Athletic Club and the United States: the Lions’ American adventures

On April 12, 1967, Athletic Club played on United States soil for the very first time. The Lions took on Red Star Belgrade in a friendly match at the Comiskey Park baseball stadium in Chicago.

It wasn’t necessarily the beginning of the Club’s relationship with the United States, but it was the first occasion in which American fans could see the Lions live in action.

It was the springboard for an enduring and growing bond between the country and our Club which has since seen more matches, the founding of Fan Clubs, and has had a profound impact on the careers of several players.

The Matches

Athletic’s friendly against Red Star in Chicago came in curious circumstances. The USA (United States Soccer Association) was to be launched in May 1967 and the competing teams were mostly European sides who were brought over to the States and then had their names changed for the competition.

Organisers were desperate for Athletic to take part in this new American league, but the Club turned down the offer as Copa del Rey commitments made participation impossible.

Instead, Athletic were convinced to send over a squad for a ‘promotional’ friendly. The match was designed to encourage Chicagoans to pick up the sport, while giving them an idea of what they would see when the Chicago Mustangs (effectively Cagliari Calcio) began playing in the following month.

Ten thousand spectators were in attendance as the Lions defeated Red Star 3-1. Athletic went behind in the 66^th minute but mounted a comeback in the final ten minutes, with Enrique Arraiz scoring two goals either side of a Fidel Uriarte strike.

Los Rojiblancos’ next encounter with the US came a year later. Chicago Mustangs stopped off in Bilbao on their wider European tour and became the first American football club to play at The Cathedral.

Despite the freezing rain lashing down on an already waterlogged San Mamés, several thousand fans showed up to watch an Athletic side containing many youth prospects beat the visitors 8-0.

Thirty-eight years would pass before Athletic faced an American side again. On March 15, 2006, MLS side Colorado Rapids lost 1-0 against Athletic at Laudio’s Estadio Ellakuri. The Rapids used Lezama as their base for a pre-season tour and the clash with Athletic was the opening fixture.

The Lions put out a strong starting XI including the likes of Aitor Karanka, Tiko, Julen Guerrero and Fernando Llorente. Nonetheless, the Rapids gave Athletic a run for their money, only losing after Mikel Dañobeitia drilled in a powerful effort in the 39^th minute.

In the summer of 2015, Athletic went back to the USA for the first time since 1967. On this occasion, the Lions headed to Boise, Idaho -a town famous for its strong Basque diaspora- for a friendly against Mexican first division side Club Tijuana. The visit took place just before Jaialdi, a huge Basque festival held in Boise every five years.

When the Athletic Club travelling party landed in Idaho, there was a large group of fans waiting for them and the players were visibly stunned by the amount of people who had come to welcome them.

It was a sign of things to come as thousands of Basques from all over North America flocked to Idaho. Boiseko Athletic Club Peña, our Boise-based fan club, one of the driving-forces behind the friendly, organised several institutional events, such as shirt signings, giving fans from across the States a chance to see their heroes in the flesh.

On July 18, the Rojiblancos beat Club Tijuana 0-2. First-half goals by Aritz Aduriz and Beñat Etxeberria ensured victory in front of 21,500 noisy fans at Boise State University’s Albertsons Stadium.

Members of the travelling party were surprised and delighted to discover Athletic had such passionate fans in the USA.

“Everything has been perfect,” then manager Ernesto Valverde said after the friendly. “From Bilbao, it was difficult to imagine we had this level of support so far away.”

The Players

Athletic Club’s connections with the United States go even further, several current and former footballers have also plied their trade across the pond.

Current Athletic Club Women manager Iraia Iturregi spent one season at Florida State University, where she had a scholarship to study and play football.

“There were complicated moments,” Iraia said in an interview with the Club upon her return to Bilbao. “But in the end, I’m glad I made the decision to go.

“Going to another country, learning the language… it makes you grow as a person.

“It’s definitely something I would recommend to any other player if they had the opportunity to do it.”

Garazi Murua, Athletic Club Women centre-back and one of the first-team captains, who got a taste of life in the USA while studying and playing at East Tennesse State University in 2014-15, recalled how her stint abroad helped her grow as a footballer and a person.

“I went for six months, I had a scholarship to study at University and play football,” Garazi said. “It was an incredibly enriching experience and I learnt a lot from living in a different country.

