St. Patrick's Athletic FC to face Minnesota United FC in first ever US match for Irish club
BLAINE, Minn. — For the first time, an Irish football club is playing an American club, and it's happening in Minnesota.
For the most well-known Irish holiday, St. Patrick's Athletic FC wasn't partying but preparing for a historic game in America.
The team trained at the National Sports Center in Blaine on Monday. Their season is just getting started back in Ireland but they're coming off the heels of winning the FIA Cup, the top title in the League of Ireland.
They're excited to play overseas against the Loons. And even though their league is 75 years older, manager Jon Daly is expecting some tough competition.
"We went to the game on Saturday. When we landed we went straight to the game to have a look," Daly said. "Interested myself to see the pitch. That's when we'll know the levels and where we're at."
Chris Forrester is one of the Athletic's best players, with the most career goals in the club. But has never experienced anything like this upcoming game before.
"It's going to be a great experience for the lads, and we've never done anything like this as a club. I'm not sure many teams in our league would have ventured to America often," Forrester said. "We're really looking forward to it."
The match is Wednesday at 7 p.m. at Allianz Field in St. Paul. Tickets are still available.
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