OT: Real Madrid and Manchester United to play at the Big House
It's being reported that Manchester United and Real Madrid will play at the Big House on Saturday, August 2 at 4PM as part of the 2014 International Champions Cup.
Even though it will only be a preseason match, it'll be a great opportunity to see two of the world's biggest soccer clubs and some of the world's best players.
January 31st, 2014 at 5:32 PM ^
and is in line with the Big Chill and Winter Classic, I'm somewhat concerned that the next thing DB will propose to host is the "Most People Ever to See The Westminster Dog Show," or something along those lines.
January 31st, 2014 at 5:48 PM ^
February 1st, 2014 at 11:10 AM ^
And to be fair, this won't even come close to touching the largest crowd to watch a soccer game. It's just two of the most historic club teams in any sport playing in Ann Arbor. Which if you don't think that is awesome, then there is no helping you...
February 1st, 2014 at 11:22 AM ^
Back in 1972, a ping pong match between an American team and a Chinese team from the People's Republic was played at Crisler Arena. This was big news, the US and the PRC had had very little contact since 1945. Sadly, the match was very one sided; those Chinese could Pong.
January 31st, 2014 at 5:49 PM ^
I have never understood why anyone would be against using the Big House for any event. I have a buddy in Toronto whose kid now wants to go to Michigan. WHY? She went to the Winter Classic and fell in love with AA and the University. Before visiting the Big House, she had no interest in Michigan. If we can use a stadium that normally just sits there, I say use it and introduce more and more people to one of the greatest college towns in America.
January 31st, 2014 at 7:39 PM ^
Why can't your buddy's kid be an awesome football recruit???
January 31st, 2014 at 8:24 PM ^
January 31st, 2014 at 11:11 PM ^
Eminem seems like a possible candidate
February 1st, 2014 at 10:10 AM ^
when they did the renovation, they didn't make the tunnel wide enough for semis, making concert set-up/logistics very difficult. And they have had discussions with artists, just haven't inked one.
Hopefully they can figure it out. It'd be an amazing concert venue.
February 1st, 2014 at 12:18 AM ^
Totally agree. We have a huge facility that sits empty and unused for the vast majority of the year. Use.... it. It's like a city dropping money for a NFL stadium that is never used outside of the season. A giant waste.
Also, 10/10 would attend this game.
January 31st, 2014 at 6:53 PM ^
February 1st, 2014 at 2:06 AM ^
I honestly wouldn't be opposed to a "Largest Westminister Dog Show" at the Big House
January 31st, 2014 at 5:32 PM ^
holy crap that is a huge deal
January 31st, 2014 at 5:33 PM ^
Wow. But don't they have to do something to the field to make it soccer-ready? I remember reading that it wasn't wide enough in its current state.
January 31st, 2014 at 5:50 PM ^
The minimum recommended width of a soccer field is about 16 yards wider than the width of a football field. I don't know if it's feasible to add eight yards on each sideline or not.
It could also be the case that they'll just use a narrower field than usual, being that it's a preseason friendly and not a competitive match.
January 31st, 2014 at 5:33 PM ^
I'm telling ya, don't be surprised if WrestleMania is at Michigan Stadium some day.
All they do now is stadiums and they went to MetLife last year and it was a success. Superdome this year, Levi's Stadium next year.
The amount of money that that would bring in would be amazing.
February 1st, 2014 at 12:18 PM ^
I would go to wrestlemania if it was at the big house...
jdon
January 31st, 2014 at 5:35 PM ^
This might be a dumb question, but does a regulation soccer pitch fit in the stadium surface? There was always talk, especially when Bill Martin was AD, that in order to have a soccer match at the stadium, they'd need to elevate the field over the walls and eat up the first few rows of seats to fit everything in. There isn't a lot of real estate between the sidelines and the walls. That's why Michigan Stadium didn't host in the 1994 World Cup, IIRC.
February 1st, 2014 at 10:13 AM ^
January 31st, 2014 at 5:36 PM ^
How will that work? I thought the field wasn't big enough.
January 31st, 2014 at 5:36 PM ^
Awesome if true!!!!! A shame I will likely be in Europe at the time... first world problems.
January 31st, 2014 at 5:41 PM ^
Not sure if the link is going to work, but from a 1990 issue of the Michigan Alumnus, discussing the 1994 World Cup committee coming to Ann Arbor to scout locations:
http://books.google.com/books?id=NwDiAAAAMAAJ&pg=RA4-PA16&lpg=RA4-PA16&…
Pertinent quote:
"Michigan Stadium would need to be modified however to meet World Cup specifications. The field would need to be widened and the AstroTurf replaced with natural grass. One conceivable way of doing this would be to raise the field with scaffolding and cover the first eight rows. Of course the field would have to be removed in time for our American football season."
Check out that cool, 8-bit illustration. This was two years before the field surface was lowered, meaning the field would need to be elevated even higher to make it over the wall.
