The International Champions Cup tends to make preseason football worth watching. Such will be the case this Saturday when Real Madrid and Barcelona face off in the state of Florida. This is in fact a “friendly” match ahead of La Liga’s next season. Despite nothing being at stake–not sports-wise– this weekend’s Clasico has a few unique features up its sleeve.
A Bit of Everything
Whoever decided to host this match at sunny Florida is a genius. The recently re-named Hard Rock Stadium, home of the NFL’s Miami Dolphins is the perfect stage for such a match. A multicultural city like Miami will provide for an extremely interesting cultural clash. The two biggest clubs in Spain will battle in front thousands of passionate Latino fans, the Spanish community, and the also very passionate and loud (Don’t believe me?… Ask the Seattle Saunders) American fans. This game is an irrefutable proof of how soccer never ceases to evolve in the land of the free. More than sixty thousand fans will witness a “limited edition” of the world’s most popular match. All with a touch international flavor.
Silly Season
It seems that at term that is usually used in the field of motorsports is more than fitting. As much hype as the host venue and the fans can bring, the main event can spoil the party. At the end of the day, if the match isn’t good, none of the other factors will be worth it, at least not for regular fans. Unfortunately, we must keep in the back of our heads the thought that this huge event can turn out to be one of the many ICC stale and boring matches. It might not look like it, but it all might play out like a “silly” pre season match. For the sake of the fans at the stadium and the millions who will be watching around the world trough the magic of television, both Barca and Real must put on a good show. But until Saturday… We can only hope for such thing to happen.
Missing Pieces
It is most certain that Miami will not see every star. For starters, Ronaldo is on holiday and he was not going to trade them in any way for the ICC. The same can be said for El Capitan Sergio Ramos. The newly acquired Dani Ceballos will likely not see action this Saturday. Expect both sides to swap some pieces out for fresher faces, those in attendance will see their fair share of newcomers and youngsters on the pitch.
Look for Real Madrid’s Castilla players to make their usual sporadic appearances with the top club, such as Alvaro Tejero. Such circumstances also apply for the Catalan XI. Goalkeeper Marc-André ter Stegen and Andre Gomes are still enjoying their summer off. Look for Jasper Cillissen to be in between the posts and for Munir to try and show his until now, somewhat inconsistent fire power.
Not everyone is absent, not at all, some completely flew the nest. James has found a temporary home in Munich, and Danilo landed a while ago in the Manchester Airport, lets not forget Pepe who left Los Merengues with a bit of a rant. And who knows, by the way things are looking maybe not even Neymar will make it to Miami, trading his Barca jersey for a PSG one in the process.
Public Domain
It must be an strange feeling for life long fans. The game you once felt only yours, is not anymore. In this day and age, thanks to social media and the quickness with which information spreads all over the world, sporting events such as this one simply can not go under the radar.
El Clasico has become a global phenomena, followed by everybody who enjoys soccer, regardless of the team they actually support. It is not just La Liga anymore. This set of ninety minutes has transcended to a completely different level. It is not about El Clasico de España anymore. We now must talk about El Clasico del Mundo. What was at some point in history the favorite soccer game for dictator Franco has now become a game for the world.
We do not know the outcome, neither do we know the score. Predicting this kind of matches is simply impossible. The only thing set in stone is that Atletico will still be the third player in a game meant for two. This Saturday’s match will be different. Either for good or for bad. Real Madrid vs Barcelona is also a perfect follow up for a city that has been quite busy recently. Lastly but definitely not least. This Saturday’s match will once again show why soccer is the global sport.
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