Cup filled with watered-down warm-ups?
Tottenham’s Alli says teams want to put on a show
For American soccer fans more interested in European stars and teams than the domestic product offered by Major League Soccer, familiarity hasn’t bred contempt, but it has led to frustration.
This summer will be no different from any other recent one in that many of Europe’s biggest clubs will head to the United States to participate in exhibition games, or “friendlies,” against each other.
Over the next few weeks, Real Madrid, FC Barcelona, Manchester United and several others will square off in the International Champions Cup, which is less a tournament and more a convenient way to market a group of preseason matches.
The problem is that these games often feature lineups packed with backup players and are sometimes played with limited intensity, annoying supporters clamoring for the real thing.
However, one of international soccer’s most promising young superstars had a reassuring word for American fans as the glut of exhibitions, which start with Italy’s AC Roma against France’s Paris St. Germain in Detroit on Wednesday, approached.
“We know we are going out there to play in front of fans who don’t normally get the chance to see us in London,” Tottenham midfielder Dele Alli told USA TODAY Sports by telephone Tuesday. “That’s important. We take the responsibility seriously to go out and put on a good performance, and for us we want to build good habits and win as many games as possible.”
Tottenham is a fast-emerging force in the English Premier League, having finished second last season and pushed champion Leicester City hard a season earlier before ultimately slipping to third. Its squad will fly to the USA on Wednesday to play three games in a week, culminating with a clash against Manchester City at Nashville’s Nissan Stadium on July 29. Upon returning to the United Kingdom, Alli and his colleagues will begin the EPL campaign against Newcastle on Aug. 13.
Alli, 21, was one of many EPL players to venture to the USA on vacation at the start of the summer, with most heading to Los Angeles, New York or Miami. While he noted the increasing popularity of soccer in this country, the relative privacy he was afforded was refreshing.
“When I was out there, there was some people who knew who I was but I wouldn’t say a lot,” Alli said. “It was quite nice. I love America, and just being there you could see the support and interest in (soccer) from the games on TV and hearing people talk about it.”
Among the highlights of the International Champions Cup will be a meeting of the two Manchester clubs, United and City, in Houston on Thursday, plus Real Madrid vs. FC Barcelona in Miami Gardens, Fla., on July 29.
Tottenham’s first encounter will be with French power Paris St. Germain, which reportedly is attempting to sign Brazilian icon Neymar from FC Barcelona.
Alli thinks a strong showing in the USA will add impetus for the start of the club’s bid to win the EPL title.
“Over the last couple of seasons we haven’t made a perfect start and drawn some games we should have won,” Alli said. “We want to put that right.”