A Hollywood clash of heavyweight nature saw Real Madrid and Manchester City lock horns in Los Angeles. We went pitch-side to capture the scenes as Pep paraded his new look squad in style, by beating the Champions League holders 4-1 on the West Coast.
Much has been made of Guardiola’s defence spending this summer, but it was City’s attacking prowess that saw off Real Madrid thanks to goals from Otamendi, Sterling, Stones and Diaz. That man Kevin De Bruyne chalking up a hat-trick of assists. In a theme of the new, both Real Madrid and Manchester City kitted up in their new away strips to put on a powerful show of on tour talent.
The maroon moves of City met the bold black of Madrid as the two European giants did their best to win the hearts and minds of the American audience, as well as the game those in the seats came to watch. New boots, new signings, new season. It’s nearly time to go again.
Snapping the scenes in and out the tunnel, we roamed the touchlines to get a feel of those early season relationships being made between new and olds signings. None less so that Manchester City full back Danilo, who was reunited with the club he left just last week. In another marker of thirst for football in the States, City beat their opponents in front of a Coliseum soccer record of 93,098. Not bad for a friendly.
Sharp and styled. A power friendly of celebrity status. This is A-List exhibition football. A completely different feel to the hustle and bustle of competitive domestic or even Champions League football. This football pushing the brand of the sport into new ground. What goes on tour… comes back with jet-lag.
Photography by Scott Dukes for Soccerbible.
