Barcelona and Real Madrid will renew the US side of their rivalry this summer in Las Vegas, where the Spanish giants play a friendly on 23 July at the Raiders’ Allegiant Stadium.
The couple met five years ago in Miami. It was a 3–2 Barcelona victory attended by more than 66,000 participants who was part of the International Champions Cup, an ambitious off-season tour designed, in part, to pave the way for a La Liga game on American soil. That game never materialized and the ICC was shut down during the pandemic.
This year’s American El Clásico is part of a five-game, five-team roster called the “Soccer Champions Tour”. It is organized by the owner of LA Galaxy, AEG, and will also see the participation of Juventus, Club América and Chivas de Guadalajara in Las Vegas, Dallas and California.
Barcelona and Madrid last shot in the US in 2019, although they didn’t face each other. Real Madrid took part in the ICC final while Barça played against Napoli in a couple of friendlies. Their respective fortunes have diverged since then. Real Madrid won La Liga in 2020 and have just completed two La Liga and UEFA Champions League braces this season.
Barcelona and Real Madrid will bring their rivalry back to the United States this summer.
Mutsu Kawamori / AFLOSPORT / Imago images
Barcelona, meanwhile, have struggled with debt and institutional issues, losing Lionel Messi and only lifting the Copa del Rey 2021. They reportedly remain in pursuit of Bayern Munich’s Robert Lewandowski, however, there is a slight chance that FIFA’s two-time reigning player of the year could make his Barcelona debut in the United States. The Blaugrana are already scheduled to meet Inter Miami and New York Red Tori in July.
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Both Barcelona and Juventus have Americans on the books, although neither are guaranteed to be with the club over the summer. Defender Sergiño Dest, 21, made 31 appearances for Barça but suffered several injuries and then missed the final month of the season (and the current US national team retirement) with a hamstring problem. Midfielder Weston McKennie, 23, made 29 appearances for Juve in his second season in Turin, scoring four goals, before breaking a foot in February. He is now back on the pitch and on the pitch with the United States
The Soccer Champions Tour will be part of what is becoming a busy summer for US friendlies with the likes of Bayern Munich and Chelsea also arriving. With the World Cup postponed to November-December, there are no big men’s events to squeeze the schedule and famous clubs seem eager to tap into the American market again after two pandemic summers.
Here is a partial list of summer friendlies scheduled in the United States:
June 11th – Austin FC-Pachuca, Q2 Stadium in Austin, Texas
June 14 – Atlanta United-Pachuca, Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta
June 15 – Chivas de Guadalajara – Santos Laguna, Rio Tinto Stadium in Sandy, Utah
June 18 – Atlas-Chivas de Guadalajara, SeatGeek stadium in Bridgeview, Ill.
June 18 – Monterrey-Santos Laguna, PNC Stadium in Houston
June 19 – Club América-UNAM Pumas, SeatGeek stadium in Bridgeview, Ill.
June 22 – Club América-Club León, PayPal Park in San Jose, California.
2nd of July – America de Cali-Deportivo Cali, Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida.
July 16 – Arsenal-Everton, M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore
July 16 – Chelsea-Club America, Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas
July 19 – Inter Miami-Barcelona, DRV PNK Stadium in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.
July 20 – Charlotte FC-Chelsea, Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, NC
July 20 – Club América-Manchester City, NRG stadium in Houston
July 20 – DC United-Bayern Munich, Audi Field in Washington, DC
July 20 – Minnesota United-Everton, Allianz Field in St. Paul, Minnesota.
July 20 – Orlando City-Arsenal, Exploria Stadium in Orlando, Florida.
July 20 – San Jose Earthquakes-Celta Vigo, PayPal Park in San Jose, California.
July 22nd – Chivas de Guadalajara-Real Madrid, Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas
23 July – Arsenal-Chelsea, Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Florida.
23 July – Barcelona-Real Madrid, Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas
23 July – Bayern Munich-Manchester City, Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wisc.
July 26 – Club America-Real Madrid, Oracle Park in San Francisco
July 26 – Barcelona-Juventus, Cotton Bowl in Dallas
July 30 – Juventus-Real Madrid, Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California.
July 30 – New York Red Bulls-Barcelona, Red Bull Arena in Harrison, NJ
August 3 – LA Galaxy-Chivas de Guadalajara, SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California.
August 3 – Los Angeles FC-Club América, SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California.
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