Confessions of a Soccer Nobody: The British Invasion
EPL Teams Come to America
Every summer, soccer clubs like Manchester United come to the United States to team build, earn some money, and spread their global brand. This year is no different as ManU is playing the Philadelphia Union at Lincoln Financial Field on July 21, and Manchester City is scheduled to face Inter Milan at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore later that month. Both matches will probably sell out their respective NFL stadiums despite the absence of many star players who will be recovering from the World Cup. But one of the weirder series of international exhibitions to be scheduled this summer includes Bolton Wanderers of the EPL (below) playing the Charleston Battery and Charlotte Eagles. Those teams play alongside the Harrisburg City Islanders in the USL-2, the third tier of American pro soccer. Why would an EPL club come to play our minor leaguers? In all fairness, Bolton is also playing at Toronto FC of MLS, and Charleston has been one of the model franchises of the USL, but still, it shows the wide gulf that exists between the top clubs in Europe. Manchester United will play before nearly 70,000 at the Linc whereas Bolton gets 5,100 fans at Blackbaud Stadium.
It is not uncommon for teams from the USL-2 to play an international friendly. Last summer, Crystal Palace of London defeated their affiliate, Crystal Palace Baltimore, by the score of 5-2, and the Harrisburg City Islanders, 3-1, during their two-game American tour. The City Islanders drew over 5,000 fans to the match, which was contested at Lancaster’s Clipper Magazine Stadium. Another such exhibition match is rumored to be in the works for Harrisburg, although the opponent or date has not been announced. It was great to see Crystal Palace, who competes in the Coca-Cola Championship, the second tier of English professional soccer. They brought their first team which featured players like Victor Moses (since sold to Wigan Athletic of the EPL), Nick Carle (named to Australia’s World Cup squad earlier this week), Freddie Sears (owned by West Ham of the EPL), Nathaniel Clyne (named FourFourTwo’s Championship youth player of the year), and Darren Ambrose (who scored 20 goals for Palace this season). Seeing Crystal Palace in person twice last summer led the Soccer Nobody to embrace the club and follow their progress this season. For the record, Palace narrowly avoided relegation after being forced into administration. If these words mean nothing to you, it probably just means you don’t care about soccer or don’t speak British English. So it would seem that these American tours can have the effect the clubs desire: cash in on merchandise sales, gain some international fans, and prepare the squad for the upcoming season. That begs the question: are you planning to attend these international matches? Are you more or less likely to check out the Philadelphia Union if they’re playing Manchester United or Celtic FC rather than MLS opposition?
These games seem to have lost a lot of their luster over the years. In 2003, teams like Manchester United, Juventus, and FC Barcelona electrified crowds in Philadelphia and New York during their exhibition matches. Many of these teams were loaded with their first-team players, so we all got to see Ryan Giggs closer to his prime, Ronaldinho while he played for the Brazilian national team, and a young Tim Howard get his first taste of European football. These games were novel and the big clubs had not yet saturated the American market. But these matches have recurred on an annual basis before diminishing crowds. Some still prove to be great events, for example, last summer Chelsea and AC Milan sold out Baltimore’s M&T Bank Stadium largely because the Baltimore area hadn’t been exposed to big-time European soccer. Real Madrid unveiled new signings Cristiano Ronaldo and Kaka during their friendly with DC United last August at FedEx Field. But more and more of these fixtures feature the same teams with weakened squads due to injury, fatigue, or this summer, World Cup duty. The international exhibitions still pull in larger crowds than MLS regular season games, but the buzz surrounding them seem to have worn off. The games no longer sell out as quickly as they once did, nor do they captivate soccer aficionados as they might have in the past. Toronto FC fans are bemoaning that they “only” get to see Bolton rather than Real Madrid, while tickets remain plentiful for matches featuring Juventus and Milan in New York and Washington, D.C. respectively. Money certainly dominates the organization of these matches, but the novelty has worn off. Considering that the World Cup will strip many of these teams of their stars, promoters should have taken the year off rather than asking fans to pay high ticket prices to see reserve players.
Throw-Ins
Every summer, soccer clubs like Manchester United come to the United States to team build, earn some money, and spread their global brand. This year is no different as ManU is playing the Philadelphia Union at Lincoln Financial Field on July 21, and Manchester City is scheduled to face Inter Milan at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore later that month. Both matches will probably sell out their respective NFL stadiums despite the absence of many star players who will be recovering from the World Cup. But one of the weirder series of international exhibitions to be scheduled this summer includes Bolton Wanderers of the EPL (below) playing the Charleston Battery and Charlotte Eagles. Those teams play alongside the Harrisburg City Islanders in the USL-2, the third tier of American pro soccer. Why would an EPL club come to play our minor leaguers? In all fairness, Bolton is also playing at Toronto FC of MLS, and Charleston has been one of the model franchises of the USL, but still, it shows the wide gulf that exists between the top clubs in Europe. Manchester United will play before nearly 70,000 at the Linc whereas Bolton gets 5,100 fans at Blackbaud Stadium.
