Milan Vs. Olimpia: Giants Of Italy And Honduras Face Off In Foxboro

It's the summer of European soccer exhibition tours and the bigwigs at Gillette Stadium are more than happy to join the party. Italian giants AC Milan have traveled to Foxboro and will take on Honduran powerhouse Olimpia on Saturday afternoon.

Milan, the most successful club in international soccer with 18 officially-recognized UEFA and FIFA club trophies, are the second Serie A club to play in Massachusetts in the last two weeks, after Roma took on Liverpool at Fenway park on July 25th. Last season, i Rossoneri finished second in the league behind champions Juventus.

Olimpia, based out of Tegucigalpa, is the most successful club in domestic competitions in Honduran history with 25 titles, the latest of which being the 2011-2012 Apertura. Olimpia also won the CONCACAF Champions' Cup (precursor to the CONCACAF Champions' League) twice. Notable former players who have suited up for the Leones include Honduran international forward David Suazo, Premier League stalwarts Wilson Palacios and Maynor Figueroa, and former New England Revolution striker Alex Pineda Chacón.

Milan has been embroiled in something approaching a small scandal as fans of the club are outraged at the recent sales of Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Thiago Silva to PSG, especially considering Milan hasn't seemed to do much to replace the void they leave. The club's only inbound transfer this summer that seems noteworthy is the acquisition of Italian international Riccardo Montolivo on a free transfer from Fiorentina.

Both clubs released strong rosters of available players for this friendly. On the Milan side, striker Alexandre Pato is absent due to his Olympic duties, but superstars like Robinho and Antonio Cassano have still made the trip. For Olimpia, MLS fans may recognize the name of striker Luciano Emilio. The Brazilian moved to D.C. United in 2007 (from Olimpia, actually) and turned a 20-goal, League-MVP first season into a designated player contract.

It seems this match will not actually be televised. If broadcast information becomes available, SB Nation Boston will report it. Kick-off is at 4:30 PM EST.

For more coverage, visit our soccer hub, our AC Milan blog (The AC Milan Offside), and our New England Revolution blog, The Bent Musket.