Jeff DiVeronica

@RocDevo

Pro soccer is coming back to Frontier Field this summer — just for one match.

The Western New York Flash will announce Friday morning that they'll host the Seattle Reign at Frontier in a National Women's Soccer League match at 7 p.m. on Saturday, July 9. It'll be the first time in nearly 11 years a professional soccer match has been played in Rochester's downtown baseball stadium that was built for the Triple-A Rochester Red Wings but was also called home by the Rochester Rhinos soccer team from 1996 until 2005.

The Rhinos have been the main tenant at the city's soccer stadium since it opened in 2006. The Buffalo-based Flash have played their home matches in Rochester since 2011. A scheduling conflict at Rhinos Stadium forced the Flash to look for another venue to host Seattle. The Reign have two United States national team stars on their roster, but both — goalkeeper Hope Solo and midfielder Megan Rapinoe — will be with Team USA for an exhibition match against South Africa that same day.

Rhinos Stadium is unavailable to the Flash on July 9 due to a previously scheduled City of Rochester event. The Flash have been working with the Red Wings, who are out of town that weekend, to secure soccer's return to Frontier, located only a couple blocks away from Rhinos Stadium, and its grass field.

“It’s a special place that will bring back countless memories for soccer fans in Rochester," Flash general manager Rich Randall said in a statement released by the club, which hosts the Boston Breakers (1-7-1) at Rhinos Stadium later on Friday. "I’d like to personally thank the Red Wings staff for being so accommodating.”

Tickets, which are all general admission and $15, go on sale Monday at 10 a.m. They'll also be available online at www.wnyflash.com/tickets, by calling the Flash office at 271-5425 or by calling the Frontier Field ticket office at 423-9464. Groups of 15 or more can get tickets for $12 each.

The last Rhinos' match at Frontier Field was a playoff game against the Richmond Kickers on Sept. 25, 2005. Only 6,195 fans showed up to say goodbye to a venue that re-lit Rochester's soccer flame after the North American Soccer League Rochester Lancers folded in 1980. The Rhinos and the United States women's team had previously drawn some of the stadium's biggest crowds.

A soccer match holds the stadium record for a sporting event at Frontier. A sold-out crowd of 14,870 showed up to welcome home the U.S. women and hometown hero Abby Wambach shortly after the Americans won Olympic gold in 2004. The U.S. women also attracted 13,125 fans on Sept. 18, 1998, the night Mia Hamm scored twice, becoming the first American woman to eclipse 100 goals.

The largest crowd for a Rhinos' match at Frontier was 14,809 for a 1996 playoff match against the rival Montreal Impact. The USL club won A-League Championship matches there in 1998, 2000 and 2001.

“We know that there are a lot of people with some great memories of watching soccer at Frontier Field and this will give them a chance to rekindle those memories,” said Naomi Silver, Rochester Red Wings President/CEO/COO. “We were happy to lend a hand to the Flash when their stadium was not available for this date.”

JDIVERON@Gannett.com