Yankees vs. Red Sox

ST. LOUIS – Two of the most powerful and prestigious soccer clubs in the world will kick-off a two-game exhibition series when they take the field to battle it out at Busch Stadium on Thursday night.

It will be the first non-baseball event at the stadium since its inception in 2006.

The Cardinals anticipate standing-room attendance of about 46,000 for Thursday night’s match and a two-day conversion process got the seal of approval from the

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ST. LOUIS – Two of the most powerful and prestigious soccer clubs in the world will kick-off a two-game exhibition series when they take the field to battle it out at Busch Stadium on Thursday night.

It will be the first non-baseball event at the stadium since its inception in 2006.

The Cardinals anticipate standing-room attendance of about 46,000 for Thursday night’s match and a two-day conversion process got the seal of approval from the Chelsea groundskeeper. The second game is Saturday at Yankee Stadium.

Attendance was announced as 10,259 with fans paying $20 for the practice session followed by a concert by Cracker and fireworks display in a nearly empty stadium.

Mata and Ivanovic, the only players made available to reporters, promised they’d be playing to win and took note of hundreds of fans who showed up in team regalia. Three hours before the practice, fans lined up 20 deep to pose with Chelsea’s Europa championship trophy.

“It’s a huge stadium, it’s a pleasure for us to play here and we are expecting a great atmosphere,” Mata said. “All we can do is try to do our best.”

If there were complaints about the extended season, they kept them to themselves.

“We’ll have our rest in the summer,” Mata said. “Now it’s time to enjoy it here in the States, try to enjoy these two friendly games.”

They had limited knowledge of the Cardinals, who have the best record in the National League. Chelsea is using the visitor’s clubhouse.

“The Cardinals, yeah they’re famous,” Mata said.

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