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<p>Two of the world’s great football clubs, Real Madrid and AC Milan, met Wednesday evening at a very sticky and humid Yankee Stadium as part of the World Football Challenge. The match was the second played this summer at the famous baseball stadium in The Bronx, New York, and offered a much more entertaining show than the earlier exhibition between Chelsea and PSG. It also was a sell out, with nearly 50,000 showing.</p>
<p>Despite the uncomfortable weather, the mood was festive on the grounds outside the stadium. Fans of both clubs congregated in front of the main entrance across from the subway platform and it was hard at first to tell just which side would pull the most support in a city filled with Spanish and Italian speakers. But, once inside, it was clear the Real Madrid supporters, many wearing the number 7 jersey of Cristiano Ronaldo, far outnumbered the AC Milan supporters, though the Italian club had plenty of support on hand.</p>
<p>The crowd was buoyant and energetic from the start, and the mood around the stadium was festive. Real Madrid started with a lineup that featured many regular starters — Ronaldo, Mesut Ozil, Angel Di Maria, Lassa Diarra, and Iker Casillas, among others — and an embarrassment of riches on the bench. The first half saw Madrid dominate the midfield with Ozil and Sami Khedira forming a very effective partnership in the midfield. Diarra played a strong two-way game, and Di Maria and Karim Benzema were constant threats. The gulf in class was apparent early on with Madrid slickly passing the ball around and trying their luck on goal from all angles, while Milan had to try their luck on the counter attack. A couple of older gentlemen behind me were yelling in Italian, early and often.</p>
<p>While Madrid had the majority of chances through the first 20 minutes or so, it was a superb strike from Di Maria that put Madrid up in the 24th minute. A corner from Ozil was punched out to the top of the box by Christian Abbiati, but Di Maria latched onto it, volleying a swerving shot past the keeper for a 1-0 advantage. The party was on for the Madridistas, who were in for plenty more entertainment.</p>
<p>Despite being thoroughly outplayed up to that point, Milan quickly leveled on some clever interplay between Antonio Cassano, Antonio Nocerino, and Robinho, with the Brazilian easily gliding past Pepe and finding the net with a side-footed shot. The Milan fans awakened, and Robinho showed his appreciation by rushing over to a young girl wearing a Milan jersey in the first row and kissing her hand — a very nice display and the kind of interaction fans rarely get to experience. But why not? It’s a friendly.</p>
<p>But that would be pretty much the only joy of the night for the Milan supporters. Madrid made a handful of changes for the second half, bringing on the likes of Xabi Alonso, Gonzalo Higuain, and eventually Kaka, who came on to a thunderous ovation and obliged with three assists. Ronaldo, who logged 80 minutes in the match, put away the second and third goals for Madrid with style, before Sergio Ramos scored a header off a corner kick, with service provided by Kaka. The Milan supporters headed for the exits, quietly, as the Madrid supporters continued singing for their side and got one final reward with a late goal by Jose Callejon.</p>
<p>Final score: Madrid 5 – 1 Milan.</p>
<p>All in all, a wonderful display of football by the Spanish giants and a rewarding trip up to the Bronx for their supporters. For Milan supporters, although it was only a friendly, they will be asking questions. Just where is this team headed with the recent transfers of Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Thiago Silva, and the departure of a trio of greats: Clarence Seedorf, Alessandro Nesta, and Gennaro Gattuso?</p>
<p>One final note: I have to applaud former US Men’s National Team and MLS defender Jimmy Conrad, who was out in front of the stadium with a table stocked with hair wax and pictures of Cristiano Ronaldo throughout the years. He was trying to get people to agree to have their hair styled like Ronaldo. For the few minutes I watched, there were not takers, just plenty of perplexed looks and laughs. Strong work, Jimmy.</p>


