LOS ANGELES — The International Champions Cup, a summer tournament founded by the Relevent Sports Group and international soccer executive Charlie Stillitano, regularly brought as many as eight top European clubs to the U.S. for a series of exhibitions before the competition was suspended two years ago because of COVID-19.
With the pandemic fading, Relevent will stage a four-team women's ICC in August in Portland, Ore. But the men's competition has yet to return. So on Friday, AEG, a major sports and entertainment producer and the parent company of the Galaxy, announced it was stepping into the void with a five-team, nine-day summer tour headlined by Real Madrid, the newly minted Champions League winner.
Real Madrid will play three games, ending with a July 30 date with Italy's Juventus at the Rose Bowl. Also participating is Spanish giant Barcelona and Mexico's two most popular teams, Club América and Chivas de Guadalajara.