It was a sea of gold and sky blue in the red and black Georgia Dome on Wednesday night as Club America and Manchester City got together for an exhibition (or “friendly”) soccer match.
A crowd of more than 33,000 watched as Manchester City, of the English Premier League, defeated Club America of Liga Mexico 4-1 in a penalty kick shootout. The two teams had been tied 1-1 after regulation.
The game was plugged as somewhat of a showcase for Atlanta’s bid to be a host city should the United States win a World Cup bid in 2018 or 2022.
However, the attendance and media coverage may have been lacking due to Manchester United playing the MLS All-Stars on the same night.
“The Blues” got on the board first in the opening half as Adam Johnson was fouled in the penalty box by Aquivaldo Mosquera of Club America in the 36th minute. Emmanuel Adebayor knocked in the penalty shot.
“Las Aguilas de America” evened the game in the second half when Enrique Esqueda scored on a brilliant shot between two City defenders as well as goalkeeper Joe Hart.
The action picked up considerably late in the game as the Blues missed on three great opportunities in the Club America box while Las Aguilas missed on a couple of their own.
Possibly the best chance was by City when Jo Silva’s rebound was stopped by Club America keeper Guillermo Ochoa in the 80th minute. Silva had a clear shot, but managed to find the arms of Ochoa in front of the net.
Just a few minutes later, City nearly struck again when Adebayor nearly notched his second goal of the night, but was thwarted by the post. In the ensuing corner kick, Antonio Lopez whiffed on a chance when the ball dribbled just past his feet with a clear shot on goal at hand.
The event was crucial for Atlanta’s bid to be a World Cup host should the United States be awarded the tournament in 2018 or 2022. The field has been cut to just 18 potential hosts should the U.S. win either bid. Twelve cities will likely be selected to host games.
When the U.S. hosted in 1994, Atlanta was skipped over by other host sites, including Orlando and Dallas in the southern part of the nation. This time, the Atlanta Sports Council hopes that games like this and last year’s Challenge will be enough to prove that Atlanta is a worthy World Cup host city.
The city is the largest in the nation to not have an MLS team, although the city hopes to lure one in the coming years.
The country’s best pro soccer league would likely prefer a new stadium for a new, but it is not required. Stadiums in DeKalb and at Kennesaw State would be looked at as potential sites, but they would need to be expanded. If the Falcons build a new outdoor stadium, as they are thought to be considering, it would also boost the hopes for the host bid.
As it stands, the Dome may not be an ideal site for a World Cup game. The U.S. will learn if it will host the 2018 Cup on Dec. 2.
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I’m thinking a pro soccer team would do well here with the mix of people in Atl and the number of kids playing rec soccer.