The news this summer that La Liga would begin to play matches outside of the country and exploit the American market was understandably greeted with a certain amount outrage and indignation.
For the first time in the history of the Spanish league a match will be played outside España, in a move described by La Liga president Javier Tebas as a "ground-breaking agreement".
Lucrative is an understatement to describe football’s potential in the United States with the ever-growing MLS - most recently expanded and elevated by David Beckham’s Inter Miami - but more-so to do with how well Stateside supported some of the big guns of Europe are becoming.
This week The Sportsman reported that now there are hopes in the future to host perhaps the most prestigious final in continental football, the Champions League, in the city that never sleeps.
Media mogul Jaume Roures saying that ‘talks are ongoing’ to stage the final in New York City some time in the future is news almost certain to not just raise a few eyebrows but understandably make diehard lifelong fans over in Europe feel further that the game is slipping out of their hands.
However, should the life-long supporter of their individual club be able to cough up to skip across the pond, the possibilities for an incredibly decent final in a country and city that specialises in entertainment are there. We take a look at three possible venues that two of European football’s best could play under the floodlights at if the elite competition makes it’s way over to the United States.
Most likely in adherence with current guidelines, any stadium would need to be a Category 4 under UEFA stadium categories.
New Era Field
Capacity: 71,000
Located upstate in Buffalo and the stadium at which the NFL’s Bills call home, New Era Field holds just over the average capacity seen so far for a final in the Champions League era. However, on the edge of Lake Eerie and the top of the stadium just 60 feet above the ground, teams from warmer countries may be exposed to the elements, and talk has been ongoing of a new relocation for the Bills altogether.
MetLife Stadium
Capacity: 82,500
Home of the New York Giants and Jets, this eight-year old stadium would take us a little way out of New York, up north to the home of Tony Soprano into New Jersey, with a capacity that even manages to best Manchester United’s Theatre of Dreams. Importantly, it has also been designed to house soccer matches.
Michigan Stadium
Capacity: 107,000
Most football fans will recognise the name of the venue from both of Manchester United and Liverpool’s pre-season tours which bore witness in front of 100,00 spectators a 4-1 demolishing by Jurgen Klopp’s side of the Red Devils. The biggest stadium in the USA by capacity, the second largest in the world, 'The Big House' would more than hold its own to some of the stadia we’ve been privileged to see across the continent over the years.
Unannounced NYC FC Stadium
With the backing of Manchester City owner Sheik Mansour bin Zayed al-Nahayan, one only needs to see the improvements to the Etihad Stadium and the surrounding area in East Manchester so see the potential for New York City FC’s future home. Having had to play at the Yankee Stadium since their inception - sharing with the legendary baseball team - the Blues are still looking to stay in the Bronx and seeing as their seems to be no apparent sell-by date on Tebas’ proposal we could be looking at a potential world-class venue to compete with Europe’s elite.
