Friendly Brings International Flavor to Autzen This Summer
By Rob Moseley
Editor, GoDucks.com
Top officials from the UO athletic department and the company promoting an international soccer exhibition to be played at Autzen Stadium this summer participated in a press conference Tuesday to mark the start of public ticket sales for the match, and both promised to put on a show.
French professional league champion Paris Saint-Germain and legendary Italian club F.C. Internazionale, or Inter Milan, will play in Autzen on July 24 at 2 p.m. Though the match, part of the 2016 International Champions Cup, is a preseason event, promoter Charlie Stillitano said Tuesday both clubs figure to play their premier talent, given that their regular-season schedules in their respective national leagues begin soon after.
For PSG, one of the wealthiest clubs in the world, that talent could include forwards Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Edinson Cavani, defender Thiago Silva and keeper Kevin Trapp. For Inter Milan, keeper Samir Handanovic and forward Mauro Emanuel Icardi currently lead the storied club’s rebuilding efforts.
Likewise, UO athletic director Rob Mullens said Autzen Stadium and the greater Eugene community will be up to the task of hosting the match, one of 15 to be played between the 10 clubs competing in the International Champions Cup.
“This will very much look and feel like you see at a sold-out football game,” Mullens said. “I’m sure it will take on a festival atmosphere.”
Stillitano has been promoting exhibitions in the United States between top international clubs for more than a decade. He hopes to draw to Autzen Stadium a mix of general sports fans, curious newcomers to international soccer, and of course diehard supporters of the game and the two participating clubs.
“You’ll get people from Paris and some from Italy to see Eugene, Oregon,” Stillitano said. “That probably wouldn’t be a city at the top of their heads – ‘Let’s go visit Eugene.’ But this gives them an excuse to come visit, as well as fans from around the country. Eugene becomes a household name, if you will, in places like Paris and Milan.”
The match will bring two clubs sponsored by Nike to the home state of the apparel company. Stillitano said promoters also were intrigued by the chance to penetrate an emerging market for the game, and to tap into burgeoning youth interest in the sport.
Stillitano was involved in helping promote the 1994 World Cup in the United States, and noted the growth of the sport in this country since.
“As I say, I’ve been pushing this boulder up the hill for 20 years, and it’s finally changed,” he said. “Now you see kids – boys and girls – they know who these players are. … This is such a hotbed for soccer and for sport, we just thought it made sense.”
Autzen is one of three college football stadiums to host an ICC match this summer. Ohio Stadium, home of Ohio State, will host Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain on July 27. Real Madrid will then meet Chelsea FC on July 30 at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor, Mich.
“The ICC loves bringing top caliber soccer to the university environment,” Stillitano said. “It’s absolutely spectacular. When you see these facilities, there’s nothing like it.”
For the match, a natural grass surface will be put down on top of Autzen’s artificial surface. The exhibition will be televised by ESPN or ESPN2.
