More than 30 members of the Arcadia community watched the Philadelphia Union battle fabled soccer club Real Madrid at Lincoln Financial Field on July 23. The visiting team was led by FIFA World Player of the Year award-winners Christiano Ronaldo and Kaká.

Pedro Leal ’13, an International Studies major and lifelong soccer fan, attended the game with friends. “Being from Brazil, soccer is pretty much written into my DNA,” he says. “I really enjoyed the experience at the Linc—the atmosphere was great in and around the stadium—and I’d like to see more caravans to local sports games.”

Real Madrid rolled to a 2-1 victory over the Major League Soccer side. However, Union midfielder Michael Farfan, a member of coach Rick Brownell’s AdiZero team at the MLS Pre-Draft Combine, scored the most impressive goal of the match, casually chipping the ball over the opposing goalie’s head from 18 yards out after a wonderful display of passing and dribbling skills. (Watch the goal.)

The Office of Alumni Relations and University Relations organized the group outing. Mike Minetti, Assistant Director of Students and Young Alumni, and Purnell Cropper, Social Media Manager, worked with Ryan Bross ’11 and Robert Migliaccio ’13 to publicize the trip. Nearly all of the discounted tickets were reserved by Arcadia alumni, staff and students within 24 hours of the announcement. Additional tickets had to be purchased.

This weekend a group of students and alumni organized by Bross will compete in the Blue & Gold Cup, a seven-a-side tournament at YSC Sports Wayne sponsored by the Union. For more information about upcoming outings, join the Facebook group Arcadia University Soccer Fans.