Times and matchups for the inaugural Gotham Cup, scheduled to take place at Giants Stadium on July 23 and 25, have been set. On Friday night, July 23, Ajax (Netherlands) will meet Aston Villa (England) in the first match at 7:00 p.m., ET. Fiorentina (Italy) will then face Panathinaikos (Greece) at 9:30 p.m., ET in the second match of the Gotham Cup’s first night of action. On Sunday, July 25, the consolation match will take place at 4:00 p.m. ET, followed by the championship match at 6:30 p.m. ET. The revised Gotham Cup format, which was previously based on a total-points competition, shall be a typical semi-final/final system. The winners of the first round (semi-finals) shall play for the championship, while the losers of the first round shall play in the consolation match. No match will end in draw. Penalty kicks shall be taken to determine a winner, according to normal FIFA tournament procedures (5 shooters per team, alternating shots). “All four of our Gotham Cup teams will be competing in either the UEFA Cup or Champions League this fall,” said MetroStars GM Charlie Stillitano. “These clubs are bringing their full teams, including their most recent signings such as Brian Laudrup at Ajax and Angelo Di Livio and Abel Balbo at Fiorentina. They will use the Gotham Cup to prepare for their upcoming league and European competitions.” Ticket strips for the Gotham Cup doubleheaders on July 23 & 25th 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.