International Champions Cup Returns
Madrid Derby in The States, A.S. Roma vs Arsenal coming to the Queen City.
The International Champions Cup will be returning to the United States for the sixth year in a row. Teams from England, Italy, Mexico, Germany, Portugal, and Spain will all take part in this tournament that has, for the past years, been played in North America but has now branched out into Asia and Oceania. A.S. Roma and Chivas de Guadelajara will kick off the tour, on July 16, in Bridgeview, Illinois.
Bank of America Stadium will host A.S. Roma three days later as they take on English giants, Arsenal. The Gunners are the third British team to play in the Queen City since the ICC began, with Liverpool and Chelsea have also played in front of nearly sell-out crowds. Liverpool returned to Charlotte last year to take on American phenom Christian Pulisic and his German side Borussia Dortmund.
The biggest game on the schedule, in my opinion, will be the Madrid Derby held in East Rutherford, N.J. at MetLife Stadium. Spanish, and world, giants Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid will hold the first Madrid Derby outside of Spain. Though it may not hold the importance of an official LaLiga match it will surely pack the 82,550 seat stadium.
I’ve been to several international friendlies in the States and I can say that it is a great way for these teams to grow their brand and reach new fan bases all over the world. It also gives teams a great chance to check out their young talent. It is not uncommon for these squads to bring some top athletes from their youth academies and give them some development time against other top world clubs and large stadiums. It is definitely an experience that I would suggest any diehard soccer fan take in. It’s fun to watch a match on tv, but being there live is an indescribable experience.
Written by Guest Blogger Dave Hodges
