The Galacticos have already trained at Soldier Field, the Chicago Stadium hosting one of the most awaited matches of the year. The European stars of Real Madrid, who won the Uefa Champions League for the second time in a row, will face America’s best players, picked from MLS clubs, for the MLS All-Stars.
The madrileños received good news this morning. German mid-fielder Tony Kroos has returned to practice and might be ready for the match. An ankle problem prevented him from playing the second and third matches of the pre-season International Champions Cup, which was held in Miami, Florida.
The now recovered German player may be able to face his former colleague in Germany national team and Bayern Munich's Sebastian Schweinsteiger, who is now with the Chicago Fire. Schweinsteiger might be one of the most important players for the MLS All-Stars.
Poor performance
Up to now, Real Madrid had very little to show for the tournament. The first match against England's Manchester United ended in a 1-1 draw in Santa Clara. A second England club, Manchester City, beat the Galacticos in a 4-1 route, while Barcelona, Real’s main rival, defeated them 3-2.
Other stars
Also chosen for the match was Brazilian midfielder Kaká. The Orlando City captain and former Real Madrid player will meet some of his fellow European colleagues, especially Zinedine Zidane, Madrid’s coach, with whom the Brazilian worked for on that team.
The MLS squad will also feature former Barcelona and Spain National team forward David Villa, as well as U.S. national team players, like Michael Bradley, Tim Howard, and Jozy Altidore.
Busy preseason
For Real Madrid and other European clubs, that is just the beginning of the season. The 2016-17 season was almost flawless for Real Madrid.
The whites conquered the most important championship of the continent, the UEFA Champions League, defeating Italian Juventus, and also won the Spanish National Championship, known as La Liga.
The goals for 2017-18 are set high. The world’s best player Cristiano Ronaldo and his teammates intend to win everything again and few people would doubt them.
The matches played in the U.S. are only the beginning of the journey.
Following the All-Star game, the preseason continues with the European Super Cup, in Skopje, Macedonia, in which they will play again against Manchester United, on August 8. Back home, they have two matches scheduled against rivals Barcelona, in the Spanish Supercopa, on August 13 and 16.
