World soccer giants Manchester United and Club America are coming to Seattle next week as part of the International Champions Cup (ICC).
And if that name doesn’t immediately ring a bell, this might help: It’s the competition in which Man United and Real Madrid drew 109,318 fans at Michigan Stadium — the largest crowd ever to watch a soccer match in the United States.
That was part of the 2014 ICC, and that crowd surprised even the organizers.
“None of us could have imagined it was going to capture the imagination of not just the local supporters who came to the game, but literally everywhere I go in the world people go ‘Ah, you guys are responsible for Michigan,’” said Charlie Stillitano, chairman of Relevant Sports, which organizes the tournament. “We’d love to take credit. … I can’t honestly tell you that we thought there was going to be 110,000 people at Michigan in the summertime in a college town. But certainly they came out.”
Stillitano had been surprised once before: in 2003 when a forerunner tournament called the ChampionsWorld Series brought a Manchester United-Celtic pairing to Seattle. That one drew 66,722 — a figure Stillitano said might have gotten the attention of Major League Soccer, which expanded to Seattle three years later.
“I think it was a big surprise for a lot of people what a great market Seattle was,” he said. “And our friends at MLS, it seems wherever we go they follow us in there and they have a successful franchise. We did the same in Toronto and we did the same at Yankee Stadium, and it seems they followed suit. But all we’ve really done is give the community a chance to show their stuff, if you will. The Seattle community: Do I even need to say it’s soccer-crazy? It is probably the best soccer market in the U.S.”
Now another summer is here, and another International Champions Cup.
The tournament begins Saturday in Carson, California, where the Los Angeles Galaxy of MLS play Club America of Mexico. From there, Club America goes up the coast to meet the San Jose Earthquakes in a Tuesday match that already has sold out. Then Club America continues north to Seattle, where it will play the Red Devils on July 17 at CenturyLink Field.
The return of Man United is no accident.
“(Seattle) holds a special place for the Manchester United folks,” Stillitano said. “They love the Seahawks training facility, which they’ve always been great about giving Man United and Chelsea and the other clubs that have played there. It’s a great training environment. In this case here, it was really Man United that pushed to be in Seattle.”
Other clubs in this ICC include the New York Red Bulls, SL Benfica, Paris Saint-Germain, Florentina, FC Barcelona, and Chelsea. The Sounders decided to sit out this tournament to avoid additional schedule congestion in a summer when they also face four group-stage matches in CONCACAF Champions League.
“We would love the Seattle Sounders to be part of our tournament,” Stillitano said. “We think they would really fit the bill of having a team that’s going to be excited to see their team play in a tournament against some of the best teams in the world. They’ve always drawn really well there when the Sounders have played a team, and we’re just looking for the right scheduling fit.”
Added time
Sounders midfielder Eric Friberg, signed by the club last week, cleared his paperwork issues in Europe and was at Sounders training on Thursday. … Sounders 2 of the USL has signed goalkeeper Tyler Miller, the 33rd overall pick in the 2015 SuperDraft. The Sounders traded up to select Miller out of Northwestern, but the 6-foot-4 keeper initially decided to start his professional career in Germany. … Former Sounders central defender Jhon Kennedy Hurtado trained with the club Thursday. It wasn’t clear if he is trying out for a return to the team or simply working into shape while seeking a deal elsewhere.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
