Madrid, D.C. put on a show

Francisco Jerez stood outside the northwest corner of Qwest Field, his Spanish flag draped over his shoulders like a cape.

He grew up in Spain cheering for Real Madrid before moving to the United States. They were his 18-year-old son Jeremy's favorite team, too, but he had never seen them in person. At least not until Wednesday night, when they flew from Denver.

"It's a connection with your home, a connection with the team you grew up watching," Francisco said.

Their trip cost $1,500 all told as Seattle became a world-class soccer destination for at least one night, hosting one of the world's richest, most-glamorous clubs. It was a limited engagement. Real Madrid flew in on Wednesday morning, left after the game and in between played a pretty competitive match against D.C. United.

That didn't go unnoticed in a 1-1 tie at Qwest Field, where the attendance was announced at 66,830. That was a sellout, with 108 more tickets sold than for Manchester United's match against Celtic at Qwest Field in 2003.

They cheered when Antonio Cassano gave Real Madrid a 1-0 lead in the 22nd minute. They cheered a little louder when Alecko Eskandarian tied the score for D.C. United with his goal in the 25th minute.

There was an audible gasp when D.C. United's Jaime Moreno nearly had a breakaway opportunity in the 33rd minute, and there were was a rumble each time the ball came anywhere close to Real Madrid's David Beckham before he was substituted off at halftime.

Real Madrid is beginning its preparations for the new season while D.C. United is in midseason form. But D.C. United entered the match with 13-2-6 record against foreign club teams, and it was willing to fly all the way across the country for this showcase of a match.

Steven Graham was in the crowd, heading straight to the stadium after finishing his day of work. He's an aerospace engineer in Seattle, and he entered the stadium with a Real Madrid jersey pulled over his long-sleeved, button-down shirt that was still tucked into his slacks. He lived in Madrid for four years from 1996 to 2000 and attended several of the team's games in Spain.

"It's something I wasn't going to miss," Graham said of Wednesday's game.

Juan Gonzalez knows just how Graham feels, with perhaps a deeper connection. He attended his first Real Madrid match in 1941. As a child, if he didn't have money for full-price admission to the stadium, he paid for access to the scaffolding on a hill next to the stadium so he could watch.

His son, Joe, lives in Bellingham, and he came up to see his family this weekend. The timing of his visit wasn't coincidence. He was here to see Real Madrid, too.

"This is the only way I could get him to come up," Joe joked.

He wasn't alone, as D.C. United's players had no illusions about who the people came to see.

"I don't think we're getting 70,000 fans," United defender Ben Olsen said on Tuesday after the team's training session.

He may have been surprised by the support his team did receive. There were boos when Ruud Van Nistelrooy drew a foul right outside the penalty box in the 63rd minute.

And the crowd stood and cheered after D.C. United goalkeeper Troy Perkins stopped Roberto Carlos' free kick, which rebounded out to midfielder Emerson. His slow shot caromed off the crossbar, and there was one more attempt before Olsen kicked it off the line.

This was an exhibition match. A friendly, in soccer parlance. No overtime. Just don't say there were no stakes. This was a showcase.

Flashbulbs popped throughout the match, but they popped with increasing frequency any time the ball went close to Beckham.

The crowd stood in the northwest corner when Beckham attempted a corner kick in the 16th minute. It sounded more like a screech when he set up for a kick from the opposite corner a minute later.

The sound came from the girls of FC Milan, an under-16 youth-soccer team from Auburn. There were 25 in the group, seated in the first row of the stands at the northwest corner. Seventeen of the girls had a letter painted on their stomachs, standing together to spell "We love you Beckham." The final seven girls also had placards spelling his name, holding them above their heads in case there was any doubt who they were cheering for.

Danny O'Neil: 206-464-2364 or doneil@seattletimes.com

Real Madrid	1 0 — 1
D.C. United	1 0 — 1

First half — 1, Real Madrid: Cassano (DaSilva), 22; D.C. United: Eskandarian (Moreno), 25. Second half — No scoring. Saves — Real Madrid 1, D.C United 3. Shots — Real Madrid 10, D.C. United 5. Fouls — Real Madrid 14, D.C. United 15. Cautions — Real Madrid: De La Red 21, Cassano 38; D.C. United: Carroll, 31, Gros, 64. A — 66,830