Once more, New York turned out for world class soccer.
Yankee Stadium was nearly filled for two European squads meeting for nothing last night. The multibillion-dollar question is whether such support would continue on a season-long basis for a national league of global caliber.
Still, a paid gate of 38,202, and what looked to be plenty more, were on hand in The Bronx last night to see Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea draw 1-1 in a match that didn’t count. And they loved it. Tougher evidence comes Aug. 8, a Wednesday night, when AC Milan faces Real Madrid at Yankee Stadium.
“The time will come when football becomes popular in the USA,” Chelsea keeper Petr Cech told The Post. “Football is a fundamental game all around the world. It’s just waiting to become big in the U.S.”
It was only a friendly match, but Paris served notice it will be more than couture, cuisine and culture this soccer season. Big-spending PSG made the FA Cup and Champions League winners look mortal, as the stars from both teams played a half or so.
Chelsea shirts overwhelmingly dominated the fashion scene, with PSG jerseys few and far between. In addition, Chelsea brought along its FA Cup and Champions League trophies for fan photos, and the line was endless.
“It felt completely sold out,” Cech said. “It makes it better for us to play a preseason game in a full stadium.”
Spree-spending PSG played without last week’s mega-signing, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who will join the touring squad tomorrow, and may play later in this World Football Challenge, perhaps against D.C. United Sunday. Thiago Silva also did not appear. Chelsea was without Fernando Torres, on post-Euro leave.
For the first soccer game at the new Yankee Stadium, sod was laid atop infield dirt inside the pitch, oriented with the end lines down the first base side and in front of the left field wall. It seemed to hold up.
PSG’s leading scorer last season, Nene’, finally made good on his team’s early domination 30 minutes in. Javier Pastore wriggled through three defenders on the left side to pound one off the near post, and Nene’ converted that carom, in off the right leg of defender David Luiz.
In the first half, Chelsea was mostly reduced to Frank Lampard carries to midfield, followed by wide feeds that produced ineffective crosses. PSG, on the other hand, ran straight at and behind the Chelsea backs, a treat to watch and reason to anticipate the coming French season.
PSG’s sprinters took seats at halftime, as did Lampard and Luiz, with John Terry joining play in the 63rd minute, donning his captain’s armband for his first action since his acquittal on the racism charges that cost him the England captaincy.
Chelsea revived in the second half, averting defeat on Lucas Piazon’s give-and-go finish from Ramires in the 82nd minute.