The Baltimore Sun did a good job yesterday covering the news that Italy’s Inter Milan will be taking on England’s Manchester City here in Baltimore on July 31st.
http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/blast/bs-sp-soccer-friendly-0522-20100521,0,4943857.story
Inter Milan has just won the Serie A for the 5th consecutive season. They are facing Bayern Munich today in Europe’s Champions League Final.
Inter Milan: http://www.inter.it/aas/hp?L=en
Manchester City just finished 5th in the English Premier League, ending the season with 67 points
Manchester City: http://www.mcfc.co.uk/
More than exhibition itself, it is important to understand what this friendly could mean for Baltimore. Last year’s exhibition of Chelsea and AC Milan brought a $20M dollar shot in the arm to the City. While it would be great to see similar results this year, the big incentive is further positioning Baltimore as a potential host-city for the World Cup (the US is expected to be awarded either the 2018 or 2022 games).
If last year’s sell-out crowd of 71,000 got the attention of the soccer community at-large, doing it in two consecutive years would really do wonders for soccer in Baltimore. It certainly would reignite conversation about building a Soccer Specific Stadium within in the city (and what size was appropriate).
You can also bet the ever-expanding Major League Soccer would be forced to take a harder look at Charm City. Here is a link to a previous post taking a look at the future of soccer in Baltimore:
http://baltimoresportsandlife.blogspot.com/2010/04/crystal-palace-baltimore-vs-dc-united.html
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Chris Stoner founded Baltimore Sports and Life in 2009. He has appeared as a radio guest with 1090 WBAL, 105.7 The Fan, CBS 1300, Q1370, WOYK 1350, WKAV 1400, and WNST 1570. He has also been interviewed by The Baltimore Sun, Baltimore Business Journal, and PressBox (TV). As Owner, his responsibilities include serving as the Managing Editor, Publicist, & Sales Director.