— MP24MP42 (@MP24MP42) July 23, 2023
Me going see Bukayo dribble past players on the wing:
What I got:#manunited v #arsenal at metlife stadium new york pre season friendly #fights #fight #soccer #football #twitter #metlife pic.twitter.com/XDPkE5n86A
— Hooby (@Real_Hooby) July 23, 2023
Arsenal and Manchester United played a Premier League cash grab preseason friendly on Saturday at MetLife Stadium.
Man U won 2-0. And some Arsenal fans had an old-fashioned donnybrook in the stands — amongst themselves and, it appeared, with a smattering of Man U fans.
Some takeaways:
• That sure looked like a bite!
• The guy in the blue Arsenal jersey is a machine. A kick and then a vicious right jab.
• The guy in the red Arsenal jersey takes a licking and keeps on ticking. He definitely had to get stitches, yet he stayed in the game.
• You could tell these guys began to have regret set in. The wrestling on the concrete walkway is a proven way to de-escalate.
• That guy in the white jersey hit the ground hard. And the guy in the white polo and jeans wants all the smoke.
• The big guy barreling down to enter the fray was a great plot twist. And kudos to the woman who pulled his pants up the first time. It was a futile effort; that belt never stood a chance. But still, it was commendable situational awareness.
• Did the peacemaker with the blue polo, khaki shorts and black mid socks teleport in from my high school cafeteria in 2007?
To those wondering why there would be Gunner-on-Gunner crime: Hey, it is the preseason for them too. Have to get your reps in. And it is a low-risk platform to do so. If they are from across the pond, who cares about getting a stadium ban at the Meadowlands?
You have to walk past the State Police holding pen to get to the locker rooms and press conference rooms at MetLife Stadium. It was always a blast to see some pissed-off girlfriend on her cell phone while her significant other sits on a bench in handcuffs with a torn Eli Manning jersey and black eye. That is going to be a long drive back to Ronkonkoma.
Anyway, it amazes me people will engage in brutal physical conflict in the name of soccer … but they are A-OK with a referee guesstimating how much time is left in a game at the end. It is just galaxy brain thinking. Imagine if they did that with the Super Bowl?
James Kratch can be reached at james.kratch@xlmedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @jameskratch.
