SANTA CLARA — Liverpool FC and AC Milan are weeks away from season openers in England and Italy.
But their game Saturday at Levi’s Stadium in the International Champions Cup tournament won’t be treated lightly ahead of the English Premier League and Serie A campaigns.
The final marquee event of the Bay Area’s summer of soccer has gotten lost in the shuffle after four Copa America games at Levi’s and the MLS All-Stars playing Arsenal FC on Thursday night at Avaya Stadium.
But this is an important moment for two of Europe’s best-known teams.
“The preseason is difficult as some games are mundane, and you just want the first game of the real season to start,” said Gary McAllister, a former Liverpool great. “But when you put this one in a famous stadium, things take care of themselves.”
The International Champions Cup is an exhibition tournament in 10 U.S. cities featuring eight of the world’s biggest European soccer teams. In its fourth year, the ICC also has attracted Bayern Munich, Chelsea, Internazionale, surprise EPL winner Leicester City, Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid.
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has remodeled the team with the kind of players he likes after the Reds (16-10-12) finished eighth in the 20-team EPL in his debut season. Vincenzo Montella has tried to make similar moves in his first summer after Milan (15-11-12) was seventh in Serie A.
Klopp has signed Loris Karius, Joel Matip, Marko Grujic and Sadio Mane, with reports of three or more other top players also coming.
Liverpool saw 14 of its regulars participate in the two major summer tournaments, including player of the year Philippe Coutinho, who led Brazil in Copa America Centenario. Thirteen other Reds competed at the European Championship, as did four from Milan.
Forward Daniel Sturridge will be the focus this coming season, but Liverpool fans also will be watching the development of Belgian Divock Origi.
The coaches have little time to prepare the roster for the regular season. Liverpool begins Aug. 14 at Arsenal, while Milan opens at home Aug. 21 against Torino.
Klopp, who took over Liverpool last year, hoped to lay a foundation this summer by demanding a level of fitness that others have criticized as being too intense.
“Liverpool is a very special club with a very special emotion that makes us different from most other clubs,” the coach recently said. “The association is one of the largest in the world, and who does not recognize that does not fit here.”
McAllister isn’t surprised by Klopp’s pronouncement. He said the demanding schedule of European teams allows little time for new managers to change attitudes.
“Preseason is the time to get the message across,” McAllister said.
The Scot proved himself physically ready when arriving in Liverpool in 2000 from Coventry.
McAllister, 51, played nine years for Scotland and had a 19-year professional career in England.
He played only two of those seasons at Liverpool but endeared himself to Merseyside fans because he was 35 by the time he arrived.
“The two years here were fairy-tale stuff,” McAllister said.
Contact Elliott Almond at 408-920-5865. Follow Elliott Almond on Twitter at Twitter.com/ElliottAlmond.
