Once again this summer, some of Europe’s most famous clubs will be coming to the United States for a series of friendlies and the Guinness International Champions Cup. This year’s featured clubs in the International Champions Cup include Barcelona, Manchester United, Chelsea, and Paris Saint-Germain. But while these matches are just exhibitions, they cost regular or even post-season prices, so are these matches worth attending?
As someone who lives right outside of D.C. and is a rabid Chelsea fan, I was thrilled to see that the scheduling gods (in this case, the folks at Guinness, who I had long ago elevated to deity status) matched up Chelsea and Barcelona at FedEx Field on July 28th. After I remembered that the Copa America is this summer, I had resigned myself to the fact that Barcelona would likely not be bringing its full squad, since many of its top stars will still be on Summer holiday after the tournament. Which likely means no Neymar, and of course...no Messi. But since most of its top players are European-based, Chelsea would likely be bringing most of its full squad, minus the Brazilian contingent. Or so I thought.
Then I learned that the Community Shield (which matches the winner of the Premier League with the winner of the FA Cup) is THREE days after the match in D.C. (in London naturally). Which means more than likely, Chelsea will be fielding a squad of youth players for its match in D.C. to keep its starting 11 fresh for the Community Shield.
This is not the first time recently that American fans have been disappointed and missed out on the opportunity to see the top players in the world when their clubs visited the United States. The Argentinian National Team recently played two friendlies on the East Coast during an international break and all of the advertisements highlighted that this was the chance to see Messi live and in person. And Messi saw the sights in D.C., met some local D.C. sports stars, and yet...he did not step on the pitch for one minute in either match due to an “injury” that somehow did not cause him to miss any time for Barcelona. And, in fact, the previous time that Barcelona came to the D.C. area, for a friendly against Manchester United in 2011, Messi also did not play a single minute.
The only thing RG3 and Messi have in common is that they both wear #10. Photo: cbssports.com
Obviously, these exhibitions should not take priority over league or cup competition matches that actually count for something back in Europe, so I understand why the national and club teams would not want to risk their players getting injured just to show them off in the United States.
However, the tickets to these exhibition matches are incredibly expensive. Seats at FedEx Field in the lower midfield section for the Chelsea-Barcelona match were $250 each plus all the “convenience” charges that are inevitably added thanks to Ticketmaster’s Aerys Targaryen-esque reign of terror over our live entertainment. This is more than 3 times what I paid to see Chelsea play an actual Premier League match at Stamford Bridge (and those were among the highest ticket options available to the public). It is simply outrageous that the powers-that-be are charging these extravagant prices, advertising players that will not be in attendance, and putting a B or C squad on the pitch. Then again, this is all happening at FedEx Field, so maybe they’re just following its owner’s lead.
"Yout want to play what in my stadium? Sure, go ahead, the quality of the field doesn't matter for my team...but it'll cost you." Photo: gawker
And yet....I’m still going. And so are many other people. Despite the litany of problems described above, these matches draw huge crowds and often sell out rather large American football stadiums. Most people cannot make an annual jaunt to Europe to see their favorite club play a match that counts, so they want to take advantage of this opportunity to see them locally because they do not have another viable option. And the fan atmospheres in and around the stadiums are rather enjoyable. There is singing, camaraderie, and of course, heavy drinking (the true cultural common ground). So yes, if you are a fan of one of the clubs that is coming to the United States, it IS worth it to attend these matches. Just know what you’re getting yourself into.
All of this should make everyone that much more excited for next year’s Copa America competition that will be held in the United States. All of the matches will count, and all of the South American stars will be here, and they won’t be just seeing the sights and sitting on the sideline; they’ll be on the pitch. Let the countdown to the greatness begin.
Follow Mike Smith on Twitter @thefootiegent
I bet Dan Snyder and Sepp Blatter would be besties. Snyder may just take over as the head of FIFA...
