It has been a while since Yankee Stadium has seen a crowd like the one that is here tonight for the match between Manchester City and Liverpool FC. If one team can be called the 'home' team, it would have to be Manchester City, who have partnered with the New York Yankees to establish next year's newest MLS franchise, NYCFC. But you wouldn't know that from the sea of red shirts and scarves that looks like a sunset rising into a light blue sky.
Last year these two teams finished 1-2 in the Premier League, with Manchester City taking the Premiership title, and now their rivalry is reignited in a pre-season match as the teams compete in the International Champions Cup. The game begins with a coin toss by David Villa, Spain International and the first player signed by NYCFC.
The brown dirt of the infield shows through on the baselines, and the grass that has been laid over it has outlined edges where the squares have been fit together. Still, the outfield is lush and green, striped from the mowing.
In the first half, Manchester City comes on strong, controlling the play and getting in the first real shot of the evening. Now that Luis Suarez has moved on from the Reds, Daniel Sturridge is partnered on the front with Rickie Lambert and the fans cheer them onward down the field to challenge the City goal. In the 26th minute, City's Dzenko shoots, the ball hitting the back of the net, but he is flagged offside, and play moves on.
There is a third factor that is almost as decisive as the performances of the two teams - the field itself. That makeshift pitch, those strips of grass that were laid down over the mound, the first base line and almost all the way over to third base, is causing the players a lot of trouble. The pitch itself is taking out the Manchester City players on the attack and the Liverpool players who are defending. Unfortunately you can't call a foul on the ground, or yellow and red card a strip of grass.
As the half moves along, Manchester City seems ever more in control, while Liverpool's breakaways are thrilling, the crowd rising to their feet, heartbroken each time that the play is broken up or a shot misses the mark. If the half has to go to either side, it is Manchester City. As for stand out players it would the now torn and ripped grass, for its generally bad behavior and unsportmanlike conduct.
When the teams retake the pitch, the advantage that was accrued by each side from learning the pitch is lost when the teams change over, but Manchester City takes the rich, thick outfield grass with them on their attack and score in the 53rd minute, Jesus Navas crossing to Stevan Jovetic, who sends it in. It looks like Steven Gerrard catches a piece of it and helps it on its way, but the goal is credited solely to Manchester City. This goal however, does nothing to dampen the spirits of the Liverpool fans or the team itself, and they immediately go on the attack, and end up rewarded a corner which is headed close. Still, it is doesn't take long for close to become good, and in the 59th minute, substituted on Raheem Sterling sends the ball to Daniel Sturridge. He finds Jordan Henderson, and the game is tied 1-1. Since it is a friendly, both teams use up their generous number of substitutes, but none is more of a game changer than Sterling.
In the 67th minute, Manchester City go ahead again when Jovetic scores his second goal of the game with a ball that just sort of dribbles in past the Liverpool keeper. A substitution in the 69th minute brings on Yaya Toure for Manchester City, his older brother defending for Liverpool just across the pitch, but it is a sub-plot in a game that now sees Manchester City up, Liverpool searching for a goal, and time running out. In the 85th minute, Sturridge sends the ball to Lucas Lieva in the center, and he controls it and drops it over to Sterling, who ties the score at 2.
Since these games are leading to the finals of the International Champions Cup and a winner must be declared, the announcement comes over the PA system that the game will go to penalties if neither team can break the tie before regulation ends. Both sides pick up the pace, determined to end it now, but it is not to be, even with the added two minutes.
Manchester City shoot first and Kolarov sends the ball way over the crossbar, but Sturridge does neither better nor worse, in fact sending the ball toward the same place in the stands with his shot. Yaya Toure is denied, while Emre Can beats keeper Joe Hart, and Liverpool are up. Navas is unable to beat Liverpool keeper Simon Mingolet, but Jordan Henderson gets it past Hart, and even when Kelechi Iheanacho puts it in for Manchester City, all it takes is for Lucas Leiva to put his shot away, and Liverpool wins the game
http://www.silive.com/sports/index.ssf/2014/07/soccer_in_new_york_liverpool_b.html?.
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