International Friendly draws more than 80,000

PASADENA – Many of the fans could not get into the stadium until halftime. No matter, as half of an international friendly soccer match is better than nothing at all, especially when the select few who were privileged enough to be inside the Rose Bowl as part of one of the largest crowds to ever attend a futbol contest in Southern California.

With 81,224 fans on hand at the Rose Bowl on Tuesday night for a World Football Challenge matchup between Chelsea FC and FC InterMilan, a quick strike by Didier Drogba in the first half and a second-half penalty kick by Frank Lampard was all the British boys in blue needed to dispose of the Italian champions.

“I think that Chelsea played very well in this game,” Chelsea head coach Carlo Ancelotti said after the game of his team’s 2-0 victory over InterMilan. “We took good control of the play, played very well as a team. I am happy with this game.”

In all, Chelsea attempted about twice as many shots as InterMilan, with the British squad attempting 21 shots, compared to just 10 for the Italian champions.

With one team clearly outplaying the other in Tuesday’s match, coaches for both teams seemed to have diametrically opposed viewpoints of what they took away from the international friendly. For Ancelotti, he said Chelsea took one step closer to the team he envisions taking the field every night.

“I feel good about the team, because I liked very much the mental attitude of the team,” the coach said during the post-match press conference. “It’s not so far to the team that I have in my mind.”

However, InterMilan assistant coach Daniele Bernazzani, who spoke to the media on behalf of head coach Jose Mourinho, was a little more pragmatic about his team’s loss, adding playing time and team progress mattered more than actually winning.

“This is an opportunity to play some young players and get them some action,” the assistant coach said. “The match (later this week in Boston) against Milan will be in the spirit of preparation for the season, and the result will not be as important as such a match can be.”

Either way, soccer fans were treated to a rare international soccer match in Southern California. The match’s attendance was the largest crowd to watch a soccer event in the area since the 1999 World Cup Women’s final between the United States and China.

A few fans hoped the large crowd will help spark a growing interest in soccer.

“It was an amazing experience to see some of the world’s best soccer players play at the Rose Bowl,” said Matt Watt, a soccer fan from Los Angeles who was enjoying the game from about 70 rows up. “I don’t think Americans truly appreciate the game of soccer.”

While some were just happy to see quality soccer in Los Angeles, others wondered if the American version of the sport can actually close the gap with its counter parts in Europe and South America.

“I hope American soccer can one day achieve the same consistent high level of play,” said Anu Mathur, a Los Angeles resident who was indifferent about the match’s winner despite donning a Chelsea jersey. “Overall, it was a great night.”

Beyond the game itself, the international friendly soccer match was an experience beyond the 90 minutes of game action.

Just before the match kicked-off, Hollywood actor Will Ferrell participated in the coin-toss festivities and actress Charlize Theron followed with her promotion her Chelsea-supported charity, Africa Outreach Projects. Other celebrities who made it out to show their support included Alyssa Milano, Ashton Kutcher and Brandon Routh.

Also, earlier in the day, fans were treated to a small concert and several fair-like festivities surrounding the stadium.