UEFA Champions League Soccer To Debut Tuesday On CBS2
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- On Tuesday afternoon, something a little different than what you are used to seeing will debut on CBS2.
We'll be airing soccer matches from UEFA, the Union of European Football Associations, Otis Livingston reported.
READ MORE: UEFA FANS: SHOW YOUR SOCCER SPIRIT
It's called the Champions League, and outside of the World Cup it is the biggest and most watched soccer tournament in the world. If you don't know much about it, we're here to explain it. But know this, thousands of people in the area are ready and waiting for the matches to be played.
You may not have noticed them yet, but there are soccer fans out there -- a lot of them. Their numbers are growing ang growing. At last count, there are 38 supporters clubs in New York City.
And when one of their clubs becomes the king of Europe, fans go berserk.
You can say it's a pretty big deal. Livingston explained the difference, saying in the U.S., as you know, we have the Super Bowl, the World Series, NBA Finals and the Stanley Cup Playoffs. But that's as far as it goes.
In Europe, you can not only be your country's champion, you can also be champions of the entire continent.
Each year, only the top clubs from the various European leagues qualify for the UEFA Champions League. From there, those elite clubs compete in their domestic leagues as well as the Champions League at the same time.
And that brings us to Tuesday and Wednesday on CBS2. There will be Round of 16 action. The first of a two-leg "tie," as it's known, with a match at each team's stadium.
On Tuesday at 3 p.m., the great Lionel Messi, Neymar and Paris Saint-Germain host the 13-time champions Real Madrid. On Wednesday, Mo Salah and six-time winners Liverpool visit the Italian giants and three-time champions Inter Milan.
Aggregate scoring over the two legs determines the winner.
They say it's better to play the second leg at your home stadium because the European crowds can truly impact a match, and that's felt all the way back here in New York
What started out as 32 teams will be whittled down to a one-game final this may in St. Petersburg, Russia. By the way, nearly twice as many people worldwide watched last year's final than watched the Super Bowl.
CBS2 is your home for this unique look into a great European sporting tradition, shown to you from a New York perspective. Stick around. You won't want to miss it.
