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The series will conclude Saturday, Aug. 11, at 1:55 p.m. with Spain’s La Liga champions Real Madrid FC vs. Scottish Premier League title holders Celtic FC. Eight of the nine matches will be aired live across ESPN2, ESPN3 and ESPN Deportes, with one on ESPN3.
The ESPN Summer Soccer Series includes three teams each from the English Premier League, Major League Soccer, two from Italy’s Serie A, and one from Spain’s La Liga and the Scottish Premier League. Highlights:
• AC Milan: With seven European cup titles and 18 Italian Serie A championships, AC Milan is one of the legendary football clubs in Europe. Its roster consists of some of the top international players, such as Alexandre Pato, Robinho (Brazil), Kevin-Prince Boateng, Sulley Muntari (Ghana), and Ignazio Abate, a key defender in Italy’s UEFA EURO 2012 team.
• A.S. Roma: Three-time Serie A winners and new professional home for U.S. international midfielder Michael Bradley, who completed a transfer to Roma after signing a four-year contract on Sunday.
• Celtic FC: Reigning Scottish Premier League champions with 43 Scottish titles, Celtic FC is one of the two clubs that have dominated Scottish football over the years. The club is led by Greece’s Giorgos Samaras, who scored against Germany in the EURO 2012 quarterfinals.
• Chelsea FC: Current UEFA Champions League and England’s FA Cup winners, Chelsea FC is one of the premier clubs in English football. The roster includes many of the players who participated in the UEFA EURO 2012 – John Terry, Ashley Cole (England), Juan Mata, EURO 2012 Golden Boot winner Fernando Torres (Spain), Petr Cech (Czech Republic), Raul Meireles (Portugal), and Florent Malouda (France).
• Liverpool FC: With 18 English titles, second most all-time in English football, and five European Cup titles, Liverpool FC is one of the legendary clubs in European football. Its roster includes six players who represented England in the just-concluded UEFA European football Championship 2012 in Poland-Ukraine – captain Steven Gerrard, Glen Johnson, Andy Carroll, Jordan Henderson, Stewart Downing and Martin Kelly.
• Los Angeles Galaxy: Currently MLS Cup champions, the Los Angeles Galaxy are one of the Major League Soccer’s preeminent clubs with three of professional soccer’s accomplished players – former England captain David Beckham, U.S. Men’s national Team star Landon Donovan, and current Republic of Ireland captain Robbie Keane.
• New York Red Bulls: One of Major League Soccer’s founding clubs, the New York Red Bulls feature 1998 FIFA World Cup champion Thierry Henry and captain of Mexico’s national team Rafa Marquez.
• Real Madrid: The reigning La Liga champions, Real Madrid has won 32 La Liga titles and nine European Cups. On its roster are 10 players who represented four different nations in the UEFA EURO 2012 – Iker Casillas, Xavi Alonso, Sergio Ramos, Raul Albiol, Alvaro Arbeloa (Spain), Cristiano Ronaldo, Pepe (Spain), Mezut Ozil and Sami Khedira (Germany), and Karim Benzema (France).
• Seattle Sounders: After playing its first match in Major League Soccer in March 2009, the Seattle Sounders have won three straight U.S. Open Cup titles. The team features U.S. Men’s National team player Eddie Johnson and Argentine playmaker Mauro Rosales.
• Tottenham Hotspur: With American goalkeeper Brad Friedel, who has started Premier League-record 304 straight matches, the team has finished among the top-five for three straight seasons in the Premier League. Tottenham Hotspur added new manager Andre Villas-Boas and had three players who competed in the UEFA EURO 2012 – Jermain Defoe, Scott Parker (England), and Rafael van der Vaart (Netherlands).
