Chicago Fire will visit USL League One‘s Lansing Ignite FC for an exhibition in September, part of an affiliation between the two clubs.
Lansing Ignite is a member of the upstart USL League One, a Division III circuit that begins play this later month. The club will play its home games at downtown Lansing’s Cooley Law School Stadium–also home to Minor League Baseball’s Lugnuts (Low A; Midwest League)–and has formed an alliance with MLS’s Chicago Fire.
As part of that affiliation, the Fire will visit Lansing on September 24 to face Ignite at Cooley Law School Stadium. The Chicago Fire Lansing exhibition is not only part of the alliance between the two clubs, but will allow fans in Lansing to see some MLS players in action. More from the Lansing State Journal:
Ignite vice president/general manager Jeremy Sampson said he expects the Fire to send a rotation of players to Lansing throughout the season. Examples of players Chicago loans to Lansing could be players coming off an injury and needing to get back into game shape, or roster players who are healthy and simply need game time.
The Sept. 24 exhibition is part of the Ignite’s season-ticket package and comes at no extra charge. Single-game tickets are available for purchase online and at the stadium box office.
“The alliance not only provides our team with exposure to the highest levels of the game in the United States but also gives the Lansing community an opportunity to see high-quality competition,” Sampson said.
In addition, Lansing is set to visit Chicago on Saturday for a friendly. It should be noted that there is at least one other similar arrangement involving an MLS and USL League One club this season, as Minnesota United is set to visit Forward Madison FC in June as part of their affiliation.