Portuguese League club Benfica has been replaced by English Premier League club Aston Villa in the inaugural Gotham Cup at Giants Stadium on July 23 & 25. Benfica withdrew earlier from the Gotham Cup field at the request of its new coach, Jupp Heynckes, who has made other preseason plans for his club this summer. “We are very pleased to have Aston Villa in our inaugural Gotham Cup this summer at Giants Stadium,” said Stillitano. “Their storied history and exciting young squad represent everything that is good about the English game. They are another quality opponent for soccer fans to see at the Gotham Cup after finishing fifth in the English Premier League.” The Inaugural Gotham Cup will be played at Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J. on Friday, July 23, and Sunday, July 25. Aston Villa joins Fiorentina of Italy, Ajax of Holland, and Panathinaikos of Greece in the competing field. Ticket strips for the Gotham Cup doubleheaders on July 23 and 25 are on sale at all Ticketmaster locations in the tri-state area, or by calling the following Ticketmaster phone centers at (212) 307-7171, (201) 507-8900, (516) 888-9000, (914) 454-3388, and (609) 520-8383. Fans can purchase group strips by calling the MetroStars directly at 1-888-4Metrotix, or by visiting the MetroStars retail store at 6226 Bergenline Avenue in West New York, NJ. One strip holds one ticket to the doubleheader on Friday, July 23, and one ticket for the doubleheader on Sunday, July 25th. Tickets for individual dates are not available. Doubleheader pairings and times for the Gotham Cup will be announced at a later date.