SANTA CLARA, Calif. _ Manchester United and Real Madrid brought their prodigious talent to the Bay Area on Sunday in a summer soccer extravaganza known as the International Champions Cup.
The preseason tournament featuring some of the world's biggest soccer brands is more entertainment than serious sport.
No matter. Whenever soccer royalty travels across the pond Americans become starstruck teenagers.
Such was the case Sunday at Levi's Stadium where 65,109 fans cheered their favorite clubs on an afternoon so hot officials stopped play for two water breaks.
In the end, it devolved into a comedy with Manchester United winning 2-1 on penalties that saw seven players from both teams either miss or get blocked. The final embarrassment came when Madrid's Casemiro hit the crossbar, allowing Daley Blind's conversion to stand as the winner after a 1-1 tie.
Bay Area fans are expected to crowd Levi's again Wednesday night with the United States playing in the Gold Cup championship against Mexico or Jamaica. The Gold Cup is the championship for the North, Central American and Caribbean region known as CONCACAF.
Nothing was at stake Sunday afternoon other than pride from two of the world's most historic clubs.
In 16 days, the encounter between European soccer titans will carry much more significance at the Super Cup in Macedonia. The timing didn't bother United's renowned coach Jose Mourinho.
"Because I don't think the teams are going to be the same," he said. "The motivation isn't the same. The circumstances are totally different."
Real didn't have mega star Cristiano Ronaldo, who stayed behind for the birth of twins. But coach Zinedine Zidane started the game with the nucleus of a team that has won consecutive Champions League titles, something no other club had ever done.
United's roster still is developing in the offseason after the Red Devils finished sixth in the English Premier League last season. They open the EPL season in three weeks.
Mourinho approached the game with thoughts of the upcoming season. He asked the Red Devils to experiment with three systems for the three Champions Cup games. Results didn't matter. But the players had to work all out to earn their manager's praise.
"You say a test, is the right word but I prefer to say the experiences," he said.
Test or otherwise, fans who usually only get to watch these clubs through a television screen didn't care. They marched into Levi's wearing red jerseys for United, white for Madrid.
This was their moment to enjoy a European soccer experience.
United super fan Mike Casey and friends were singing supporters' songs while rambling through the stadium corridors a half hour before kickoff. The Pasadena man has been following Man United around the country this summer, Sunday being his third game.
"I'd drive, I'd walk, I'd bike if it takes me to see United," he said.
The Englishman began watching his favorite team through VHS productions the Best of Football, about the United legend George Best, who also played with the old Earthquakes.
"I'd watch more of that than Superman or Spider Man," Casey said.
He met fellow Man United fans at Lucky Baldwins, a British-style pub where they watch games at 4 a.m.
United gave its fans something to shout about in the first half with Jesse Lingard forcing Madrid goalkeeper Keylor Navas into a reaction save in the 8th minute and then just missing wide in the 42nd minute. The English midfielder converted in the 45th minute on a sitter set up by Anthony Martial.
The French striker player took the ball on the left flank, then charged into the box through two Madrid defenders. Just before the net, Martial slipped the ball to Lingard, who gave United a 1-0 lead and its U.S. fans a thrill.
Real, though, was not without a counter punch. Casemiro scored on a penalty kick in the 69th minute for the equalizer. The penalty came when United's Victor Lindelof took down Theo Hernandez.
