River Plate head to the United States to play a trio of friendlies in early January. The four-time Copa Libertadores winners will play in Austin, Fort Lauderdale and Orlando in the homes of MLS teams Austin FC, Inter Miami and Orlando City.
However, the Argentine club is not playing against those respective MLS teams. Instead, River Plate plays Monterrey on January 10. Then, on January 14, River plays against the Colombian team Millonarios. Ironically, one of River Plate’s nicknames is ‘the Millionaires’, which makes for an interesting matchup for sure. Finally, River will face the Brazilian Vasco da Gama on January 17 at the Exploria Stadium.
All these clubs are in their off-season. The Primera Argentina starts again at the end of January. Therefore, River Plate’s friendlies in the United States are their last chance to get in shape before the campaign.
River Plate friendlies in the United States
River Plate is undergoing some changes this season. After finishing third in the Argentine Primera last season, River brought in MartÃn Demichelis as coach.
If that name sounds familiar to you, it’s because Demichelis had a long career in the Argentine National Team and in various clubs in Europe. He spent several seasons at Bayern Munich, Manchester City and Malaga.
However, he started his career at River Plate, and is now also making his senior coaching debut at the club.
River Plate vs Monterrey – January 10, 9 p.m. ET – Austin, TX
Demichelis makes his managerial debut for River Plate against Monterrey in Austin on January 10. He has experience as a coach in Europe. He led youth and B teams with Bayern Munich. In addition, Demichelis was an assistant shortly after retiring at Málaga.
Monterrey is a decent team that finished the Apertura phase of the Liga MX season in second place. However, Monterrey fell to eventual Apertura winners Pachuca in the semifinals.
At press time, River Plate vs Monterrey tickets are available.
River Plate vs Millionaires – January 14, 7:30 pm ET – Fort Lauderdale, FL
This South American couple are frequent competitors in the Copa Libertadores. Millonarios performed well in the Colombian Primera A, Colombia’s top flight, last season. In the Apertura phase, the club finished top of the league in the first stage. They fell in the semifinal portion of the league. In the Clausura, Millonarios came fourth. Then, he was about to reach the final by one point against Deportivo Pereira, who won the competition.
At press time, River Plate vs Millonarios tickets are available.
Millionaires offers a great test for Demichelis in the early stages of his managerial career with River Plate.
River Plate vs Vasco da Gama – January 17, 7 pm ET – Orlando, FL
The last of the friendlies includes Vasco da Gama. Although this is not Santos, Corinthians or Palmeiras from Brazil, Vasco da Gama is not far behind. Vasco da Gama won the 1998 Copa Libertadores. His most recent successes, however, include back-to-back first division championships in Brazil in 2015 and 2016.
Then, Demichelis and company return to Argentina, where their season starts 10 days after this friendly.
Currently, tickets for River Plate vs Vasco da Gama are available.