“I saw another way to live football, a type of football that was completely different. It’s more physical and there’s a lot more focus on statistics, for example.

“The workday was much more intense too. We’d train twice a day at least, sometimes three times.

“Once in the morning at 6AM, then we’d have class, then training again at 3PM and sometimes another session in the evening.”

Young goalkeeper Amaia Peña also took advantage of an opportunity to combine her studies with her football career, heading to the east coast where she turned out for the University of Pittsburgh’s side, Pitt Panthers.

“The football in the US is completely different. It’s much more physical” Amaia told the Club in an exclusive interview. “All my teammates were strong, much stronger than me.

“At first, I felt a bit out of place, but thanks to a lot of hard work and commitment on their end, I got up to standard physically.

“Playing over there has helped me to become more aggressive and more competitive on the pitch.”

From the men’s team, three former first-team players have experienced life stateside. Goalkeeper Carmelo Cedrun saw out his career at Baltimore Bays in 1968, Aitor Karanka spent his final season as a professional in the USA after signing for Colorado Rapids in June 2006, and former captain Andoni Iraola had a season with New York City FC in 2015-16 before hanging up his boots.

What’s more, former Lezama academy player Ander Egiluz is half American. Although his father is from Bilbao, his mother was born and raised in Boise. The midfielder, who now plays for Haro Deportivo, was the subject of a documentary produced by LaLiga which explored his life and what it was like to grow up in both places.

The Fan Clubs

In addition to a countless number of supporters throughout the land, there are currently two official Athletic Club Fan Clubs in the US: Boiseko Athletic Club Peña and Peña Athletic Club California.

Ryan Maquiñana, founder and president of Peña Athletic Club California, was inspired to set up the San Francisco-based supporters’ group when he met other fans from California while attending the 2015 friendly match in Boise.

Since then the group has gone from strength to strength and now has around 200 members, not just from California, but from all over the world, with members coming from as far afield as Australia and China.

“I went to Boise thinking there weren’t going to be that many Athletic fans, but it turned out there were thousands upon thousands,” Ryan said.

“The post-game party was at the city’s Euskal Etxea (Basque House), and I met so many fans from California, including a couple, Anna and John Agee, as well as Scott Ybarrondo. Over some drinks we thought, ‘Real Madrid and Barcelona have fan clubs all over California and America, why not us?’

“Five years later, we have almost 200 members, with most in the San Francisco Bay Area and Bakersfield, where there are heavy Basque populations, but others from outside the state and country.

“I think what might surprise people is that many of our members aren’t even Basque. They just love the romantic idea of a local club using local players and defying today’s tenets of global football, which often prioritises cash over community.”

Ryan is convinced Athletic Club has the potential to keep growing its fanbase in the United States, arguing that many people worldwide are keen to follow teams that place sustainability above profits.

“It’s a delicate tightrope, but Athletic have shown in recent years that they’re willing to reach out internationally while still maintaining the values and identity that define the club.

“As far as the United States, to me, it’s still a relatively untapped place for Athletic to grow their presence. You have such a sizeable Basque population of potential fans to attract, but there are also so many non-Basque fans who could be Athletic fans as well. It’s a unique demographic.

“They’re the type of fans who are more about the community and supporter-owned aspects of soccer. This type of fan generally embraces avant-garde ideals in the face of a sport that, truth be told, isn’t necessarily changing with the best interests of the fan at heart at all times.

“The pitch to attract more fans globally must be different to that of the Manchester Uniteds and Bayern Munichs of the world — more about the love of football and pride in one’s community rather than trophies and galácticos.

“This is Athletic’s strength and I truly believe that if the rest of the world got to see that up close and personal, the brand’s international presence would flourish. But in terms of what they’re doing, they’ve already made the initial steps and it’s all encouraging.”

In California, Ryan and Peña Athletic Club California have established an engaged and dedicated Athletic fanbase. For example, more than 60 people met up to watch the all-Basque Copa 2019-20 final against Real Sociedad at a socially-distanced event in the San Francisco Basque Cultural Center.

They are planning to organise another watch party for this Saturday’s Copa del Rey 2020-21 final showdown with FC Barcelona — and all those interested in attending are invited to get in contact.

If you want to join or set up an official Athletic Club Fan Club in your part of the world, then you can do so via the following links:

• Find a fan club
• Set up a fan club