With Milan in the USA, I wanted to talk to someone who attended one of the friendlies, so I invited Sofia back on, since she attended Juventus-Milan with me. We caught up on the recent news, the transfers, then we talked about the earlier friendlies, as well as the team here in Los Angeles. Finally, we talked about what it was like to be in the stadium, including what it is like to be female in the stadium, even though it is 2023.
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| Such a privilege just to be there. |
Despite Milan's shameless emphasis on the U.S. market, it is still such a privilege for fans when the team comes to play near you. Last night, I had that privilege, when Milan faced Juventus in Los Angeles, as did a total of 18,470 other Serie A fans. And while Milan lost to Juve on penalties, it was not only another opportunity for the team to get some match fitness in, but also for us lucky fans to have the experience of seeing our team up close and personal. Instead of all of us taking a 14 hour flight to Milano, the whole team flew 14 hours to be here with us. So no matter what the club's intentions were, for local fans, it was amazing to have Serie A in the USA.
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| Silencing the Juventus fans with this first Milan goal, you love to see it. |
If there is a polite way to tell an entire group of people "We just want your money," AC Milan have certainly not found it. They are not particularly direct or honest, like saying "We want you to be an AC Milan fan and buy our merchandise," instead, they keep addressing the general public as if we are investors in a board meeting or something, repeatedly telling us how important the U.S. Market is. We get it. You bought Captain America. You rented a giant AC Milan hot air balloon and flew it over Los Angeles for some unknown reason. You painted your tour bus like some 1980's political campaign or carnival bus and are parading it around Los Angeles like it is supposed to impress people. You are trying way too hard to convince us how important this U.S. market is to you. Just let the team play. The football speaks for itself.
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| So cringe, a circus might be embarrassed by it. |
As the player who has been called "the face of American Soccer," Christian Pulisic is a hero to fans of the beautiful game in the United States. He is not only the youngest player to captain the U.S. Mens National Team, but has won big trophies and set records in both the Bundesliga and Premier League as well. And he's only 24. Even more surprisingly, he has already experienced a dramatic career arc filled with injuries and big club drama that saw his market value peak at €60 million, yet now sits at only €25 million. His move to Milan represents a chance to demonstrate his worth again. For him, it is a move filled with hope and anticipation for the player he might still become. For the Club, they are cashing in on his value as an American hero.
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| Finally, another player who has actually won a Champions League trophy before. |
With a tumultuous June, Milan dove head first into July and the transfer window. To share his Milan Origin Story and help me recap everything that is happening at the Club, I invited fellow Los Angeles fan, Nolan for this podcast. We talked about the sporting sector, the players who left, the players who returned from loan, the new signings, and tried to define what is going on and where Milan is heading.
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| Furlani, Moncada, and D'Ottavio, 3/4 of the undefined "Working Group" |
When Cardinale abruptly fired Maldini and Massara, it was announced that the sporting sector was going to be restructured into a "working group" without a sporting director. This was just one example of how incredibly ignorant our owner and CEO are about football, as all Serie A clubs are required to have a certified Sporting Director as a condition of being registered. So they complied by finding someone from the youth sector who had completed the required courses to be a Sporting Director, which seems to be an appointment that is primarily in name-only. Because firing Maldini and Massara was not about their competency, it was about giving more people, namely investment bankers, more control over sporting decisions and removing those who were actually qualified to make them (or at least those who would oppose them and actually want to be successful.) That is the purpose of the reorganization of Milan's new sporting sector.
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| Cardinale gives the thumbs up to more bureaucratic power, less qualified personnel for our Sporting Sector |
Much has been discussed about Sandro Tonali's transfer to Newcastle in the media and on social media. There has been speculation, anger, speculation, heartbreak, speculation, arguments, speculation, and shaming or even abuse of others regarding the player, his motives, and even his credentials. The Club was heartless, although not a surprise after the goodbye they gave to Maldini. No compilation videos, just a single post. I suppose they had to look grateful given the money they were collecting for his sale. But they immediately went on to shamefully promote new merchandise, and then promptly hand over Tonali's number to new signing, Loftus-Cheek. But now that it is said and done, I wanted to take the time to say goodbye with a personal letter to Sandro.
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| Our bandiera and captain, just like we all wanted for you. |
Each year, at this time of the year, male fans everywhere develop some sort of fever that leads to irrational behaviors and beliefs surrounding the transfer window. Not unlike preteen girls, they spend their time daydreaming about things that never come to fruition. But this year, it is much more sinister. There is so much anger from these transfer market fantasy boys. They are in denial of what is actually happening to the club, they have turned their backs on Maldini and Tonali, and lash out in attack of anyone who says anything to burst their little inflated daydreams. Yet the reality is so much further from the truth, and we have seen this cycle before create a horrible environment for the players when the team fails to live up to these unrealistic expectations. Reality may not be fun, but it is important to acknowledge that this transfer window is creating a team in decline.
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| Our current starting midfield duo, formerly Tonali and Bennacer. |