January 31st, 2014 at 5:42 PM ^
My guess is that the field size only matters for competitive matches. For exhibition matches, which are nothing more than money grabs by all parties, my guess is size doesn't matter*. Either way, cool to see IMO.
*If only this excuse worked in all aspects of life.
January 31st, 2014 at 5:55 PM ^
This is correct. If the match were competive and not just an exhibition, the field size regulations come into play. There was just recently an exhibition in St Louis at Busch Stadium, and the field for that was actually a couple meters shorter than regulation.
January 31st, 2014 at 6:06 PM ^
I had always thought that some variance regarding the size was allowed, even though the IFAB rulings would indicate a preferred size for the pitch, especially for international matches. I seem to recall an attempt to standardize the size, but I don't know if it ever was finalized into an official rule. You may very well be right though that they probably won't be too picky about the size given the nature of the match - technically, it can be on the small side and probably fit onto the current field with maybe only minor modifications.
January 31st, 2014 at 7:08 PM ^
January 31st, 2014 at 11:12 PM ^
January 31st, 2014 at 5:49 PM ^
NO FUCKING WAY!!!!!!
January 31st, 2014 at 5:54 PM ^
I hope this is true. Might as well use the stadium for different events since it basically goes unused over the summer except for weddings.
January 31st, 2014 at 5:56 PM ^
Pretty much. I can only hope there's a few training sessions leading up to the game. I'm hoping for some autographs! I'm gonna wear my van Persie shirt, though. Hate Madrid.
January 31st, 2014 at 5:59 PM ^
Now i'm excited for you! haha. This is gotta be huge for you.
edit: why is the reply function not working?
January 31st, 2014 at 6:02 PM ^
I'm freaking out right now. This is literally as good as it gets.
January 31st, 2014 at 8:45 PM ^
January 31st, 2014 at 6:48 PM ^
With the World Cup happening, I would be shocked if Roony, RVP, CR, Sergio Ramos, etc particpate in any sort of training or games until they get back to friendlies in Europe. That being said, there is still extreme quality on both sides that will be there...and its always fun to see guys battle for spots on the first team and the academy kids get their shot
January 31st, 2014 at 10:29 PM ^
I dunno. It is in August and if they get the whole month of July off, there's a chance they all could play. I wanna see Juan. Don't ruin this for me.
January 31st, 2014 at 6:01 PM ^
They use a certain size for the World Cup and it seems pretty standard across most of top level football/soccer, but the actual FIFA regulations ("Laws of the Game") actually allow for wide variation in the pitch dimensions -- length must be between 90 and 120 meters, and width must be between 45 and 90 meters, and the length must be greater than the width.
January 31st, 2014 at 6:06 PM ^
correctly, Stoke City has been known to alter the width of their field depending on the opponent. Sometimes you can notice the old chalk lines on some broadcasts.
February 1st, 2014 at 8:45 AM ^
Wo w, that's quite a variance. I would be kind of strange to have a match played on something like an 89m by 90m field.
By FIFA regulations, it will be no problem to fit a soccer field into the stadium.
January 31st, 2014 at 6:12 PM ^
I am not the biggest soccer fan, but I would love to wath Christano Ronaldo, Robin Van Persie, and Wayne Rooney play.
January 31st, 2014 at 6:19 PM ^
It will be interesting to see the publicity on this. ? Surprised having heard anything official yet. To have two of the biggest brand names in sports here will certainly be interesting.
January 31st, 2014 at 6:34 PM ^
How could anybody genuinely be against this?
January 31st, 2014 at 7:49 PM ^
Because the two teams involved make the Yankees look like frugal spenders?
Go You Spurs!
January 31st, 2014 at 9:01 PM ^
February 1st, 2014 at 8:32 AM ^
YOUR FANDOM ISN"T LEGITIMATE ACCORDING TO MY PERSONAL NARRIVE BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH
February 1st, 2014 at 11:29 AM ^
Are you, in fact, a Lakers and Cowboys fan as well a Yankee fan? I'm thinking no, because then you'd probably be an Alabama football and Duke basketball fan.
February 1st, 2014 at 2:15 AM ^
My first reaction was "ugh, come on, enough already" but seeing all the excitement here changed my mind. I hate both teams but might go if StubHub gets cheap or my family wants to go.
February 1st, 2014 at 11:36 AM ^
Enough of...what? ...Exposure for the University? ...Money for the AD? ...The influx of people who otherwise wouldn't step foot in AA? ...Potential recruiting boosts?
Fuck that Dave Brandon for having the nerve to breathe.
February 2nd, 2014 at 3:54 PM ^
But yeah, if your only values involve economic and sports impacts, I can see how you wouldn't see a problem.
January 31st, 2014 at 6:34 PM ^
Holy shit this is awsome. I dont even care that its an exhibition match and a majority of the best players may still be on break after the World Cup. Any chance to see these two great clubs is a must. So glad I do not have to travel to DC or LA like in previous years. Hala Madrid!