Real Madrid will return to the United States for the preseason and will face Atletico in New York
By Ben Sundock
Real Madrid will be spending a couple of weeks in the United States once again this summer as they will take part in the biggest preseason tournament in the world, the International Champions Cup. Here is who they will face and where they will be playing.
For all Madridistas living in the United States, rejoice! The most successful club in European football history will be gracing America with three friendly matches in three different cities and states.
In an event held in New York City Wednesday morning, actor Jason Sudeikis and Real Madrid ambassador Alvaro Arbeloa announced that the club will face Bayern Munich, Arsenal, and inner-city rival Atletico de Madrid over the course of a week.
Real will play Bayern in the NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas on July 20th, Arsenal on the 23rd at FedExField of Landover, Maryland, and will end the trip in New York City against Atleti at MetLife Stadium on July 26th.
The first two matches will kickoff 7 pm local time and the third match will kickoff at 7:30 pm local time. That means if you are a Real Madrid fan living in Europe, you will have to stay awake until 1 or 2 am to get to watch the matches.
If you’ll recall, Real has already played at FedExField and MetLife Stadium on multiple occasions including during last summer’s tournament when the club played Juventus and AS Roma in those stadiums respectively.
The Madrid Derby in New York will be the first time the derby has taken place outside of Europe. If the El Clásico friendly in Miami, Florida a couple of years back is any indication as to what this match will be like, it will have the intensity of a competitive cup match.
Where the team will be based for their week of training prior to the three ICC matches is unknown, however, I think it is safe to assume they will not be headquartered in Los Angeles, California like they were last summer.
Chances are very good Los Blancos will set up camp somewhere on the eastern seaboard. Miami is likely the leading candidate right now.
Other than Real Madrid, Arsenal, Bayern Munich, and Atletico Madrid, eight other teams – Tottenham, Inter Milan, Juventus, AC Milan, Manchester United, Benfica, Roma, and Chivas de Guadalajara – will compete across the globe in the “tournament.”
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The International Champions Cup is a great way for managers to get their first team players back up to speed and figure out which youngsters deserve a spot in the lineup more regularly. Playing this kind of competition will greatly benefit anyone and everyone involved.