by

PHOTO | CURTIS WILSON Liverpool and Borussia Dortmund squared off at the International Champions Cup last year at Bank of America Stadium. Arsenal and AS Roma are expected to play in the soccer showcase July 20.

Support local journalism: Subscribe to The Charlotte Post

International Champions Cup is at home in Charlotte.



Arsenal of the English Premier League will face Italian Serie A side AS Roma on July 20 at Bank of America Stadium in the sixth annual summer tournament, according to sources involved with the event.

“I heard a rumor, but I don’t know,” Charlotte Mayor Pro Tem Julie Eiselt wrote in response to a text seeking confirmation of the match. “That would be fabulous though!”

Arsenal will play Bayern Munich of Germany’s Bundesliga in Carson, California on July 17, according to a report in the Los Angeles Times. Tournament organizer Relevent Sports Group will announce the schedule on March 27 at 10 a.m. in New York via Facebook Live and IGTV. A press conference will take place in Charlotte the following day.



Charlotte’s strongest soccer following is already counting down the days to July 20. The Queen City Gooners religiously gather in Uptown at Ri Ra Irish Pub. The 121-member supporters group has cheered on Arsenal together since 2011, with an average attendance of 40 people per match.

Arsenal (18-6-6, 60 points), which sits fourth in the EPL, concludes the regular season on May 12 against Burnley FC. Roma sits fifth in its league at 13-8-7 with 47 points. They wrap everything up on May 26 against Parma.

The July 20 match marks the first English-Italian meeting in Charlotte since the inaugural ICC contest here between Liverpool and A.C. Milan in 2014.

Attendance has declined for ICC in Charlotte, but its economic impact continues to improve. A.C. Milan-Liverpool drew the highest attendance, 69,364 in 2014, but generated the smallest financial dividends: $16.5 million in total economic impact, and $8.3 million in direct spending according to Charlotte Regional Visitors Authority. The Reds’ second trip to Charlotte generated the third-highest attendance, 55,447 against Bundesliga’s Borussia Dortmund last summer. Yet it produced the best financial bottom line for the city: $21 million in total economic impact, and $11.3 million in direct spending.

The 2015 match between Chelsea of the Premier League and France Ligue 1’s Paris Saint-Germain attracted 61,224 fans, $18.7 million in economic impact and $9.4 in direct spending. Bank of America Stadium also hosted CONCACAF Gold Cup group stage action that summer, which contributed an additional $18 million overall, $9.5 in direct spending. Gold Cup group stage play returns to Charlotte this summer for a third time (2011, 2015 and 2019). The expanded tournament includes 16 teams instead of 12, in 13 cities across the country. Bank of America Stadium, one of 15 host sites, has increased capacity from 75,412 to 75,525 since 2014. The Gold Cup schedule will be announced on April 10.



“This is a large stadium,” said CONCACAF Chief of Football Officer Manolo Zubiria in a previous interview. “This is a 75,000-seat stadium, which you don’t find that in every market that you can get a big draw for a venue like that. It’s one of the best stadiums. It’s a safe bet to say that we like to come back to Charlotte.”

CRVA did not produce an economic impact report for the 2016 ICC matchup between Bayern Munich and Inter Milan (Serie A), which drew a Charlotte-low 53,629 people. ICC did not take place in Charlotte in 2017 as the stadium underwent extensive renovations.



Carolina Panthers owner David Tepper, whose team plays at Bank of America Stadium, has openly expressed interest in bringing Major League Soccer to the market. He bought the Panthers for $2.2 billion last year, and hired Tom Glick, an experienced soccer executive as team president last September. Glick spent six years with City Football Group, which operates English champions Manchester City. Tepper has also held focus groups with a private marketing firm to determine local interest last month. MLS will add franchises in Miami and Nashville in 2020 and Austin, Texas in 2021, with plans to incorporate a 28th team in 2022.









Comments