After a summer of dormancy, Miami finally awoke from it’s slumber. While locally The Miami FC took home the NPSL Championship, there have been no friendlies in the Magic City. Miami was set to miss European club friendlies for the first time since 2016. That all changed with a late addition of two European mega powers in Barcelona and Napoli.
FC Barcelona captain Lionel Messi will not fly to the Miami with his team to contest two friendlies with S.S.C. Napoli after sustaining a right calf strain.
The stars of Latin America shined down on Boca Raton in the late afternoon as Mexican side Pachuca took on Colombian giants America De Cali. Both teams displayed dominant spells of possession throughout the match. In a friendly that showcased many of the youth from both clubs, neither could find a goal.
Despite not being awarded matches in the International Champions Cup or the Gold Cup this summer, South Florida is still proving to be a destination of choice for the world’s biggest clubs. Barcelona and Napoli have just come to an agreement to play a friendly at Hard Rock Stadium. Just up the road in Boca Raton, the most expansive series of matches will be contested between Latin American heavyweights in Copa Gigantes. Nacional (Uruguay), Peñarol (Uruguay), Millonarios FC (Colombia), América de Cali (Colombia), Pachuca (Mexico) and DIM (Colombia) are all showcasing at Florida Atlantic University.
Just a few months ago, it looked like Miami-Dade County would not have a marquee international club friendly at Hard Rock Stadium, breaking a pattern set for years. However, according to Spanish newspaper Sport, some changes to the Spanish Super Cup may allow FC Barcelona return to South Florida.
For years, the Supercopa de España was contested (like most super cups) before the kickoff of the next league season. However, this season’s version has been moved to Spain’s “winter break,” leaving Barcelona more time before competitive matches start.
In this space, Barcelona have secured an agreement with Seria A side Napoli. Two matches have been agreed to, per Sport. The first, on Aug. 7, will take place at Hard Rock. The second, on Aug. 11, will be played at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor.
Ticket information has not yet been made public.
Las selecciones de Ecuador v Venezuela se enfrentarán esta noche en el Hard Rock Stadium de Miami para comenzar los preparativos para sus campañas de la Copa América 2019.
The world’s game returns to the beautiful confines of Hard Rock Stadium Saturday night for yet another CONMEBOL showdown. Last year we were graced with a great matchup between Chile and Peru that brought out thousands of South American transplants. This weekend, expect the same as Venezuela and Ecuador look to give hope to their South Floridian fans ahead of this year’s Copa America.