Vissel Kobe Makes First Stop of USA Tour in Orange County
Japanese first division club Vissel Kobe made the first stop of its USA preseason tour in Orange County last night to take on Columbus Crew SC (MLS). Southern California soccer fans were in attendance at Championship Soccer Stadium in Irvine, California, to catch a glimpse of Andrés Iniesta, David Villa and Lukas Podolski of Vissel Kobe. The match concluded a scoreless draw with Iniesta, Villa and Podolski taking the pitch for only the first half of play. The Japanese side will head north to take on Los Angeles Football Club (LAFC) on Thursday, January 31, at Banc of California Stadium at 7:00 p.m. PT. Vissel Kobe will then return for an additional two matches at Championship Soccer Stadium. The first game will be against Toronto FC on Saturday, February 2, at 7:30 p.m. PT and the second versus Orange County SC (USL) on Tuesday, February 5, at 7:00 p.m. PT. Tickets for the matches in Irvine, CA, can be purchased here.
Photo Credit: Chris Rael
