The First International Championship Cup match at the University of Michigan鈥檚 Big House was huge 鈥 exactly 109,318 people came out for the 2014 game, setting the record for the largest attended soccer match in U.S. history. The European football tournament鈥檚 visit to the Ann Arbor stadium on July 28 may be another one for the record books.
鈥淚nterest and fandom for European soccer in the United States is at an all-time high, and Michigan is one of the markets leading the way,鈥 says Daniel Sillman, CEO of Relevent Sports, which organizes the International Championships Cup.
This year marks the third time the global tournament, which is known for bringing out big crowds and even bigger names in European football, has played a game in Ann Arbor. Fans decked in red are expected to take over the city for the local game 鈥 Wolverine supporters have no need to fear however, this isn鈥檛 a celebration of Ohio State. Rival football teams Manchester United F.C. and Liverpool F.C., whose colors are red and white, and red, green, and gold, respectively, are facing off.
The match will take place the same day as five other games in Miami, Los Angeles, New York, Singapore, and Warsaw. In total, Relevant reports that the tournament will feature 90 of the highest-ranking football players and eight of the quarterfinalist teams from the Union of European Football Associations Champions League.
Fans can start following the International Champions Cup on July 20, when the tournament kicks off in Chicago with Manchester City F.C. vs. Borussia Dortmund. Each competing team will play three matches, and, when the global tournament ends in mid-August, the football club with the most points will be named the winner.
鈥淲e鈥檙e thrilled about giving the fans of Michigan 鈥 and abroad 鈥 another amazing match to watch,鈥 Sillman says.
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