Real Madrid 5-1 AC Milan: Real Madrid Runs Riot In The Bronx

Real Madrid 5-1 AC Milan: Real Madrid Runs Riot In The Bronx - World Soccer Talk

<p><a href="http://epltalk.com/chelsea-1-1-paris-saint-germain-soccer-comes-to-yankee-stadium-44927/blue-is-the-color-3" rel="attachment wp-att-44928"><div><figure class="external-image"><img loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-large wp-image-44928" src="/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/blue-is-the-color1-600x450.jpg" alt="" width="600" height="450"></figure></div></a></p>
<p>On a picture perfect summer night in The Bronx, two of the world’s bigger football clubs met at Yankee Stadium as part of this year’s edition of the World Football Challenge. In the first soccer match played at the ‘House That Steinbrenner Built,’ Chelsea FC and Paris Saint-German battled to a 1-1 draw before 38,000 spectators, of which about 90 percent were cheering for Chelsea. It was an impressive turnout for the Champions League winners, particularly given the match was held on Sunday night rather than during the day.</p>
<p>Yankee Stadium turned out to be a fine venue for the event. The pitch looked in decent enough shape, and although grass had to be placed over the dirt of the infield it didn’t seem like the players were having too much trouble with the turf. I sat in the second level near the corner in the end PSG was attacking in the first half – or right in line with the left field foul pole. The sight lines were fantastic, and every bit of the pitch was visible from my vantage point and from many other areas of the stadium that I checked out.</p>
<p>While the match sounded at times like a home game for Chelsea, the crowd was fairly subdued throughout the first half. With Nene pulling the strings in the PSG midfield, the French outfit looked the better side, and Chelsea fans were asking when they would get a chance to see some of their stars. They got their wish in the second half with the entry of Ashley Cole, John Terry, Florent Malouda, Ramires, and Michael Essien. Terry in particular got a rousing ovation when he entered, and despite the recent court case, it was clear the Chelsea faithful were backing their captain.</p>
<p>With Nene going to the PSG bench, Chelsea began to see more of the ball and put together some impressive attacks. While the fans had awakened with the entry of the Chelsea stars, the reminder that this was indeed a friendly came just shy of 70 minutes when the wave was in full swing, which probably provided the most crowd energy to that point. To be fair, I was seated at the opposite end of the Chelsea supporters’ clubs. I could hear them now and again, but the rest of the stadium seemed content to watch rather than sing.</p>
<p>The noise level did pick up as Chelsea built momentum and the crowd exploded when Lucas Piazon leveled. A few more close calls at both ends led to an exciting finish. While it seemed silly for the ref not to allow Chelsea to take the corner kick before the final whistle, the neutrals sitting next to me had a laugh at the Chelsea players surrounding the ref at the end with suggestions of mid-season form.</p>
<p>Despite not getting to see Torres, Ibrahimovic, or Silva, all in all, the experience of catching a match at Yankee Stadium was thoroughly enjoyable. My one gripe would be for the matches to include two clubs that may draw more even support. Though New York has a decent-sized French expat community, the PSG support was minuscule. I look forward to the Real Madrid vs. AC Milan match in a couple of weeks at the same venue and will compare the turnout and support.</p>
<p>I’d be curious to hear your thoughts on what it looked like on television.</p>


Chelsea 1-1 Paris Saint-Germain: Soccer Comes to Yankee Stadium

Chelsea 1-1 Paris Saint-Germain: Soccer Comes to Yankee Stadium - World Soccer Talk

<div><figure class="external-image"><img loading="lazy" src="/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/yankee-stadium-outside-600x450.jpg" alt="" width="600" height="450"></figure></div>
<p>Here’s a selection of photographs from the Chelsea against Paris Saint-Germain match Sunday from Yankee Stadium in New York City. As you can see from the images, it seemed that everyone had a great time.</p>
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<div><figure class="external-image"><img loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-large wp-image-44920" src="/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/teams-come-out-600x450.jpg" alt="" width="600" height="450"></figure></div>
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<div><figure class="external-image"><img loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-large wp-image-44918" src="/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/psg-attacks-down-wing-600x450.jpg" alt="" width="600" height="450"></figure></div>
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<div><figure class="external-image"><img loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-large wp-image-44915" src="/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/chelsea-fans-outside-600x450.jpg" alt="" width="600" height="450"></figure></div>
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Chelsea vs Paris Saint-Germain From Yankee Stadium, In Pictures [PHOTO]

Chelsea vs Paris Saint-Germain From Yankee Stadium, In Pictures [PHOTO] - World Soccer Talk

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latest articles by Ed Winnick

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Real Madrid 5-1 AC Milan: Real Madrid Runs Riot In The Bronx

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Chelsea 1-1 Paris Saint-Germain: Soccer Comes to Yankee Stadium

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Chelsea vs Paris Saint-Germain From Yankee Stadium, In Pictures [PHOTO]