International Champions Cup has now played two games, with English Premier League rivals, and I mean the bitterest of rivals, Manchester United and Liverpool leading Group A and B, respectively, and are headed toward a likely finals matchu-p at Sun Life Stadium in Miami on Monday, August 4th.
Man United tops the table in Group A after their shootout victory over Inter Milan at FedEx Field while Liverpool, fresh off their own win in penalty kicks against Manchester City at Yankee Stadium, leads Group B.
So yes, it is a meaningless preseason tournament where nobody is playing a team that’s even remotely close to their first unit, but still it’s something. It’s an exhibition series, but there is money and a trophy on the line. Silverware and millions of dollars are at stake.
And who wouldn’t among us, want to see a Man United vs Liverpool “title game?”
Trailing 2-1 in the 85th Minute at a sold-out Yankee Stadium, Raheem Sterling of Liverpool scored the equalizer to force the shootout, where Liverpool prevailed 3-1 to vault them to the top of the table with five points for the tournament. Liverpool travels to Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte to face A.C. Milan on Saturday August 2nd, with a win or shootout loss earning them a berth to the finals in Miami. Manchester United played Inter Milan to a scoreless draw, prevailing in penalty kicks by a 5-3 margin and will clinch their finals birth with a win or shootout loss as well.
All eight tournament teams compete on Saturday, August 2nd, headlined by Manchester United facing Real Madrid at ”The Big House” at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. The game is expected to draw the largest-ever audience for a professional soccer match in the United States, with more than 108,000 fans packing the stadium on game day and millions more watching on FOX and in over 150 countries worldwide.
Manchester City and Olympiacos square off at TCF Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, with kickoff slated for 2 p.m. local time. Both teams are still in contention, and need wins coupled by a Liverpool loss to advance from Group B. Inter Milan and AS Roma kick off the International Champions Cup quadruple-header on Saturday at 1 p.m. local time., as both teams are still in contention for the finals matchup with victories and a Man United loss.
