2012 World Football Challenge
The 2012 World Football Challenge was the third World Football Challenge event, a series of friendly soccer matches played in the United States and Canada in July and August. The series opened on July 18. The opening match was between the Seattle Sounders of Major League Soccer and Chelsea of the English Premier League, which Chelsea won 4–2. Real Madrid, who had won the equivalent tournament the previous year, were the only team to win all their matches in normal play.
Participants
The following eleven clubs took part in the 2012 World Football Challenge.Nation | Team | Location | Confederation | Professional League | Notes |
Celtic | Glasgow, Scotland | UEFA | Scottish Premier League | 2011–12 Scottish Premier League champions | |
Chelsea | London, England | UEFA | Premier League | 2012 FA Cup and 2011–12 UEFA Champions League winners | |
D.C. United | Washington, D.C. | CONCACAF | Major League Soccer | 4-time MLS Cup Champions | |
Santos Laguna | Torreón, Mexico | CONCACAF | Liga MX | 2011–12 Mexican Primera División Clausura champions | |
Liverpool | Liverpool, England | UEFA | Premier League | 2012 Football League Cup winners | |
Los Angeles Galaxy | Los Angeles, California | CONCACAF | Major League Soccer | 2011 MLS Cup champions | |
Milan | Milan, Italy | UEFA | Serie A | 18-time Serie A champions | |
Paris Saint-Germain | Paris, France | UEFA | Ligue 1 | Ligue 1 runners-up | |
Real Madrid | Madrid, Spain | UEFA | La Liga | 2011–12 La Liga champions | |
Seattle Sounders | Seattle, Washington | CONCACAF | Major League Soccer | 2011 U.S. Open Cup winners | |
Toronto FC | Toronto, Ontario | CONCACAF | Major League Soccer | 2012 Canadian Championship champions |
Venues
Eight venues were selected for the 2012 World Football Challenge.Carson, California | Miami, Florida | Whitney, Nevada | The Bronx, New York City |
The Home Depot Center | Sun Life Stadium | Sam Boyd Stadium | Yankee Stadium |
Capacity: 27,000 | Capacity: 74,918 | Capacity: 36,800 | Capacity: 52,325 |
Toronto, Ontario | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | Seattle, Washington | Washington, D.C. |
Rogers Centre | Lincoln Financial Field | CenturyLink Field | RFK Stadium |
Capacity: 49,808 | Capacity: 67,594 | Capacity: 67,000 | Capacity: 56,692 |
Matches
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Summary of results
Team | ||||||
Celtic | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
Chelsea | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 4 |
D.C. United | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
Liverpool | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
Los Angeles Galaxy | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 5 |
Milan | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 5 |
Paris Saint-Germain | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
Real Madrid | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 3 |
Santos Laguna | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
Seattle Sounders | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 4 |
Toronto FC | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
Top goalscorers
Rank | Name | Team | Goals |
1 | José Callejón | Real Madrid | 3 |
2 | Romelu Lukaku | Chelsea | 2 |
2 | Ángel Di María | Real Madrid | 2 |
2 | Fredy Montero | Seattle Sounders | 2 |
2 | Cristiano Ronaldo | Real Madrid | 2 |
6 | Xabi Alonso | Real Madrid | 1 |
6 | Quincy Amarikwa | Toronto FC | 1 |
6 | Karim Benzema | Real Madrid | 1 |
6 | Urby Emanuelson | Milan | 1 |
6 | Eden Hazard | Chelsea | 1 |
6 | Gonzalo Higuaín | Real Madrid | 1 |
6 | Zlatan Ibrahimović | Paris Saint-Germain | 1 |
6 | Jesé | Real Madrid | 1 |
6 | Sami Khedira | Real Madrid | 1 |
6 | David Lopes | Los Angeles Galaxy | 1 |
6 | Marko Marin | Chelsea | 1 |
6 | Álvaro Morata | Real Madrid | 1 |
6 | Adam Morgan | Liverpool | 1 |
6 | Nenê | Paris Saint-Germain | 1 |
6 | Lucas Piazon | Chelsea | 1 |
6 | Sergio Ramos | Real Madrid | 1 |
6 | Robinho | Milan | 1 |
6 | Dwayne De Rosario | D.C. United | 1 |
6 | Christian Suárez | Santos Laguna | 1 |