The League Comes To The United States

2024 Author: Steven Freeman | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 08:15

Until now, to enjoy Leo Messi dribbling rivals with FC Barcelona in the Spanish LaLiga in the United States, there was no choice but to settle for watching it on television or afford to pay for air tickets to cross the Atlantic.

For this reason, the announcement this Thursday by those responsible for LaLiga and the American company Relevant that they have reached an agreement for official matches of the Spanish championship to be played on American or Canadian soil has caused a great impact. It would be the first time that a meeting of this nature goes outside Europe

In other words, fans of this sport will be able to see LaLiga stars in stadiums playing official matches, where there will be points at stake, as if they were competing in Spain. It is an important difference with the friendly matches played by European clubs in the United States every summer in the framework of the International Champions Cup organized by Relevant, such as Barça-Real Madrid that was played last year in Miami.

In those early season games, the stars often don't play and serve little more than preparation because there's nothing at stake beyond self-esteem. Everything changes when we talk about official LaLiga matches in which the championship is in dispute.

With this initiative, LaLiga follows in the footsteps of professional championships such as the NBA, the NFL or the Major League Baseball, which for years have displaced one of their games to Europe or Mexico, as was the case of the American football game between the Kansas City Chiefs and Los Angeles Rams to be held on November 19 at the Azteca stadium in Mexico City.

The agreement establishes the creation of a new entity named La Liga North America that for the next 15 years will be in charge of representing the Spanish championship in the United States and Canada in all areas of business, in addition to being in charge of promoting this sport from the amateur to professional.

"This extraordinary joint venture is the next big step in the growing popularity of soccer in North America," Relevant owner Stephen Ross, who also owns the NFL Miami Dolphins, said in a statement.

According to the Spanish newspaper El País, the intention is that this year one of the LaLiga matches - which starts this weekend - will be brought to the United States, although it is not yet known which or when. Will we see another Classic between Barcelona and Real Madrid in Miami, or in New York, or in Los Angeles?