Chicharito is coming to play in the USA in January.
At least, his team is coming. Bayer Leverkusen are scheduled to play in the Florida Cup, a friendly tournament involving teams from different countries around the world, in January. The tournament will take place in different sites in Florida.
If the powers that be at Bayer Leverkusen have any sense at all, they will include Chicharito in the traveling squad for the tournament. The Mexican striker is currently on fire, with 15 goals in his last 12 games. We bet a lot of people will turn out in Florida to see him if he plays in the tournament.
So what exactly is the Florida Cup?
According to the Florida Cup website (bolding is theirs), "The event serves as an ideal platform for international clubs who are looking to expand their brands abroad, while training at a quality infrastructure set up under ideal weather condition and competing against top competition."
Last year's Florida Cup, the inaugural edition of the tournament, was won by German club FC Koln.
Also competing in the Florida Cup will be Brazilian clubs Atletico Mineiro, Corinthians, Fluminense (who are bringing Ronaldinho) and Internacional; German club Schalke 04; Ukranian club Shakhtar Donetsk; Colombian club Independiente Santa Fe and American club Fort Lauderdale Strikers.
Bayer Leverkusen will play Santa Fe on Sunday, Jan. 10 at 5 p.m. EST, and Internacional on Wednesday, Jan. 13 at 8:30 p.m. EST. The full schedule can be found here.
Contact The18 Staff Writer Sam Klomhaus at Klomhaus@The18.com or follow him on Twitter @SamKlomhaus