SOC: Bernardo Silva propels Man City
Manchester City is fresh off of their Premier League title, compiling a 32-4-2 record and totaling 100 points and an incredible +79 goal differential. They were by far the best team in the league, ousting teams like Manchester United (25-6-7), Tottenham (23-8-7), and Liverpool (21-12-5). With the season just a few weeks away, they're gearing up for another potential title run. Man City is part of the International Champions Cup, which is a preseason tour. In their most recent match, which I was able to attend, they faced Bayern Munich. Bayern won the Bundesliga title last season, with an impressive 27-3-4 clip. They finished the year with 84 points, 21 more than the second place team. Bayern's Robert Lewandowski led the league in goals scored with 29.
Even though a lot of the most notable players decide to skip portions of the ICC in order to get rest and ready for the regular season, it's still an exciting event because the United States gets to see teams that we aren't able to everyday. Manchester City and Bayern Munich faced off in Miami Gardens at Hard Rock Stadium. Bayern grabbed a quick 2-0 lead, the second of which was by Arjen Robben. He brought the ball down gently with a beautiful first touch and then chipped it into the back of the net. However, Manchester City was able to slowly battle back from the early deficit. Bernardo Silva cut the disadvantage in half in the 45th minute on a rocket, and Man City went into halftime with a little bit of momentum.
Lukas Nmecha tied the match 2-2 in the 51st minute off of a rebound, and then about 20 minutes later, Silva grabbed a lead for Man City with his second goal of the day. He snuck it right past on the keeper on the near side. Manchester City finished the match with 14 shots, 556 passes, and 54 percent possession. Bayern looked pretty good, as well. They totaled 13 shots and 84 percent pass accuracy. Man City will face Chelsea in one final preseason match before they begin their title defense in the Premier League against Arsenal on August 12th. Bayern has a friendly against Manchester United on August 5th coming up, and then are schedule to play 1899 Hoffenheim in their opening match of the Bundesliga later in the month.
Photo Credit: MCFC.
