Peoria City to Host Atlas FC U23 June 20 at Bloomington HS
(MAY 20, 2025 | PEORIA, ILLINOIS) – Peoria City will deliver another milestone event to the Central Illinois soccer community when the 2024 USL League Two national runner up hosts the U23 team from Liga BBVA MX franchise Atlas FC Friday, June 20 at Bloomington High School.
The fourth game in the expanding Copa Peoria Series is believed to be the first-ever international friendly between FIFA member clubs in Bloomington/Normal history. Kickoff is set for 7:30 pm Friday, June 20 at the Bloomington High School stadium (1203 E. Locust Street, Bloomington, IL).
The 10th game in Peoria City’s 2025 schedule is included in all season-ticket packages. Single-game ticket pricing for the premium contest is $10 for general admission seating in the larger, north grandstand, as well as in the south grandstand with The 309 supporters group; and $30 for lawn-chair seating on the field level. Tickets may be purchased in advance online by visiting PeoriaCitySoccer.com/tickets. Bloomington High School students, faculty and staff will receive one complimentary admission per person by presenting valid school identification at the stadium entry gates.
Currently ranked #2 among 144 teams from coast-to-coast in the 2025 USL League Two power rankings, Peoria City (2-0-0 USL League Two) has begun the defense of its 2024 Central Conference championship with a pair of victories versus league newcomer FC Ambush: 2-1 May 10 in St. Louis and 3-1 this past Saturday at Bradley University’s Shea Stadium. The club’s diverse 2025 roster currently consists of 37 players from nine countries, including 13 players from six Central Illinois communities: Bloomington (Owen Pacetti); Morton (Wes Gibson, Daniel Happach); Normal (Noah Grieshaber); Peoria (Lucas Fontana, Tommy Graham, Kayden Hudson, Quinton Hynek, Joel McIntyre, Shady Omar, Fritz Volmar); Princeville (Hudson Hazlewood); and Washington (Mitch Coughlon).
Now in its fourth season of competition in USL League Two, the country’s premier pre-professional men’s soccer league, Peoria City has expanded its schedule each of the last two years with international competition in the Copa Peoria Series. Last summer, Peoria City welcomed the U23 team from one of the world’s most popular soccer clubs, Chivas de Guadalajara, for a pair of games at Shea Stadium. After playing to a 0-0 draw June 9, Chivas U23 earned a 3-2 victory in the rematch June 12 as more than 5,000 fans took in the pair of friendlies. The Chivas U23 team returned to Peoria for a third friendly March 22 and Peoria City evened the series by rallying for a 2-1 decision at Peoria Stadium.
The June 20 matchup in the Copa Peoria Series will kick off a 4-game Midwestern tour for Atlas FC U23, which also will visit League Two squads Northern Indiana FC June 22, Flint City Bucks June 25 and Fort Wayne FC June 28.
While the Peoria City men’s team will return to the road for a Saturday afternoon match in Kansas City at Santa Fe Wanderers, the WPSL expansion women’s team will make its home debut Saturday night by hosting Lou Fusz Athletic at Shea Stadium. The 7:00 pm matchup of Gateway Conference teams will be Youth Soccer Night – all youth soccer players wearing their school, club or rec soccer jersey will receive free admission – and the game will be followed by Peoria City’s first fireworks show of the summer. Tickets for Saturday’s women’s home debut begin at $6 and are available online at PeoriaCitySoccer.com/tickets. The tailgate parking lot will open at 4:00 pm Saturday and stadium gates will open at 6 o’clock with the postgame fireworks display to begin at approximately 9 o’clock.
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