Soccer power Real Madrid will play Scottish champ Celtic at Lincoln Financial Field

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Soccer power Real Madrid will play Scottish champ Celtic at Lincoln Financial Field

Read more: http://www.philly.com/philly/sports...at_Lincoln_Financial_Field.html#ixzz1wGmNRrw5
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LISTEN TO EAGLES chief operating officer Don Smolenski explain the inner workings of a deal that returns Real Madrid to Philadelphia, and you’d think it was love at first sight.

But from the time Real walked off with a 2-1 win over the Union last July at Lincoln Financial Field, Smolenski wanted the Spanish League champions back — and as soon as possible.

After nearly a year of exhaustive phone conversations, conference calls and meetings via Skype, Smolenski finally got his wish.

The Eagles will announce Tuesday that Real Madrid returns to take on Scottish Premier League champion Celtic on Aug. 11 as part of the World Football Challenge. The match, scheduled for a 1:30 p.m. start, marks the third consecutive year an international soccer friendly has been hosted in Philadelphia and the 18th soccer match held at the Linc since it opened its gates with the epic match between Manchester United and Barcelona. Tickets go on sale to the general public via the Eagles and Ticketmaster on Monday, June 4.

"We’ve been talking to whoever we’ve needed to talk to since last year about getting Real Madrid back here," Smolenski told the Daily News. "After the success of [last year’s] match, the dialogue started as soon as that game ended. It was a matter of CAA Sports (which coordinates the World Football Challenge) getting that in Real Madrid’s ear early. But for both teams it was still subject to routing and where they finished in their respective leagues. So once they wrapped up their seasons, it was a lot easier to zero in on these teams, specifically Real and Celtic."

The Daily News first reported on April 25, that the Eagles and the Union were in the final stages to return Real Madrid for an exhibition match, but Real’s opponent proved more elusive. Smolenski confirmed that along with Celtic, talks did take place with Italian giants Juventus and AC Milan, but that the "timing for both clubs didn’t pan out." Real will challenge Juventus in its second WFC match at Sam Boyd Stadium in Las Vegas on Aug. 5. Real will rematch defending MLS champ Los Angeles on Aug. 2.

A major stipulation was that Real’s best players had to participate in this match. So fans will again see Sergio Ramos, Iker Casillas and star forward Cristiano Ronaldo make their way back to Philadelphia.

It’s a game that will cap another impressive summer of soccer in the Philadelphia region, as PPL Park hosts this year’s MLS All-Star Game, pitting MLS’ elite against UEFA Champions League victor Chelsea on July 25.

"Those marquee players on both teams, those are the players the fans want to see and that was a big point for us last year as well as this year, is that we want those names playing here," said Smolenski. "They’re superstars and they are coming back here. We are very excited about that; in addition to being excited about the fact that we are hosting the Spanish League champions against the Scottish Premier League champions. So we expect this to be a heck of a matchup."

The match arrives on the same day as the Olympic men’s soccer final, but it shouldn’t deter sales. The United States failed to qualify for the Summer Games for the first time in over 20 years and last year, when Real challenged the Union, over 50,000 packed the Linc for that match. In addition, this match marks the only time Celtic will play in North America this year in addition to the only time Real Madrid will be on the East Coast.

"This goes back to the commitment that we made when we built Lincoln Financial Field; [that] was that we are trying to attract as many first-class events to the city as we possibly could.

“The soccer market here in Pennsylvania is very, very strong and the support we’ve had here from the various leagues is amazing, but to be honest, we are in the perfect spot. We attract up and down the East Coast from New York to Washington D.C. and bringing those fans in to watch a top-tier soccer match is something we take a lot of pride in and is perfect for the city."

And a little insight from Obst's favorite blogger, Kyle Scott:

We included this in the roundup, but thought it deserves calling out: Real Madrid will play Celtic at Lincoln Financial on August 11 at 1:30 p.m., according to a Philly.com report.

This will be the second year in a row Real Madrid plays at the Linc (they beat the Union 2-1 last year). Why is that significant? Because soccer is in a crazy growth phase in the U.S. right now, aided by more coverage (FOX Soccer channels, specifically), ESPN getting behind the sport, and successful World Cup runs for both the U.S. men’s and women’s teams in recent years (though the U.S. Men’s team failed to qualify for the Olympics for the first time in 20 years this year). The early success of the MLS in Philadelphia has helped locally, too.

News of the Spanish powerhouse coming to Philly yet again means that the winner of the most prestigious league in the world (UEFA Champions League), Chelsea, who will play the MLS All-Stars at PPL Park in July... the Scottish champ, Celtic... and perhaps the best team in the world, Real Madrid, will all play in Philadelphia this summer. That’s a big deal for exposure.

As mentioned, soccer is growing rapidly in the U.S., and, often times, more English and other European games are televised here than they are in their respective countries. For example: Every English Premier League match on the last day of the season (there are no playoffs) was televised in the U.S. this year, yet that wasn’t the case England, where fans didn't have the option of tuning in to see the frantic final moments of the season (there are benefits beyond just winning the league-- finishing in the top 4, not finishing in the bottom 4, and so on). Our appetite for sports, combined with, like, 9,000 cable channels, makes U.S. viewers prime targets for sports leagues, anywhere. And having teams like Real Madrid, Celtic and Chelsea (and Juventus, Tottenham and Liverpool, who are playing in nearby cities) play in Philadelphia goes a long way in introducing the game to new potential fans.

Myself included.

Last year, after watching Real Madrid play the Union, I latched on to the sport. I became hooked last fall and winter watching the English Premier League. I purchased the FOX Soccer app to watch non-televised games on my iPad. I bought two versions of FIFA soccer on PS3, spent many a weekend morning at the Iron Abbey watching matches being played 4,000 miles away, and now say things like pitch and ball and strike. Most of that interest is based off seeing one game last summer. So it works.

So who's going? It seems like it'll be a great time. I will be leaving for school on August 10th, though.