Sports

Torres leads Spain vs Ireland at Yankee Stadium, praises US growth

The best soccer team on the in the world visits the home of arguably the most successful team on the planet tomorrow at 8 p.m., when reigning world and European champion Spain faces Ireland at Yankee Stadium.

As Vicente del Bosque’s Spanish side comes in riding a 21-match unbeaten streak, since a Nov. 2011 friendly loss to England at Wembley. As they prepare for this summer’s Confederations Cup, ironically they haven’t lost a meaningful game since the 2009 Confederations Cup semis, when they were upset 2-0 by the U.S.

“Because of that loss, we know how important this competition is. So our approach will be just like it is for the World Cup,” said striker Fernando Torres. “We don’t want the same feelings of 2009 when we went home early.’’

The 29-year-old Torres – who played for Chelsea in their friendly loss to Manchester City here at Yankee Stadium, and insists he won’t be leaving the Blues anytime soon – went out of his way to praise that U.S. team, as well as the growth of MLS.

“It’s not a surprise that the U.S. is winning games against the best teams in the world. They have great players who can play in the best teams in the world,’’ said Torres. “In a few years we’ll see more and more American players playing in the big teams in Europe and doing well for their country. They will show everyone what they can do.’’

Ireland – which will be captained by LA Galaxy star Robbie Keane, who had a hat trick in Friday’s 3-0 rout of the Faeroe Islands in a World Cup qualifier at Dublin – may swap out eight starters. And del Bosque may mix up his lineup as well, with Torres and Roberto Soldado staring in last week’s win over Haiti, but David Villa expected to get the nod up front at Yankee Stadium.