Baltimore Ravens to host UK’s soccer clubs Liverpool, Tottenham for exhibition game-NFL News
The Baltimore Ravens will be playing hosts to an out of game and unusual visitors from across the Atlantic when the two leading soccer clubs from the United Kingdom, Liverpool and Tottenham, face each other at M&T Bank Stadium for
an exhibition game on July 28, 2012.
Both teams have played each other in the UK’s soccer premier league, Barclays Premier League, on a regular basis in the country and this is one of very rare occasions that they being on the US tour will matchup at an American professional
football ground.
The Barclays Premier League season starts on August 18, 2012 and both teams will be on the US tour to play few exhibition matches in the similar fashion the American professional football league, National Football League (NFL), teams
showcase games at the Wembley Arena stadium in the UK.
However, Liverpool has some connections to the US city of Boston that the owners of the club, Fenway Sports Group, are a parent company of the Boston Red Sox.
So, the club has some links traced to the US and therefore will be helping the cause of soccer promotion in the country.
Raven’s stadium game is planned in addition to an earlier announced match of Liverpool against Roma at Boston Fenway Park on July 25, 2012.
Since there is no confirmation of any change in that schedule it seems that both games will be played as per the initial plan, and thus will provide another opportunity to local spectators to watch the action live.
The UK soccer is almost as popular in the UK as the American football in the US, but lately American’s audience’s interest in the UK soccer game has grown manifolds.
A large number of viewers watch the Barclays Premier League on television in the US, and follow the team brands and players with a higher amount of interest and loyalty.
The main reason behind the increase in the American people’s interest in the soccer is that a number of US investors are investing in the UK’s clubs such as Liverpool and facilitating hosting of games like the one between Liverpool
and Tottenham in the US more often.
It is expected to be annual feature from now on and should come as good news for the promoters of soccer game in the US at par with other games i.e. American football, baseball and basketball, which have massive following in the
states.
Meanwhile, the visiting Tottenham team has also been scheduled to play a game each at the Los Angeles Galaxy on July 24, 2012 and New York Red Bulls on July 31, 2012.
Another good news for the local fans is that two more UK’s soccer clubs, Chelsea and Aston Villa, are also planning preseason US tour and are likely to play a few games in between in different cities of the country during the trip.
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