Sevilla FC coach Juande Ramos was forced to spend a night in the hospital last February after a bottle hit him in the head during a match and knocked him out.
Still, Ramos holds no ill will toward the Spanish league’s crowds.
“The atmosphere can get heated, but it’s still beautiful,” said Ramos, who feels no effects from the injury these days.
The songs and flags, in particular, are what make the atmosphere so enjoyable, according to the 52-year-old coach.
Ramos will bring a taste of the Spanish league to Chicago this week when his team takes part in the Chicago Trophy tournament. The first competition is Friday and Sunday at Soldier Field and will involve three other clubs: Mexico’s Toluca, Poland’s Wisla Krakow and Italy’s Reggina Calcio.
Sevilla finished third in the Spanish league standings in June, just behind Barcelona and the champions, Real Madrid. Ramos said Madrid will miss David Beckham this season when it defends its title.
“He was one of their best players,” Ramos said of the Los Angeles Galaxy’s newest addition. “They’re going to miss him severely.”
“People [in Spain] didn’t really comprehend [Beckham’s] move. Real Madrid is a very big club. It was hard for people to understand why he would leave for an inferior level of soccer.”
Barcelona is the favorite to win the Spanish league title in the upcoming season thanks to its signing of world-class striker Thierry Henry. While Ramos said Barcelona’s current roster is “possibly” its best in years, he is reluctant to crown it just yet.
“We’ll see,” Ramos said. “Henry plays a different style, so we’ll see how he adapts.”
Soccer in Spain is unique because of its technical style of play and because fans are more dedicated to their club teams than they are to their national team.
“Without a doubt, the passion for the club is stronger,” Ramos said. “In Spain, there are many different communities — Catalonia, Basque. It’s very separated, so there’s not as much national unity.”
Sevilla arrives in Chicago on Thursday and will be close to full strength. Stars Khalid Boulahrouz and Fredi Kanoute will make the trip, while Daniel Alves and Javi Navarro will skip the tournament to rest.
Wanchope update
The Fire has moved closer to signing Costa Rican striker Paulo Wanchope and is awaiting approval from Major League Soccer to make the transaction official, according to a source with the Fire. The source also said the Fire would not need to acquire another designated player spot to sign him.
The 6-foot-4-inch striker visited Toyota Park for the third day in a row Wednesday.
Where was everybody?
The Fire drew 15,719 for Cuauhtemoc Blanco’s debut against Celtic on Sunday, more than 4,000 below capacity. Fire general manager John Guppy said he didn’t know the exact reason for the lower-than-expected turnout, but said high ticket prices for the exhibition may have “scared away” some of his fans.
Guppy also pointed out the match had sold only 11,000 tickets before it was announced Blanco would make his Fire debut in that game.
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“Not even in our wildest dreams could we expect Blanco to sell the rest of the tickets,” Guppy said. “I’m disappointed Celtic didn’t have a greater draw. Forget about Blanco, I really thought it would be a sold-out event even without him.”
Corner kicks
The Fire’s international friendly versus Club Santos Laguna of the Mexican Primera Division was canceled Wednesday night due to inclement weather. A two-hour thunderstorm flooded La Joya Stadium in Texas. … According to Fire head coach Juan Carlos Osorio, midfielder Justin Mapp will miss “the next two to three weeks for sure — day to day after that.” … … Fans who buy a ticket Thursday for either of the Chicago Trophy games will receive a second ticket free.
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