Liverpool FC began their preseason tour of the United States tonight with a friendly against Borussia Dortmund at Notre Dame Stadium in South Bend, Indiana.
The match got off to a very rough start, as Liverpool’s team of largely reserve players fell behind 3-1 early in the second half, of a match that was much more lopsided than it sounds. Here’s the team sheet and starting XI for both sides:
https://twitter.com/PaulMBanks/status/1152361133812146176
In the 60′ Jurgen Klopp subbed on Andrew Robertson, Virgil van Dijk, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Jordan Henderson and Georginio Wijnaldum, and the largely pro-Liverpool crowd roared in approval.
The 77,000 capacity stadium was about 70% full or so, with the fans about 80-90% favoring the Reds. The game fell well short of a sell out, and that’s understandable, given the record setting heat (kick off air temperature was in the mid-90s, with a heat index above 100) that settled into the upper Midwest this week. The heat wave will likely hinder the atmosphere at Fenway Park too.
It was so hot on the pitch that considerably long hydration breaks were taken in each half.
https://twitter.com/PaulMBanks/status/1152369936171511809
That said, the rendition of Gerry and the Pacemakers’ “You’ll Never Walk Alone” was still goose bump inducing.
Liverpool’s first goal was scored by Harry Wilson, and you can see the footage of that below. Ryan Kent was also in the first team alongside Wilson, and he missed a golden opportunity to score in the first half.
BVB received goals from Paco Alcacer, Thomas Delaney and Jacob Brunn Larsen.
A smart dummy ?
?: @brlive #LFCPreSeasonhttps://t.co/iD3aKSDa9s
— Liverpool FC USA (@LFCUSA) July 20, 2019
We’ll back with part two of Liverpool news and notes after the game.
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net, which is partnered with News Now. Banks, the author of “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry,” regularly appears on WGN CLTV and co-hosts the “Let’s Get Weird, Sports” podcast on SB Nation.
You can follow Banks, a former writer for NBC Chicago.com and Chicago Tribune.com on Twitter here and his cat on Instagram at this link.