ST. LOUIS — After electrical issues delayed a first peek into St. Louis City SC's Downtown West stadium, the upstart Major League Soccer franchise says it's now able to open its doors to fans for the first time.
City SC said Thursday its second team, City2, will play an international friendly match Nov. 18 at CityPar (formerly Centene Stadium) against Bayer 04 Leverkusen of the German soccer league Bundesliga.
“An international friendly with a Champions League-caliber club is the perfect way to introduce our new world-class stadium and district to our fans, the greater soccer community and the world," City SC President and CEO Carolyn Kindle said in a new release. “The Bayer 04 friendly will be the first opportunity for fans to see a match in our new 22,500-seat stadium and sample our best-in-class STLMade fan experience, which will reflect St. Louis’ diverse culinary and music scene, ahead of our inaugural 2023 season.”
Bayer 04 Leverkusen is owned by Germany-based pharmaceutical and agriculture giant Bayer AG, which in 2018 acquired St. Louis-based Monsanto and now has the North American headquarters of its Crop Science division based in Creve Coeur.
City SC had planned to host its first match at CityPark Sept. 18 when City 2, which competes in the MLS Next Pro league, was slated to play its final regular season home match. However, an electrical issue left the facility without full power and forced the game to be relocated. The club said Wednesday in a tweet that power has been fully restored at CityPark.
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