Bernabéu Bites 07.28.2013: All Aboard for Los Angeles

If you haven't heard, Real Madrid beat PSG yesterday in its third preseason match. The boys are coming along bit by bit. Here's our recap in case you missed it and here's the recap from Madrid's official site. The headline --as it tends to be in a one-score match-- was the goalscorer, Karim Benzema. He looked rather focused against PSG. Let's hope he carries on with this style of play through the rest of preseason and into the season. We're going to need it.

At the time of this being written, Real Madrid are in the skies heading for a West Coast landing in Los Angeles. The team will train on the campus of UCLA for the fourth year in a row. The Guiness International Champions Cup will be a good test for our team as they continue to get acclimated to new players, new coaches and new tactics. Real Madrid takes on the Los Angeles Galaxy in Phoenix, AZ on August 1st.

28 players are making the trip stateside. Carlo Ancelotti finally has the likes of Iker Casillas, Sergio Ramos, Arbeloa, Marcelo and Jesé at his disposal. Those players performed their usual medical examinations before rejoining the squad. Notable players making the trip besides the usual bunch include goalkeepers Jesus and Tomas Mejias, as well as Casado, Mateos and Denis Cheryshev. Absent from the list is Antonio Adán, the forgotten man of this offseason. It looks likely he's staying in Spain to work out a transfer.

Cristiano Ronaldo has spent most of his time in a central, forward position this preseason. It's a departure from his usual winger position. This new position for Ronaldo is briefly talked about by Marca. The article notes that Ronaldo's main issue with this positioning is often having to receive the ball with his back to goal, which takes away from some of his best abilities to take players on in space. The article further speculates that Carlo Ancelotti is making this change to acclimate Ronaldo to having to play in crowded spaces around the opponents' penalty area (sound like La Liga, anyone?) with a plethora of creators (Özil, Isco, Modric, Benzema) around him.

Who's ready for Napoli to snap up another one of our players? Well, if you're still in the mood for such things, try to stomach the news of Fábio Coentrão being linked there. Marca cites 'La Gazzetta dello Sport' as the source for this rumor. There's no real substance to this one, but perhaps something to keep an eye on.

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<h4>More from Managing Madrid:</h4>

<ul>

<li><a href="http://www.managingmadrid.com/2013/7/28/4564748/real-madrid-psg-press-quotes">Isco, Kaka' and Diego López Speak to the Press</a></li>

<li><a href="http://www.managingmadrid.com/2013/7/27/4563102/real-madrid-psg-recap-benzema">Real Madrid v PSG: Benzema Provides the Match's Lone Goal</a></li>

<li><a href="http://www.managingmadrid.com/2013/7/27/4562546/gonzalo-higuain-napoli-official">Official: Real Madrid Announce Higuaín's Departure</a></li>

<li><a href="http://www.managingmadrid.com/2013/7/27/4562282/gareth-bale-real-madrid-tottenham-transfer">Real Madrid Increase Bid for Bale to 93M€, Spurs Want 96M€</a></li>

<li><a href="http://www.managingmadrid.com/2013/7/26/4559950/real-madrid-kondogbia-khedira">Real Madrid Want Kondogbia, Khedira In The Market</a></li>

</ul>