BALTIMORE — Forget the flight across the Atlantic. Connor Harmon and John Spicer hopped in a car and took I-83 down from Pennsylvania to see world-class soccer.
"Very special to me, because I've always wanted to see a super big game like this," said Harmon, who attended the match as a birthday gift.
"It's just a big thing now, because you wouldn't be able to see this unless you were in Europe. It really is a huge thing," Harmon added.
Tuesday night's match between FC Barcelona and AC Milan at M&T Bank Stadium was part of the 'Soccer Champions Tour.' Five international soccer clubs played in six American cities in the middle of this summer.
According to FC Barcelona on X, formerly known as Twitter, more than 51,000 fans attended.
Global stars like Robert Lewandowski and Christian Pulisic took the field in person at the newly renovated stadium as part of the tour, created by a global investment firm to meet a rising demand for soccer in the United States.
"It's actually amazing. We did reserve the tickets 2-3 months ago; he is a big Barcelona fan," said Ishak Barsoum, who attended the game from Delaware with his son.
Tuesday's game was a 'friendly' - an exhibition game—but fans notice: the tour raises soccer's stateside profile. Forbes values both clubs in the billions of dollars.
AC Milan took the win on penalty kicks. But win, lose, or draw, it's a special moment for lifelong fans an ocean away.
"Very special. I've been a Barca fan ever since [I was] a baby. I finally get to watch a game," said Marcos Rodriguez, who made the trip from Silver Spring to enjoy the game.
