The timing is all sorts of fascinating. As the summer transfer window hits its apparent zenith, the vast majority of new-signing introductions involve clubs currently playing out their preseasons in the United States.
So Robert Lewandowski’s Barcelona unveiling wasn’t held in a packed Camp Nou. It took place at a hotel in Fort Lauderdale. Matthijs de Ligt’s move from Juventus to Bayern wasn’t celebrated in Munich. He was rushed to Washington, D.C., where he immediately joined his new side, held a press conference and was thrust into active duty at an MLS stadium one day later. He played in Wednesday night’s 6–2 exhibition drubbing of D.C. United at Audi Field, where he scored an unofficial first goal in Bayern red, two minutes into his run off the bench.
It’s a bit of a transition period for Bayern, which has been one of the more active clubs in the transfer market this summer, so perhaps it’s fitting to have it take place away from home, where the new unit can get a fresh start together before returning to the Allianz Arena with a better idea of how things will look this season. Losing Lewandowski, the club’s centerpiece and two-time reigning FIFA Best Men’s Player of the Year, is no small matter. Yet there’s also internal cause for optimism.
