When FC Barcelona and AC Milan step on the field at M&T Bank Stadium later this summer, it will mark 15 years since big-time European soccer clubs began visiting Baltimore to play preseason friendlies.
Milan, a perennial powerhouse in Italy’s Serie A, first played in Baltimore in August 2009, part of the inaugural preseason friendly when a squad led by Ronaldinho matched up against a John Terry-led Chelsea Football Club of the English Premier League before a sold-out crowd of more than 71,000 fans. It remains one of the most-attended sporting events in state history.
Chelsea came out on top, 2-1, thanks to goals by Didier Drogba and Yuri Zhirkov. It’s unlikely anyone remembers the outcome of the match, though. While the result is still important to the players on the field — they’re professionals, after all — the preseason matches, which have grown in popularity in the last decade, are more a way to increase the teams’ exposure to an American market. Grow the brand. Sell jerseys, shirts and scarves.
“The great thing about that first match was it put us on the map, from a soccer promoter standpoint [and] in terms of being a destination for matches,” said Baker Koppelman, the Ravens’ senior vice president of ticket sales and operations who has been with the team for 28 years.
On Aug. 6, Milan will return to Charm City to face Spain’s FC Barcelona, part of the 2024 Soccer Champions Tour — a total of six matches between international pro teams. Matches will also be played in New York, New Jersey, Chicago, Charlotte and Orlando. Real Madrid, Manchester City and Chelsea are also part of the tour.
“We are excited to bring to Baltimore two of the most iconic soccer franchises in the world,” Ravens president Sashi Brown said when the matchups were announced this spring. “Hosting international soccer matches at M&T Bank Stadium shows the Mid-Atlantic’s growing demand and passion for the beautiful game and the Ravens’ commitment to bringing world-class sports and entertainment events to the greater Baltimore region.”
The match is the first international pro soccer competition at the football stadium since 2022 when Everton and Arsenal of the English Premier League played in what was dubbed the “Charm City Match.”
“Anytime we can bring in high-profile major sporting events, whether that’s Army-Navy, NCAA lacrosse or going into the soccer world in growing our portfolio of international soccer friendlies … it builds a reputation that the state of Maryland is serious about sports tourism,” said Terry Hasseltine, the executive director of the Maryland Sports Commission.
Hasseltine was recruited by the O’Malley administration in 2008 to boost the state’s profile in the sports tourism market. A year after he arrived, Chelsea and Milan played, serving as a template for big-time games to be held in Baltimore for years to come.
Hasseltine said the relationships built with promoters, teams, fans and other stakeholders throughout the years have helped Maryland remain viable in an extremely competitive space.
“We are competing against Dallas, Miami, other major destinations,” Hasseltine said. “It’s no longer about, ‘Can we do it?’ It’s now about what do we want to do and how.”
A growing appetite for European soccer has drawn more and more teams from the Premier League and La Liga to tour throughout the U.S. during the three-month window between seasons. International clubs have also seen Baltimore as a viable option.
In 2012, Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool FC played in humid, 90-degree heat at M&T Bank Stadium. Two international friendlies in 2010 and 2012 were followed by a visit from the U.S. Men’s National Team in the 2015 CONCACAF Gold Cup, a tournament between national teams from North America and Central America.
Other Maryland stadiums have also hopped on the trend. Commanders Field in Landover hosted a doubleheader of four English teams last year and will do so again this summer. Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in Annapolis will host two English teams as well.
More friendlies could be on the horizon for Baltimore, Koppelman said. It depends on a delicate balance of the soccer teams’ schedules and, of course, the Orioles — plus other events like concerts and tournaments.
For instance, the 2022 match took place during an Orioles road trip; more than 36,000 fans attended. A scheduling issue with the baseball team last year forced a quartet of English clubs to play at then-FedEx Field instead of M&T Bank Stadium.
“On average, we’d like to do two or three [a year],” Koppelman said. “We’ll dip our toe if things align in the future better. We’ll try to get three or four.”
The rise of international soccer in the region has been a dream for Pete Caringi, the former longtime head coach of UMBC men’s soccer. During Caringi’s tenure, clubs that arrived for the friendlies would often train at UMBC’s facilities.
“It was just really something. You could see the energy,” Caringi said. “People wanted to know everything about them. Practices were closed to the public, but people found out and came anyway.”
Caringi recalled the surreal feeling of watching the entire Tottenham squad eating lunch at UMBC’s dining hall in 2012. He couldn’t remember what Gareth Bale or Harry Kane had to eat, though.
In 2009, the AC Milan team played pickup basketball after training. Ronaldinho dribbling with his hands instead of his feet was a sight to see.
While Ronaldinho is long gone, the Barcelona-Milan match will certainly provide some interest for American fans, including the homecoming of U.S. Men’s National Team captain Christian Pulisic, who is coming off a career year in Serie A. The 25-year-old bagged 12 goals and 8 assists for Milan, which finished in second place.
Caringi, who retired in 2023, no longer plays host to pro teams on UMBC’s campus. Instead, he is attending the friendly matches as a fan. He’ll be in the stands for Milan-Barcelona in August.
“It’s fantastic to see it become more and more popular,” he said of the soccer events. “It just helps the sport in general.”
Photo Credit: Colin Murphy/PressBox
Originally published June 19, 2024