50,306 watch soccer at Georgia Dome

By Ken Sugiura

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

In time, the World Football Challenge event at the Georgia Dome might be remembered for a couple things.

First, Wednesday might prove to be the night that Atlanta asserted itself as a city worthy of hosting World Cup matches.

Second, it was the night that American Oguchi Onyewu made his debut with world soccer powerhouse AC Milan.

With 50,306 in the Georgia Dome to watch Mexico’s Club America defeat AC Milan 2-1, city and business leaders put the press on U.S. soccer officials, who are bidding to bring a second World Cup to the United States.

Said John Kristick, managing director of the U.S. bid committee, “It’s very hard not to be impressed. It’s a city that’s very much built for a major event.”

Onyewu, 27, entered the game after halftime, shaking hands of teammates and acknowledging the crowd’s applause as he took the field. The centerback delivered a decent performance, particularly considering his first practice with his new team was Tuesday. He was on the field for both of Club America’s goals, but also made a deft pass at the end of the game that nearly led to a tying goal.

Said Leonardo, AC Milan’s rookie manager: “I think it was very fast for him because he arrived yesterday and had to play today. It’s not easy to arrive and get to know the group and know the system we play, but he’s very positive, a very good guy. ... We are very happy with his arrival.”

Onyewu, 27, signed with the world soccer powerhouse earlier this month following a stellar performance with the U.S. national team in the Confederations Cup in South Africa. He had previously played in Belgium.

The 6-foot-4 Onyewu is only the second U.S. player to join Italy’s Serie A, one of the top leagues in the world. Onyewu, who played at Clemson, was not available for comment immediately following the game.

The more significant action might have been taking place in Super Suite 6 in the northwest corner of the Georgia Dome. There, Kristick and fellow bid committee official Jurgen Mainka took in the game along with Mayor Shirley Franklin, Mark Ketchum, CEO of Atlanta-based Newell Rubbermaid, Atlanta Sports Council president Gary Stokan and others. At halftime, they visited with Falcons owner Arthur Blank.

It capped a day in which Kristick and Mainka were taken to the Georgia Aquarium and World of Coca-Cola, Centennial Olympic Park and the Georgia World Congress Center. Before the game, they were given a thorough tour of the dome, including locker rooms, press box and suites.

Said Stokan: “We checked off a lot of boxes today.”

Asked if there was anything that Atlanta’s bid needed to improve, Mainka said, “I really don’t think anything in particular.”

The final piece of the night was the 50,000 people who filled the dome, many clad in Club America’s yellow and AC Milan’s red and black. The teams gave fans a worthy performance, highlighted by the playmaking majesty of AC Milan’s Ronaldinho, the Brazilian two-time world player of the year.

It followed the 51,115 who attended the Mexico-Venezuela exhibition at the dome in June. Stokan said he would have been happy with 40,000. By comparison, the first two World Football Challenges drew 31,026 and 81,224 in Palo Alto, Calif., and Los Angeles, respectively.

Said Mainka: “Today’s game is a tangible example of the passion for the sport.”

Atlanta is one of 37 cities vying to be a part of the United States bid for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups. Mainka said the bid committee will select 18 cities to be part of its bid package, which is supposed to be to FIFA, soccer’s world governing body, in May 2010. There are 10 other bids for one or both of the World Cups.