Villarreal to showcase its flair — and ceramics — in US
VILLARREAL, Spain — A short drive through the narrow streets of Villarreal can give you an idea about what matters most in this small city in eastern Spain.
Only a few buildings stand out — the large ceramics factories that fuel the local economy and the iconic La Ceramica Stadium that is home to Villarreal Club de Futbol.
Spain’s “Yellow Submarine,” as the team is known after the Beatles song for its yellow uniform and low profile, is the pride of this industrial town of 50,000 near Valencia.
And it’s that small familyrun team, which often challenges powerhouses Real Madrid and Barcelona despite having a considerably smaller budget, that is getting a chance to showcase Spanish soccer in the United States.
Villarreal is preparing to make the trip across the Atlantic next month to face Atletico Madrid in what could be the Spanish league’s first regularseason game outside of Spain.
The game in the Miami area has yet to be confirmed as the league still doesn’t have the approval of the Spanish soccer federation and other soccer bodies, but Villarreal is ready to put the club on display.
It wants to boost its image abroad by showing off its trademark attacking style which has yielded significant success for the club in Spain and Europe over the years, including appearances in the semifinals of the Champions League and the Europa League.
Villarreal won’t be a complete stranger to American fans, though, because it has links with the United States that include a few academy campuses in cities like Dallas and New York. The team’s alltime leading goal scorer is ItalianAmerican forward Giuseppe Rossi, and two Americans are currently playing in the club’s youth squads — 22yearold Mukwelle Akale and 17yearold Jack Imperato.
“We can never compare ourselves to Real Madrid or Barcelona because of their history, because of what they’ve won, but we have our own way of doing things, and I feel like it’s been working,” said the 32yearold Rossi, who is in Spain trying to make a comeback with Villarreal 12 years after debuting with the team.
“It’s very unique the way this club has been brought up,” Rossi told The Associated Press. “I’ve always loved playing here because of the concepts, of the way that they want to promote their way of playing. I think every young player should be aware and should follow the way Villarreal plays.”
Rossi said Villarreal promotes a “brand of football” that is similar to Barcelona’s, focused on ball possession and with an attackingminded style. The team currently has the Spanish league’s secondbest attack with 25 goals in 12 matches, behind Barcelona, which has 29 goals in 11 matches — five from Lionel Messi.
Four of Villarreal’s players — Raul Albiol, Pau Torres, Gerard Moreno and Santi Cazorla — were called up to the Spanish national team on Friday, the most from any club in the league.