In this Magic City Soccer podcast, Matt and Omar discuss the NPSL Sunshine State playoffs, the U.S. Women’s National Team winning the World Cup and the U.S. Men’s National Team falling in the Gold Cup final. Join us, won’t you?
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Fans of Bayern Munich in Miami-Dade County have a lot to be excited about this week. Die Roten are playing at Hard Rock Stadium on Friday night, facing off against Manchester City. But for some of the Bavarian faithful in the Magic City, it’s a long-awaited return appearance.
While the Cityzens have never played in Miami, Bayern Munich has. In 1991, as part of the Miami Cup, Bayern played two matches. On Feb. 1, Bayern and the Colombian National Team (club vs. country friendlies were much more common at the time than they are now) squared off at the Miami Orange Bowl. In a tense matchup, the teams drew 0-0.
In the team’s second match of the Cup, also at the Orange Bowl, they easily dispatched the U.S. Men’s National Team. The Americans, fresh off their appearance in the 1990 World Cup, fell 4-0.
“The Untied States — basically a collegiate all-star team — played on the of the world’s finest club teams. Bayern Munich has six players from the West German World Cup championship team,” Steve Wyche wrote in the Miami Herald after the game.
“We’re not technically as sophisticated as they are or as tightly knit as a team,” U.S. coach Bob Gansler said after the game. “Those guys have been playing forever; this is just our second game this year.”
Roland Wohlfarth scored twice in 13 minutes before halftime (25′, 38′) to seal the game, but Manfred Schwabl (39′) and Roland Grahammer (76′) also got in on the action.
The Miami Cup would never be held again at the Orange Bowl, replaced by a Joe Robbie Cup in 1994 at then-Joe Robbie Stadium. That tournament would run through intermittently through 2001, never again attracting a European club the size of Bayern Munich. It took more than 25 years for another Miami-based tournament, the International Champions Cup, to bring the club back.
While many of the great soccer players who have written the history of the game hail from the Americas, most of the sport’s history is preserved from a European perspective. Whether it’s club greatness or international competition, the Continent dominates the long-term view. A Miami Beach auction house, FUTBOLASTA Auctions, is seeking to change that and make available to fans important pieces of history related to the global game and its significance in North and South America.
According to Roger Gonzalez of CBS Sports, the U.S. Men’s National Team is looking to fill its calendar during the October FIFA international window. Two possible opponents include Argentina and Colombia. In addition, a possible venue for one of those matches is Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens.
Drew and Matt recap two Miami FC games against the San Francisco Deltas, look ahead to the rest of the fall season, discuss Puerto Rico FC’s visit to South Florida and recap the U.S. Men’s National Team’s failure to qualify for the 2018 World Cup. Join us, won’t you?
To subscribe to Magic City Soccer on iTunes, click here. To subscribe to Magic City Soccer on SoundCloud, click here.
It was just a couple of days ago where I gave you my experience from the U.S. Men’s National Team game in Orlando. After this game, every supporter in attendance thought two things, The U.S. was in and Panama was out. My God, how 96 hours changes things.
Did you notice our absence during the weekend match against San Francisco? One of the big reasons we decided against providing content for that match was due to the fact that we would not really be in attendance. Matthew Bunch was in Tallahassee for the “Rally In Tally” where the Hurricanes football team took down Florida State (finally). I was in Orlando for the final home match of World Cup Qualifying for the U.S. Men’s National Team. So in something that’s a bit off the rails from what we normally do, let’s provide you a recap of that match just in case you forgot the feelings of Friday night.
