International Champions Cup match preview

July 31, 2018 at 1:19PM
Tottenham Hotspur Heung-min Son got a lesson from Vikings General Manager Rick Spielman at training camp.
Tottenham Hotspur Heung-min Son got a lesson from Vikings General Manager Rick Spielman at training camp. (Brian Wicker — Star Tribune/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

International Champions Cup

Tottenham Hotspur F.C. vs. AC Milan 7:30 p.m. at U.S. Bank Stadium • ESPNews, Watch ESPN

Soccer returns to Vikings' home

What is it? For the third time overall and second time at U.S. Bank Stadium, the International Champions Cup will make a stop in Minneapolis. In 2014, Olympiacos tied Manchester City 2-2 at TCF Bank Stadium. In 2016, Chelsea beat Milan 3-1 to open the Vikings' new stadium. The tournament functions as a way to bring high-level European teams to places like North America as part of preseason training.

Tottenham: The London-based club finished third in the English Premier League last season and has Argentine Mauricio Pochettino as coach. The club has finished inside the top four of the EPL the past three seasons and had the most players of any club in this summer's World Cup semifinals. Cameron Carter-Vickers, a 20-year-old U.S. men's national team defender, is a player to watch this preseason.

Milan: The Italian team placed sixth in Serie A last season and has former player Gennaro Gattuso as manager. The club is one of the most successful in Europe, having won the Champions League or its equivalent seven times. Goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma, at 19, already plays for the Italian national team.

Previously in the tournament: Tottenham beat Roma 4-1 and tied Barcelona 2-2. Milan tied Manchester United 1-1 and will play Barcelona on Saturday to finish its games. The team with the most points after three games wins this sixth edition of the competition.

Megan Ryan

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