#LGR?

After two years in Michigan, I can now say that I have been to a sporting event in Michigan Stadium (the Big House). I can even say that I have seen a football game in the Big House. I cannot say that I have seen an American football game in the Big House. When I first heard that the International Champions Cup was coming to Ann Arbor at the end of July, I was tempted to go, but a minimum of $55 for tickets that would be 3,492 feet from the field for a game featuring two EPL teams I don’t really follow was a little much. Then two days before the game, on Thursday evening, Michigan athletics emailed the student body offering $25 tickets. That I can do.

The last professional soccer game I attended was the New England Revolution against the Philadelphia Union at Gillette Stadium in 2016, as the Revolution were at the tail end of one of their summer slumps. The Revolution lost 4-0. So the bar was set pretty low for this game, which would feature Manchester United and Liverpool. Basically my only requirement for this outing to be a success was that I be entertained.

A coworker, a friend, and I set off with what we thought was plenty of time to get to the stadium. We parked in south Ann Arbor to catch a shuttle bus operated by the city to the stadium. The concept was good; the execution needed a bit of work. We waited over half an hour to get on a bus, then spent another ~20 minutes packed into the bus slowly making our way toward the stadium. When we were dropped off, we were at the exact opposite end of the stadium from our seats. By the time we made it to our section, we were just in time for kickoff.

With that auspicious start, we settled in to watch the game. Just being in the Michigan Stadium with tens of thousands of other people is an experience; later, the announced attendance of 101,254 would easily make this game the highest attended Champions Cup match of 2018. Our seats were about halfway up the stadium, and I was pleasantly surprised that we could see the field, the players, and even the ball. Funnily enough, Manchester United’s colors are red and yellow and Liverpool’s are red and white, so there was an abundance of Cornell colors (#LGR) and a noticeable lack of blue and maize. Among the Liverpool and United jerseys, I did also spot some representation of the USMNT, the Columbus Crew (#SaveTheCrew)¹, Zlatan, the LA Galaxy, and I wore my Revolution hat (#NERevs).

Both teams started the game cautiously, with neither side challenging the other too much. Liverpool was awarded a penalty in the 28th minute for what seemed to be a routine foul in the box. A few minutes later, Manchester United equalized off a nicely taken free kick.

Halftime in the mostly full stadium.

Tied 1-1, beer ad on the screen.

The two teams went into the half tied, leaving their fans to sit in the sweltering heat and humidity packed in like sweaty sardines to watch beer ads. As the second half went on, Liverpool started to threaten United’s goal and had the bulk of the possession. They scored in the 66th minute, were given another penalty in the 74th minute, and scored probably the best goal of the game in the 82nd minute. They were working the ball around Manchester United’s box, the ball was kicked goalward, cut back out, and Liverpool picked up its fourth and final goal of the match on a bicycle kick.

The game ended without drama, and both teams headed off to the locker room. I waited for the crowd to thin out a bit before joining the stream of people walking north from the stadium to downtown Ann Arbor. It’s about a mile between the stadium and central campus, and honestly, it would probably have been faster, cheaper, and less crowded to walk from there than take the shuttle bus. Oh well. I’ll know for next time. In the end, was it worth it? Definitely yes. Was it hot, crowded, and loud? Also definitely yes. The game somewhat lacked intensity – pretty weak, by the book penalty calls; something like a single yellow card all game; no headbutting, 50 mph slide tackles, or face slapping – but it was more of an exhibition match than a tournament, so I’m not complaining that nobody wanted to break their leg for imaginary brownie points. And I was entertained, so my goal was met.

86th minute, final score on the board

[Full game highlights found here. Liverpool’s bicycle kick goal starts around 1:08.]

¹As of October 12th, this may be #SavedTheCrew, as the owner of the Cleveland Browns is trying to buy the team and keep it in Columbus.