Soccer at the ‘Big House’ helps grow the game

Published 7:58 am Thursday, August 4, 2016

By Brian Exner

ANN ARBOR — Fans at the “Big House” on the campus of the University of Michigan Saturday were treated to a different kind of football — the sport referred to as soccer here in America.

Real Madrid topped Chelsea 3-2 in an International Champions Cup match with 105,826 fans in attendance.

While some fans may have been disappointed that the well-known Cristiano Ronaldo was not in attendance, Marcelo and Eden Hazard both displayed some of the finer qualities that landed them on historic teams.
Marcelo was named Man of the Match after the game. After netting two goals, he followed up with an assist to the young Mariano Diaz. Diaz will be a player to pay attention to going forward as Real Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane said after the game, “the important thing is that (Diaz) gets minutes.”
This match was only a friendly preparing the two teams for their respective leagues, but according to local coaches, matches of this caliber really help the sport grow.

“I think anytime you can bring soccer like this to the United States it is a great thing,” said Evan Winkler, head coach of Brandywine boys and girls soccer. “A lot of fans watch these teams on TV but never actually get to watch (them) in person. With it being in the U.S., fans get a chance to go watch a game. There is nothing like going to a live soccer game. It is very exciting and a great atmosphere.”

Fans at the “Big House” cheered and booed throughout the game and participated in the wave, a traditional event that happens at every Michigan football game. Vendors packed the lots and many fans came already sporting jerseys with several of the well-known players names on their backs.

Buchanan head coach Ryan Catalano echoed Winkler’s sentiments, saying he feels our country only supports soccer when our national teams are playing.
“That’s the only time you normally see soccer on the major channels like ESPN,” he said.

“Then usually Sunday or Saturday mornings you can catch the Premier League games. So when you bring over those guys that you only get to watch on YouTube or early Sunday morning and you get to go watch them perform live [at Michigan Stadium], it really boosts the soccer audience in America, as if NBA teams were to go over to Europe and have friendlies.”

In recent years, ESPN, NBC and other networks have been adding on to their repertoire of soccer-based programs. Soccer fans in America have a reason to be excited about the opportunities to continue the growth of the sport, locally and nationally.

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