2024 'Desert Friendlies' brings MLS back to Tucson for Saturday showdown

This year, the professional soccer spring training program is set to feature 10 men’s sides from MLS, USL Championship and USL League One plus two from the NWSL, considered the top professional women’s soccer league in the U.S. The Desert Friendlies are hosted by FC Tucson.

The festivities start on Saturday when CF Montréal and Minnesota United, both of the MLS, play at 6 p.m. at Kino North Stadium.

“It’s fantastic,” FC Tucson president Jon Pearlman said. “We’re incredibly honored to have two MLS teams playing this Saturday but more than that to be able to host USL teams from League One, the Championship and a couple NWSL teams during this preseason.

“We’re always happy that Tucson’s a hot bed for soccer this time of year.”

According to the Tucson Sentinel, this is the first time an NWSL team has come to Tucson since 2015 when the Portland Thorns played FC Tucson, UA and ASU.

Although FC Tucson will be involved in the upcoming Tucson USL Super League offering — USL Super League is an developing first division women’s league that’s been billed as a possible rival to the NWSL — Pearlman said the club welcomes all guests to Tucson and they want to help women’s sports in any way they can.

“We always want to have the initiative where we’re welcoming to all,” Pearlman said. “We think all leagues can be successful and the NWSL and USL Super League are complementary leagues. They can both be successful. There needs to be more opportunities for women to play and if we have a great venue to play at and the teams.”

The other sides that have been announced so far as part of the Desert Friendlies efforts: New Mexico United, Sacramento Republic, Louisville City, Phoenix Rising, Colorado Springs Switchbacks, Detroit City FC, El Paso Locomotive and Spokane Velocity.

The NWSL starts its season later and those teams will be announced later.

Pearlman estimated that part of the local economic impact of the Desert Friendlies includes the buying up of 2,000-plus hotel room nights.

“They’re spending all their dollars in the market here as they’re out all the time,” Pearlman said, “and we have 10 teams over a period of month.”

“It’s incredibly big to bring that kind of push in here and then their fans as well.”

Minnesota United has been to Tucson for preseason action before, but CF Montréal is in Southern Arizona for the first time.

The landscape of MLS preseason has changed since the New York Red Bulls and Sporting Kansas City played at Hi Corbett Field before 10,087 in 2011. Pearlman, however, thinks Tucson still has a place in MLS spring training.

A preseason tournament in Coachella Valley is hosting 11 MLS teams plus Phoenix and four NWSL sides. Meanwhile Inter Miami — the MLS club featuring global icons in Lionel Messi on the pitch and David Beckham as one its owners — are playing in El Salvador, Dallas, Saudi Arabia, Hong Kong and Japan.

“It’s just become a very competitive preseason market and a lot of the MLS teams have the ability to stay in their own market and there’s an event in Coachella, there’s events in Florida and there’s also obviously the Messi tour where he can fill the Cotton Bowl playing FC Dallas,” Pearlman said. “So we know we have a place in the market for preseason, we know have a great city and a great venue to train at, so we’ll continue to play our part in and continue to modify how we do it.”

Corner kicks

A pair of Tucson natives and FC Tucson alumni are heading to the pros.

Earlier this month the Kansas City Current picked UA alum and goalkeeper Hope Hisey in the fourth round of the NWSL draft. She also went to Canyon del Oro High School.

Also this month Real Salt Lake of the MLS signed defender Tommy Silva to a Homegrown contract. He briefly went to University High School before moving to Utah to go to their academy before going to UCLA.

FC Tucson and Visit Tucson are holding a contest to win a CF Montréal jersey on FCTucson.com. It runs until Saturday at 11:59 p.m.