Today may be about as interesting as a day of non-Chelsea preseason football may ever get. Maybe, may be.
First up, in the morning for me (but not too early!), we have the first day of the Audi Cup (née Franz Beckenbauer Cup), which may be just about the most prestigious preseason tournament out there. Hosted by Bayern Munich, the two-day event features four powerhouses from around the world battling it out in a simple knockout format. Previous winners include Barcelona, Real Madrid, and of course Bayern themselves. This year, the three teams joining the hosts are AC Milan, Manchester City, and Sao Paulo. City and Milan will face off in the first semifinal (12:00 P.M. EDT), Bayern vs. Ganso & Co follow 2.5 hours later. Both matches will be carried live on ESPN properties in the UK and USA.
After a bit of a break, two more fairly prestigious preseason friendlies follow. At 9:00 P.M. EDT, it will be the annual MLS All-Star match, which for most of the new millennium has taken the format of MLS versus a major European power. Chelsea have played twice in this one before, managing to conjure up losses both times - including last year's 3-2 defeat in which Eddie Johnson scored the stoppage time winner. MLS will test their mettle manliness against A.S. Roma Daniele De Rossi this year, live on ESPN2 and ESPN3.
Last but not least, the match played near my own backyard and part of the Guiness International Champions Cup, at 11:00 P.M. EDT, it's Juventus vs. Everton in San Francisco. I'm not going on account of steep ticket prices and poor scheduling and a poor ROI in general, so I'll be watching on FOX Soccer (or maybe FSC2Go).
Discuss.