International Intrigue: Bayern vs AC Milan hits Soldier Field

Chicago soccer fans are in for a treat tonight as the International Champions Cup rolls into Soldier Field for a third consecutive year.

The match will feature one of the best teams in the world as Bayern Munich participates in this prestigious* tournament for the first time ever. They will be taking on once-great-but-not-super-great-anymore AC Milan.

Bayern has a massive global fan base and will likely enjoy the majority of support when they take the pitch tonight in Chicago. Unfortunately, some of the biggest stars such as Robert Lewandowski and Manuel Neuer will not be seen. Still, Bayern has plenty of heavy hitters coming for the three-leg American trip.

Courtesy of Bavarian Football Works.

Regulars

Philipp Lahm, Franck Ribery, Xabi Alonso, Javi Martinez, David Alaba, Arturo Vidal, Thiago Alcantara, Holger Badstuber, Rafinha, Juan Bernat, Julian Green, Sven Ulreich, Tom Starke

Youth Players

Christian Früchtl, Timothy Tillman, Erdal Öztürk, Nicolas Feldhahn, Niklas Dorsch, Tim Häußler, Karl-Heinz Lappe, Milos Pantovic, Mario Crnicki, Fabian Benko

Not Traveling

Arjen Robben, Douglas Costa, Renato Sanches, Kingsley Coman, Robert Lewandowski, Joshua Kimmich, Mats Hummels, Jerome Boateng, Thomas Müller, Manuel Neuer

That Julian Green guy sure sounds familiar.

On the other side, we have AC Milan. The once mighty Italian side has struggled recently, finishing seventh in Serie A and teasing their fans just a bit with a runners-up finish Coppa Italia. It’s a far cry from the seemingly perpetual league championship run of Bayern and their consistent top-four finishes in Champions League.

Despite the recent struggles of Milan, it is still plenty of soccer history that will be taking the pitch Wednesday night and a rare opportunity for Midwest fans to soak it in. The game will not likely generate the excitement of last year’s ICC clash at Soldier Field between Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester United — two massively popular clubs with huge stars — but it should still be one of the best preseason soccer matches Chicago fans will ever see in person.

Here is the AC Milan roster:

GK: Gianluigi Donnarumma, Gabriel, Diego Lopez

Defenders: Ignazio Abate, Luca Antonelli, Davide Calabria, Mattia De Sciglio, Rodrigo Ely, Gabriel Paletta, Alessio Romagnoli, Jherson Vergara,

Midfielders: Andrea Bertolacci, Giacomo Bonaventura, Keisuke Honda, Juraj Kucka, Riccardo Montolivo, Andrea Poli, El Hilali, Zanellato

Attackers: Carlos Bacca, Luiz Adriano, Alessandro Matri, Jeremy Menez, M’Baye Niang, Suso, Vido

I’d love to see Bacca and Vidal in person, but there is a chance that neither may play. You never know with these preseason matches.

Are you going to game? Who are you most excited to see?

*it’s not really prestigious