Washington (AFP)

To extend the reputation of the Ligue 1 abroad, the French football organizes in Washington DC a tournament with four with Marseille, Saint-Etienne, Bordeaux and Montpellier, from Thursday evening.

For clubs, these "EA Ligue 1 Games" are an opportunity to accelerate a little preparation.

For the professional football league (LFP), it is a chance to show his "product" in the Audi Field Stadium, that of DC United, four-time winner of the MLS (Major League Soccer, the professional championship north- American).

The LFP has chosen a stadium with a reasonable gauge (20,000 seats) for this first in the USA. Wednesday 15,000 tickets, at 6 and 7 dollars for the first prizes, had been sold, equitably distributed between the two days of the tournament, according to the League.

With the Champions Trophy in Shenzen (China), on August 3, between Paris SG and Rennes, French football is expanding its canvas, as do other major championships.

For the past season, the TV rights of the L1 abroad represent only 70 million euros. The mighty English Premier League receives ... 1 billion per season from other countries.

The tournament is played in the semi-finals, match for the 3rd place and final scheduled in the late afternoon and early evening in Washington, shifting the matches to the next day in France, with kickoff at midnight and 3am in the morning, and broadcast in France on BeIn Sport, one of the historic partners.

In the USA and Canada, the tournament is broadcast by the digital platform FloSports.

- OM without Thauvin or Rami -

These first Ligue 1 Games open with two clubs in the hands of American owners, the OM of Frank McCourt and the Girondins of Joe DaGrosa, as well as Saint-Étienne and Montpellier.

The Greens and the MHSC will kick off, for a family affair between ASSE, now coached by Ghislain Printant, a former La Paillade, and Montpellier, who has lost his goalkeeper Benjamin Lecomte, gone to Monaco, but has "repatriated" the best passer of the past season, Téji Savanier, trained at home but matured at the nearby rival, Nîmes.

The second poster is a great classic of Ligue 1, between two teams staying on a failed season.

OM scares supporters from across the Atlantic. The giant Phocaean is still stalled on the transfer window, failing first sell, and remains on two disturbing defeats, against an English D3 (Accrington Stanley, 2-1), and a beating against the Glasgow Rangers (4-0 ).

Adil Rami, subject to disciplinary proceedings, is not traveling, and may well leave the club, and Florian Thauvin, the pearl of the workforce, is also missing, sprained at the right ankle.

Bordeaux should line up their rookies, Switzerland's Loris Benito (Young Boys Berne) and Mozambican Mexer (Rennes), both free, but did not bring his Korean offensive rookie Hwang Ui-jo (Gamba Osaka / Japan). United States, Korea, Mozambique ... The L1 is international.

Program (French time):

Friday

Semifinals

(00h00) Saint-Étienne-Montpellier

(03h00) Marseille-Bordeaux

On Monday

(00h00) Third place match

(03h00) Final

© 2019 AFP