No matter where U.S. soccer is going, Charlie Stillitano likely is to be among those either navigating the waves or blazing a new trail. And, whether Stillitano continues organizing high-level summer tournaments or sparks the start of a global league, the Boston area will remain on his radar.
Stillitano left that impression after the fifth International Champions Cup tournament concluded with a Juventus-AS Roma match July 30 at Gillette Stadium.
Stillitano — the New York/New Jersey venue director for the 1994 World Cup and the MetroStars’ first general manager — has regularly promoted matches involving top European clubs since 2002, and his latest project appears to be establishing itself on the international calendar. The ICC seems to be as close as we’ve come to getting a taste of what a longanticipated world league might be like, though Stillitano is not setting his sights that high, yet.
The Juventus-Roma match in Foxboro finished in a 1-1 draw, with Juve then taking a penalty kicks shootout win, 5-4, before a 33,039 crowd. That attendance was on the low side for a two-week event that attracted 917,619 spectators for 21 games (48,298 average).
