Bringing two of Europe's best soccer teams to the US even for a friendly pre-season match is a great idea. The largest crowd so far for this year's World Football Challenge (over 57,000) braved the S. Florida summer heat to see Chelsea take on AC Milan.
The pre-game atmosphere outside Sun Life Stadium was carnival-like, with many interactive booths and fans waiting in line to have their picture taken with the FA Cup and the EUFA Champion's League Trophy, both won by Chelsea this past season.
The crowd was treated a fairly competitive match featuring international stars Frank Lampard, John Terry, Petr Cech, Mario Yepes, and Kevin-Prince Boateng. Most of the starters remained in the game until the middle of the second half. Unfortunately, only one goal was scored (by AC Milan) but there were plenty of chances for both sides. In the end, fans of either team went home satisfied to have seen these two storied international clubs.
Having attended last year's match with FC Barcelona and Chivas, I was glad to see another WFC in S. Florida again this year. With over 127,000 fans attending over the past two years, WFC organizers should be encouraged to book one or two more games for next year. Bringing back Barcelona to take on a Manchester United or even Real Madrid would be a fantastic event. Either way, I believe S, Florida is the right location for this event.