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Tapped Out at Home, FC Barcelona Woos American Hearts, Wallets
- With 100 million fans, U.S. is sport’s biggest growth market
- Barcelona’s plan includes youth academies, women’s pro team
Javier Mashcherano of Barcelona vies for the ball with Lucas Vazquez of Real Madrid in Miami, Florida, on July 29, 2017.
Photographer: Hector Retamal/AFP/Getty ImagesThis article is for subscribers only.
In 1937, a cash-strapped Spanish soccer team came to the U.S. in an effort to stay afloat during a brutal civil war back home. On what is now known as the “salvation tour,” the club spent three months in North America, playing a handful of exhibitions that saved the team from bankruptcy.
Eight decades later, FC Barcelona is returning to the U.S. in much better shape. The team is one of the most valuable teams in the world, home to global superstars Lionel Messi and Neymar, and its American expansion is critical to the club’s plan to reach about $1.2 billion (1 billion euros) in revenue.