Sydney FC will face J-League side Sagan Tosu in a friendly on 24 July 2013.
Sydney FC will face J-League side Sagan Tosu in a friendly on 24 July 2013.
With the club looking to capitalise on marquee man Alessandro Del Piero’s huge popularity in Japan, Frank Farina’s side will leave Australia on 22 July after starting pre-season training on 19 June – and two days after the Foxtel A-League All Stars play Manchester United in Sydney.
The match will be Sydney FC-s fourth trip to Japan having played matches in Tokyo and Nagoya at the 2005 FIFA Club World Championships, as well as AFC Champions League matches against Urawa Red Diamonds (2007) and Kashima Antlers (2011).
“Sydney FC has enjoyed a significant increase in exposure across Europe since Alessandro Del Piero joined the club and this allows us to increase our brand awareness in one of the critical markets of Asia,” Sydney FC CEO Tony Pignata said.
“The game against Sagan Tosu will give us the opportunity to further increase our presence in Asia as well as give Frank Farina and the team a good hit out as we look forward to the 2013/14 season.”
The match is also a vital part of coach Frank Farina-s pre-season schedule leading into the 2013/14 Hyundai A-League.
“This will be a great opportunity for us to test ourselves against J-League opposition and also allows us to get together as a group as we move towards the start of next season,” Farina said.
“We are planning a tough pre-season with a lot of matches so we can hit the ground running when the (20-13/14) season starts.”
