May 21--German soccer legend Paul Breitner wasn't shy about letting fans in Chicago know what they can expect from Bayern Munich when the Bundesliga team faces Italy's AC Milan on July 27 at Soldier Field.
"They'll see some kind of perfect soccer they've never seen before," Breitner told the Tribune on Friday.
Even though Bayern recently lost in the Champions League semifinals to Atletico Madrid on away goals, Breitner believes the German club is the deepest team in the world and will provide a "spectacle" in Chicago. Bayern also is scheduled for summer exhibitions in Charlotte, N.C., against Inter Milan and in East Rutherford, N.J., against Real Madrid.
Breitner, in Chicago this week to promote the Soldier Field match, is no stranger to international soccer. In addition to two stints with Bayern and one with Real Madrid, he was on the 1974 German team that won the World Cup, with Breitner scoring on a penalty kick in the final match against the Netherlands.
He knows what it takes to create a national soccer power, and having spent time in the United States over the last few decades, Breitner thinks the country still has a long way to go before it can compete at an elite level on the international stage.
"I have family in Atlanta and my first visit was in 1973 ... and from these times until now, there has been just a little change," said Breitner, 64, currently an adviser for Bayern. "But nothing's really changed in treating soccer, in trying to make soccer more popular, more important for your kids."
Breitner said the problems have little to do with those on the current national team. He said there are deeper issues culturally and within the infrastructure of American soccer that need to be addressed before the U.S. can expect to play at a consistent championship level.
One big change Breitner said the U.S. must enact is to have its top coaches concentrate on developing children 8 to 12, when they are first learning the game.
"You need some more years, some more steps to become a soccer nation who can play at the top level," Breitner said. "You have to bring the best coaches to the youngest (players). This is the first step. ... Then you need an infrastructure, especially for your kids, that they have the chance to play anywhere in the country in a soccer team, that they have the chance to practice."
It also starts with getting people interested in soccer, something Bayern Munich hopes to help with during its tour.
chine@tribpub.com
