This summer, the land of America has witnessed a succession of soccer extravaganzas. It's not just one of the many exciting friendly soccer matches that have seen Europe's top clubs fly across the pond to compete in Major League Soccer (MLS), the Soccer League, the National Football League (NFL), college soccer teams, and even MLB stadiums. The powerhouses of the Premier League, La Liga, Bundesliga and Serie A, as well as Wrexham in the Championship, have staged grand media tours and community events.TA has provided in-depth coverage of the Wolves' grueling efforts for the three-game tour - which has totaled about £1.05 million ($1.344 million).
Manchester City and Real Madrid faced AC Milan at Yankee Stadium a week before the Barcelona match, a game that drew 46,122 fans. U.S. international soccer captain Christian Pulisic came on as an 80th-minute substitute to help the Italian side to a narrow 3-2 victory. Pulisic has been the face of Milan's tour, while Manchester City hosted a fan meet-and-greet in New York prior to the match, with stars such as Norwegian striker Haaland and England international Grealish making appearances.
Despite the grandeur of the tournament, the business ties between the professional clubs and the Yankees are especially strong.
Back in 2008, Manchester City and Yankees announced that they were joining forces to form New York City Football Club (NYCFC) to join the MLS family. The City Football Group owns both clubs, as well as others around the world. As for AC Milan, the club owned by New York-based Redbird Capital Partners brought in a minority stake in the Yankees in 2008. That same year, the teams announced they would sell AC Milan products at Yankee Stadium. Milan CEO Giorgio Fulani said in an interview last week in New Jersey, "We are proud to call ourselves the most Americanized club in Italy and are happy to be here."
Wrexham Welsh FC (Wrexham), now co-owned by American actor Rob McElhinney and Canadian star Ryan Reynolds, squared off against Chelsea of England's third tier (League One) in consecutive summers.In July 2023, the two teams met at Chapel Hill Stadium in Chapel Hill, N.C., drawing a crowd of 50,596 people. A month later, they drew 2-2 at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, California, with an attendance of 32,724.
So how many more appearances will this team make in the United States?
There has been a trend of Americans with international soccer ownership, and the Kroenke family, who own the English Premier League team Arsenal, is one of the best. Their Kroenke Sports & Entertainment (KSE) company owns Arsenal, as well as the NFL's Los Angeles Rams. SoFi Stadium, home of the Rams, has also become one of Arsenal's home stadiums. Preseason games have been held there for the past two seasons. Arsenal's women's soccer team will participate in the U.S. preseason this month, where they will play Women's Premier League rival Chelsea Ladies. Arsenal has a significant presence in the U.S. market, with more synergies between the Kroenke family's "two jewels in the crown".
Rams head coach Sean McVeigh hosted a "Soccer Meets American Football" community event at the training complex, featuring Arsenal head coach Mikel Arteta and captains Udelgado and Cooper Kupp, as well as KSE number one Stan Kroenke and his son, Arsenal board member Josh, who were also in attendance. McVeigh, 38, and Arteta, 42, are considered the younger generation in Premier League management, and the two are close and communicate regularly.
Fenway Sports Group also owns Liverpool's American background. As owners, they have chosen to base themselves in Pittsburgh, Philadelphia and South Carolina as they return to the US after a five-year absence. Liverpool chief executive Billy Hogan says: "The US is an important market and we still see great opportunities for growth in it."
Starting next year, clubs from Europe and elsewhere will come to the U.S. in the summer for matches that mean more than pre-season friendlies.
It becomes even more special for the fans because they get to see two top teams, two top clubs competing against each other," said Swedish legend Ibrahimovic. He is now a consultant for AC Milan owners in the United States and previously played in MLS for the LA Galaxy. "Especially in the U.S. - because these kind of matches are usually Champions League level matches."
However, as the U.S. soccer market continues to grow, the first Club World Cup will be reorganized and significantly expanded in the U.S. next summer. Hosting a Champions League-level tournament here doesn't seem that far-fetched.
In May, a lawyer representing FIFA said in federal court that the rules could be changed "by the end of this year" to allow domestic leagues to play abroad. This was announced during an in-court status conference between New York-based promoter Relevent Sports and U.S. Soccer in an ongoing antitrust lawsuit.
At the time, FIFA refused to elaborate on the specifics of what its lawyers were referring to. However, just two weeks later, FIFA approved a working group at its annual meeting in Thailand. The working group was tasked with reviewing changes to the rules governing "authorized inter-club soccer matches or tournaments", as well as the criteria for authorizing such matches.
The lawsuit filed by Relevent dates back to the summer of 2018, when it tried to get a piece of the U.S. preseason friendlies.
The promoters announced that they planned to host the regular season La Liga match between Barcelona and Girona in Miami, Florida. However, Barcelona backed out of that commitment due to FIFA's announced policy of banning domestic leagues from playing regular season matches outside of their clubs.
A few months later, Relevent tried to organize two official Ecuadorian club leagues in the United States. Due to FIFA's policies, the US Soccer Federation denied their approval.Relevent subsequently sued FIFA and the US Soccer Federation on antitrust grounds. Although FIFA is no longer a defendant, a settlement meeting between Relevent and U.S. Soccer will take place next month.
Antitrust litigation has struggled its way through the U.S. legal system and went to the Supreme Court last year. Meanwhile, international friendlies in the U.S. are getting bigger and bigger. However, pre-season friendlies are not the same as the official matches that really matter. Many coaches mentioned this on the preseason circuit this summer.
However, this becomes unimaginable considering how crowded soccer schedules already are. Any travel from Europe or South America would have to be isolated, much like the NFL. (NFL) only hosts a few international games each season.
However, the existing crowded fixtures are an inevitable part of soccer's development in the eyes of the soccer community. When asked about players struggling to peak in every game due to the fixture schedule, Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola said.
