added.
The last meeting between these two was in the group phase at the South Africa World Cup in 2010, where it ended on a scoreless draw. Their last friendly resulted on a 6-2 victory for Brazil on November 19, 2008 in Estádio Nacional Mané Garrincha, Brazil.
On Wednesday, Brazilian head coach Luiz Felipe Scolari unveiled a list of 22 players who are selected for the match. These players will also represent Brazil in the friendly against Australia in Brasilia, Brazil on Sept 7, three day before the Portugal match at Gillette Stadium.
The Brazilian squad:
GOALKEEPERS: Julio Cesar (Queens Park Rangers), Jefferson (Botafogo)
DEFENDERS: Daniel Alves (Barcelona), Maicon (Roma), Marcelo (Real Madrid), Maxwell (Paris Saint-Germain), Thiago Silva (Paris Saint-Germain), David Luiz (Chelsea), Dante (Bayern Munich), Henrique (Palmeiras)
MIDFIELDERS: Fernando (Shaktar Donetsk), Hernanes (Lazio), Luiz Gustavo (Wolfsburg), Paulinho (Tottenham), Ramires (Chelsea), Oscar (Chelsea), Lucas (Paris Saint-Germain), Bernard (Shakhtar Donetsk)
FORWARDS: Neymar (Barcelona), Fred (Fluminense), Hulk (Zenit Saint Petersburg), Jo (Atletico Mineiro)
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