Tickets start at $30 and are due to go on sale to the general public on January 17 via www.ticketmaster.com or they can be obtained by calling 800-745-3000.
NIGERIA'S Super Eagles will soar into the US on March 5 for a friendly game against Mexico at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta as part of the teams preparations for this summer's World Cup.
Due to kick off at 8.30 pm local time, the game is expected to be a sell-out given the large number of Mexicans in Georgia, said to number about 310,000 in Atlanta alone. Tickets start at $30 and are due to go on sale to the general public on January 17 via www.ticketmaster.com or they can be obtained by calling 800-745-3000.
One of the largest football stadia in the US, the Georgia Dome has a capacity of over 74,000 and is home to the US National Football League team the Atlanta Falcons. Like most US football stadia, however, it is used for multiple sports, hosting American football, baseball and soccer games, so natural grass will be laid down for Super Eagles match.
Christopher Green, the chairman of the Nigerian Football Federation's (NFF) technical committee said that Super Eagles coach Stephen Keshi, will use the match to try out certain fringe players. He added that Keshi will be inviting 26 players for the game of which 13 will be regulars and 13 will be those returning from injury or new players who need to be looked at.
It is likely that some of the returnees and new players up for consideration will include Dele Alampasu, Bright Esieme, Leon Balogun, Juwon Oshaniwa, Kenny Otigba, Joel Obi, Ramon Azeez, Michael Olaitan, Lukman Haruna, Rabiu Ibrahim, Sone Aluko, Chinedu Obasi and Ike Uche. With this being the only Fifa window left before the end of the season, it is Keshi's last chance to look at new players before the World Cup camp proper opens.
Nigeria has already begun planning for the main event, with the Nigerian Football Federation revealing that Super Eagles will arrive in Brazil on June 11. Between March 5 and Nigeria's first game against Iran on June 16, the Super Eagles are planning to play five games against teams from across the Americas, Europe and Asia.
NFF secretary general Musa Ahmadu, said that the main training camp will open on May 28 in Mexico, where the team will train before heading to Brazil. Upon arrival in Brazil, the Eagles will be camped at the Hotel Vitoria in Campinas from where it will shuttle across the country for all of its matches.
Mr Ahmadu added: "The key factor to success is preparation as names do not count at this stage. The most important thing is to identify your opponent and make technical analysis and preparation."
Nigeria will plat Iran in Curitiba on June 16, then face Bosnia-Herzegovina in Cuiaba and Argentina in Porto Alegre. on June 21and June 26 respectively. Most Nigerian football fans are expecting the Eagles to at least qualify for the quarter finals this time around.
Mexico's national team known as El Tri, will be using the March 5 friendly to get a feel of African football as they are drawn in Group A alongside Cameroon. El tri and the Indomitable Lions kick off their World Cup with a match against each other on June 13 in Natal, the capital of Rio Grande do Norte.
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