For the first time in 19 years, Italy returned to the US to play international soccer. With the eloquent Luciano Spalletti at the forefront, Gli Azzurri leave New York on a high with two victories in the bag and, more importantly, a restored bond with millions of Italian-Americans.
“We received a wonderful reception, a hug full of love and affection,” Spalletti told TuttoMercatoWeb following the 2-1 victory over Venezuela at Fort Lauderdale. “After seeing it and experiencing it in first person, I can say coming here was the right decision, so we gave this love back.”
Italians have always found it increasingly difficult to resist the charms of L’America. The Great Arrival of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries brought peasants from earthquake-affected areas, with four million Italians escaping rural poverty. During the decades that followed, the US became home to business-minded artisans and a wave of farmers and labourers looking for work. With 150 years of Italian heritage baked in, the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) and Serie A have identified ‘the land of opportunity’ as a market worth tapping into.
“It’s great to notice that the Azzurri shirt gives all this emotion around the world and determines so much love from our compatriots who have spent their entire lives abroad.”
The soccer relationship between Italy and the US has grown rapidly over the past three seasons, from Lorenzo Insigne (Toronto) and Giorgio Chiellini’s (LAFC) transition to the MLS, to the transfers of Gianluca Busio (Venezia), Christian Pulisic (AC Milan), Timothy Weah (Juventus), and most recently Nicholas Gioacchini (Como). On that note, what a weekend it was for the USMNT’s Italy-based stars, who won the CONCACAF Nations League Final against a Mexican side captained by Guillermo Ochoa (Salernitana) with Johan Vázquez (Genoa) in defence – a timely tribute to Joe Barone, Fiorentina’s Italian American CEO, whose sudden passing last week left the footballing world in shock.
Calcio IQ
With the 2026 FIFA World Cup to be joint-hosted by Canada, Mexico and the US, it made total sense to send the Italian national side over as soon as the opportunity presented. Moreover, with two failed World Cup campaigns in 2018 and 2022, there are no assurances for Italy in two year’s time.
This two-week international break was the perfect time to revive the transatlantic affiliation: Italy, while touring as the reigning European champion, sidestepped a confrontational tie with the USMNT. In addition, with two positive results and a thorough squad rotation, Spalletti is closer to fine-tuning his list for Germany 2024.
“It has been a positive experience,” Spalletti told RAI Sport after the 2-0 win over Ecuador in New Jersey. “There were many events, appointments and continual journeys, so managing to put it all together the way we did between the Federation and the team on the field, that makes it a very good tour.”
Spalletti and the FIGC are not the only ones with an appetite for America. With no less than five Serie A and three Serie B clubs involving US ownership, Lega Serie A chief Lorenzo Casini has previously confirmed the desire to branch out beyond China and Saudi Arabia to take the domestic game to the United States.
“It’s something we are evaluating, with pros and cons,” Casini told reporters at January’s Social Football Summit in Riyadh before the Italian Super Cup final.
Serie A has never held regular season games outside of its native Italy. Yet, imagine a Scudetto-decider between Juventus and Napoli played in New York, Atalanta upsetting Inter in Boston and a relegation scrap between Salernitana and Verona hosted in Los Angeles – all on the same weekend. There might even be scope for AC Milan versus Italian Canadian-owned Bologna in Toronto.
Wishful thinking? It may all come true thanks to Italy’s overseas Super Cup experimentation, the competition that pits Serie A winners against Coppa Italia champions. In 1993, Milan beat Torino in Washington D.C. and ten years later Juventus pipped the Rossoneri on penalties at Giants Stadium in front of 54,000 spectators. The focus later shifted to China (2009) and the Middle East from 2014.
“Exporting this competition was an attempt that began in the 1990s with the first match in Washington. Saudi Arabia has become a country of reference several years ago and looking at what the country is doing in view of Expo 2030 and the 2032 World Cup, it was an important moment to be there,” Casini explained.
“As Serie A, we are not only asking the Arab market. There is the possibility of creating visibility and relationships that are not only commercial but also diplomatic.”
Unlike Saudi Arabia, China and India, Serie A’s expansion into the sports-mad US landscape is underpinned by decades of immigration and commensurate cultural and civic alignment. Moreover, it’s a move that could pay off through increased international broadcast rights deals. And with Calcio’s tradition, notoriety and world-class talent, the foundations are undeniable, independent of the need for a Cristiano Ronaldo-like drawcard. Looking through a wider lens, mutual reciprocity may bring the American experience to Italy.
Vuo Fà L’Americano
In 2023, Lega Serie A launched its New York office, a move that will undoubtedly help expand awareness of the brand throughout the US and the English-speaking world. According to CEO Andy Mitchell, commercial development and audience development are key.
“For Italian Americans, Serie A’s in their blood,” Mitchell told The Italian Football Podcast. “More importantly, how do we grow Serie A beyond the base and bring new fans? That’s why I think that the connection to Italy, whether it be Italian food or fashion, culture, industry or travel. Americans love Italy.”
“So how do we connect Calcio to those different parts of Italian culture so that we can showcase the beautiful game, as it’s played in Italy, to a much broader set of Americans and people in North America to really grow the league?”
The answer might be the exportation of Serie A matches into the US. An agreement between the clubs, Lega Serie A and UEFA would have to be carefully navigated to achieve such an ambitious objective, one that no other top European league has realized before.
Who you are tomorrow usually begins with what you do today and the Azzurri’s successful tour of the US may end up being the precursor for competitive Serie A matches in US stadiums.
Calcio has taken some ferocious punches over the past decade, but, to appropriately quote Italian American actor Sylvester Stallone, “It ain’t about how hard you hit. It’s about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward.”