Miss The Soccer Season? Bet On The ICC Whilst You Wait

The opening match of the International Champions Cup kicks off this Friday in Shanghai but if you’re going to bet on the ICC should you back Manchester United or Dortmund to grab the first win of this globe straddling competition?

International Champions Cup

• Venue – China
• Venue – United States
• Venue – Australia
• Venue – Europe

Europe has a reputation as a cultural center for the arts, for music, for literature and learning. Democracy emanates from its shores, as do concentration camps, the crusades, capitalism and the Eurovision Song Contest. Whether the positive outweigh the negatives is thus wholly debatable however the export of football around the world has, in the main, been greeted with enthusiasm, and for those countries that haven’t embraced “soccer” football bosses bet on the ICC to get the ball rolling and if you like to bet on sports in the US or even in Europe this is a great pre-soccer season wager at sites like Bet365.

First Match Odds

• Shanghai, China – 22nd
• Man Utd 2.19
• Dortmund 3.12
• Draw 3.40

Investment in soccer requires a lot of grassroots expenditure from which there is little return and where there are pre-existing national sports with a huge and loyal following it can be tricky for soccer to make the inroads in those countries that it has in so many others. Thus to showcase the amazing skills of the high-flyers in European soccer the powers that be bet on the ICC, International Champions Cup, a friendly tournament that takes place in the three biggest markets yet to adopt soccer as the superior game everyone else knows it to be. China, Australia and the USA.

Bet On The ICC At Internet Betting Sites Like Bet365

Now I know what you’re going to say, you’re going to say that the Americans have the Major League Soccer organization and can’t be said to be so adverse as Australia or China, but the MLS is a graveyard for toothless old tigers hoping distance from real talent will keep them looking fresh, and despite growth results and adoption rates mean no one in the US gambling news of soccer overtaking American Football any time soon is wearing their sensible trousers today, but there’s still money to be made and clubs bet on the ICC to get their hands on it. Publicity is publicity.

Whilst getting the whole of China to suddenly adopt football in the same manic and mammoth way Europeans have is a tad unlikely, garnering huge numbers of adoring fans and making money from their adoration (and desire to buy merchandize) more than makes up for the failure. The big teams in Europe bet on the ICC to make them as big in China and Australia where niche fans are as ardent as any that hove to in the stands on a Saturday. So who is playing in this globe spanning tournament and what are the odds?

Manchester United Square Off Against Dortmund

If you’re going to bet on the ICC the first match is between the “under-new-management” Manchester United from the Premier League and Dortmund from the Bundesliga in what is likely to be a packed Shanghai Stadium. Man Utd are slightly favored there getting 2.19 to Dortmund’s 3.12 at sites like Bet365, after which Juventus play local Melbourne Victory in the city of the same name in Australia (Juventus 1.33, the locals? 8.76) and across the Atlantic Internazionale get just 4.01 to beat Paris Saint-Germain in Eugene, Oregan.

Naturally with Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, Chealsea, Celtic, Leicester, Barcelona, Liverpool, Tottenham Hotspur all playing too this may well be a friendly tournament but Manchester United won’t be alone using the time to get people settled into new roles or new tactics prior to the European soccer season starting up again. Of course if you’re going to circumvent the silly US gambling laws to bet on the ICC, the chances are you’ll want to back Real Madrid, they seem to be the team to beat this year.