It is not uncommon for teams from the USL-2 to play an international friendly. Last summer, Crystal Palace of London defeated their affiliate, Crystal Palace Baltimore, by the score of 5-2, and the Harrisburg City Islanders, 3-1, during their two-game American tour. The City Islanders drew over 5,000 fans to the match, which was contested at Lancaster’s Clipper Magazine Stadium. Another such exhibition match is rumored to be in the works for Harrisburg, although the opponent or date has not been announced. It was great to see Crystal Palace, who competes in the Coca-Cola Championship, the second tier of English professional soccer. They brought their first team which featured players like Victor Moses (since sold to Wigan Athletic of the EPL), Nick Carle (named to Australia’s World Cup squad earlier this week), Freddie Sears (owned by West Ham of the EPL), Nathaniel Clyne (named FourFourTwo’s Championship youth player of the year), and Darren Ambrose (who scored 20 goals for Palace this season). Seeing Crystal Palace in person twice last summer led the Soccer Nobody to embrace the club and follow their progress this season. For the record, Palace narrowly avoided relegation after being forced into administration. If these words mean nothing to you, it probably just means you don’t care about soccer or don’t speak British English. So it would seem that these American tours can have the effect the clubs desire: cash in on merchandise sales, gain some international fans, and prepare the squad for the upcoming season. That begs the question: are you planning to attend these international matches? Are you more or less likely to check out the Philadelphia Union if they’re playing Manchester United or Celtic FC rather than MLS opposition?These games seem to have lost a lot of their luster over the years. In 2003, teams like Manchester United, Juventus, and FC Barcelona electrified crowds in Philadelphia and New York during their exhibition matches. Many of these teams were loaded with their first-team players, so we all got to see Ryan Giggs closer to his prime, Ronaldinho while he played for the Brazilian national team, and a young Tim Howard get his first taste of European football. These games were novel and the big clubs had not yet saturated the American market. But these matches have recurred on an annual basis before diminishing crowds. Some still prove to be great events, for example, last summer Chelsea and AC Milan sold out Baltimore’s M&T Bank Stadium largely because the Baltimore area hadn’t been exposed to big-time European soccer. Real Madrid unveiled new signings Cristiano Ronaldo and Kaka during their friendly with DC United last August at FedEx Field. But more and more of these fixtures feature the same teams with weakened squads due to injury, fatigue, or this summer, World Cup duty. The international exhibitions still pull in larger crowds than MLS regular season games, but the buzz surrounding them seem to have worn off. The games no longer sell out as quickly as they once did, nor do they captivate soccer aficionados as they might have in the past. Toronto FC fans are bemoaning that they “only” get to see Bolton rather than Real Madrid, while tickets remain plentiful for matches featuring Juventus and Milan in New York and Washington, D.C. respectively. Money certainly dominates the organization of these matches, but the novelty has worn off. Considering that the World Cup will strip many of these teams of their stars, promoters should have taken the year off rather than asking fans to pay high ticket prices to see reserve players.
Throw-Ins
Add Celtic FC of Scotland (right) to the list of international clubs hoping to cash in on the American market. The Philadelphia Union will host Celtic at PPL Park on July 14 at 8:00 pm. The match replaces an exhibition previously scheduled against Valencia of Spain. Valencia withdrew from their American tour because of issues with their promoter.
- If Italian Calcio is your thing, you’re in luck. Juventus FC is playing at the New York Red Bulls on Sunday, May 23 at 1:00 pm whereas AC Milan visits DC United on Wednesday, May 26 at 8:00 pm. Ronaldinho and Pato are scheduled to play for Milan since neither made Brazil’s provisional World Cup squad.
- Tickets for the Charleston Battery vs. Bolton Wanderers match go on sale Monday morning. They cost an unbelievably low $15. Kudos to the Charleston organization for putting together the match and keeping it remarkably affordable for their fans.
- The City Islanders (0-4-1) lost their fourth straight match, falling 3-2 at Real Maryland on Thursday night. Sheanon Williams and Jason Hotchkin each scored their second goal of the season while J.T. Noone registered his second assist in as many games. Harrisburg has now surrendered 12 goals in 5 games while scoring only 5 themselves. The City Islanders return to action against the league-leading Charleston Battery on Saturday, May 22 at 7:00 pm at Skyline Sports Complex.
- Reading United hosts the Northern Virginia Royals on Friday at Don Thomas Stadium. Reading opened their PDL season by winning 5-0 last weekend. Considering the woes of the Union and City Islanders, might it be time to hop on the Reading United bandwagon?
- Speaking of the Union, they finally return home on Saturday to face FC Dallas. This is the last MLS match to be played at Lincoln Financial Field before the Union christens PPL Park on June 27 (the Linc will host the ManU friendly because of its higher seating capacity). FC Dallas features former Penn State star Jason Yeisley, while former PSU head coach Barry Gorman recently left his post in Happy Valley to join the front office in Dallas. The Nittany Lions have yet to announce Gorman’s replacement.
Posted by Soccer Nobody at 5/14/2010 1:00 PM 
Categories: Confessions of a Soccer Nobody
Tags: Crystal Palace Barry Gorman Northern Virginia Royals EPL Harrisburg City Islanders Juventus FC Celtic FC of Scotland FC Dallas Sheanon Williams Philadelphia Union J.T. Noone USL-2 Real Maryland Reading United Bolton Wanderers Manchester United Jason Hotchkin
Categories: Confessions of a Soccer Nobody
Tags: Crystal Palace Barry Gorman Northern Virginia Royals EPL Harrisburg City Islanders Juventus FC Celtic FC of Scotland FC Dallas Sheanon Williams Philadelphia Union J.T. Noone USL-2 Real Maryland Reading United Bolton Wanderers Manchester United Jason Hotchkin
Reading United knocked off the Northern Virginia Royals 3-1 last night. The PDL club has demonstrated a potent attack in their first two matches of the season. Reading embarks on a four-game road trip and doesn't return home until June 5.
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Unreal post... Fantastic stuff.
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