The Seattle Sounders will play English Coca-Cola Championship side Preston North End (PNE) on July 23 at Qwest Field. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m and the match will be the first of three on PNE’s preseason schedule in the United States.

"As in past years, it is our desire to provide top quality English soccer to fans in Seattle," said Sounders general manager Bart Wiley. "Having made a run at promotion to the English Premier League over the past few years, Preston certainly brings a top level club to Seattle."

Tickets will be $15 for general admission and $20 for reserved seating and will go on sale to the general public Monday June 11th at 10am through SeattleSounders.net and Ticketmaster locations, www.ticketmaster.com or by calling (206) 628-0888. Sounders season ticket holders will be able to purchase their seats in advance, beginning today, by calling the Sounders office at 206.622.3415.

One of the founding members of the English Football League in 1888, PNE, finished the 2006-07 season in seventh place in the Coca-Cola Championship (England’s second tier) with a record of 22-16-8 (75pts) and just one point away from a playoff berth for the opportunity to be promoted to the English Premier League.

The team features forwards David Nugent, who made a dream debut for the English National team on March 28, 2007 scoring a goal in the 3-0 European Cup qualifier match against Andorra and Neil Mellor who is best remembered for a Champions League goal he scored for Liverpool against Olympiacos in the 2004-2005 addition of the tournament that saw Liverpool crowned champions.

Known as the “Lilywhites”, PNE is the first team in English soccer history to accomplish “The Double” – posting a perfect record in league play and winning the Football Association (FA) Cup – in 1889. Preston North End is one of the few teams in England to have won championships at four different levels. Based in Preston, Lancashire, in northwest England, Preston North End was formed in 1880 and has won two FA Cups and eight league titles in its 127-year history.

The Sounders last faced competition from the Coca-Cola Championship in England last July when they played to a 1-1 draw against Cardiff City. Prior to that the Sounders lost to a then English Premier League bound Sunderland squad by a score of 1-0 in 2005.

The match will be the second exhibition Sounders fans are treated to this summer, with the first taking place on June 2 when the Sounders took on Chivas USA from Major League Soccer, which saw the return of former Sounder front man, Maykel Galindo.

For more information about the Seattle Sounders and their upcoming events, please visit SeattleSounders.net.

ABOUT PRESTON NORTH END
Founded in 1880, Preston North End was one of the founding members of the English Football League in 1888. The club was successful early in its history, winning the top division title in 1888-89 and 1889-90, and recorded the first “Double” in English soccer history going undefeated in both league and FA Cup matches. Only Arsenal has recorded an undefeated regular season since, accomplishing the feat in 2003-04. In 1938, Preston North End captured its second FA Cup with a 1-0 win over Huddersfield Town.

In the early 1960s Preston North End was relegated to the second division, now called the Coca-Cola Championship. In 1964, Preston North End made its seventh FA Cup finals appearance, but lost to West Ham United. Preston North End slid to the third division (now League One) in 1973 and would ultimately drop as low as the fourth division (now League Two) in 1985. Since 1990, Preston North End has made a steady climb back to the Championship earning a promotion in 1995-96 and then returning to the second division after the 1999-00 season.

In recent years, Preston North End has become a promotion contender fighting for a chance to play in England’s top tier, the English Premier League. The Lilywhites reached the Championship playoff final in 2004-05, but lost to West Ham United. The following season, Preston North End lost to Leeds United in the semi-finals ending another run at a promotion. In 2006-07, Preston North End finished one point from a promotion playoff spot.

Preston North End plays its home matches at Deepdale Stadium. Built in 1875, Deepdale is one of the oldest stadiums in the country and seats approximately 20,500 people.

PRESTON NORTH END PROFESSIONAL ERA – 1888 – PRESENT
Football Association (FA) Cups: 2
1888-89, 1937-38

FA Cup Runner up: 5
1887-88, 1921-22, 1936-37, 1953-54, 1963-64

Football League Division 1 Champions: 2
1888-89, 1889-90

Football League Division 1 Runner up: 6
1890-91, 1891-92, 1892-93, 1905-06, 1952-53, 1957-58

English League One Champions: 1
1999-2000