Paris Saint-Germain trounce Atletico Madrid 4-0
On a sweltering afternoon in Pasadena, Paris Saint-Germain opened their FIFA Club World Cup campaign with a dominant 4–0 victory over Atletico Madrid in front of a crowd of 80,619 at the Rose Bowl. It was the kind of attendance that would make most event organizers breathe a sigh of relief, especially for a mid-June match scheduled at midday. But for all the excitement that should have surrounded the reigning Champions League winners playing on American soil, the experience left more questions than answers.
From the start, PSG controlled the match with Fabian Ruiz opening the scoring with a low strike from the edge of the box, and just before the break, Vitinha slicing through Atletico’s defense to make it two. The French side never looked threatened really and Atletico, for all their pedigree, never found their rhythm. When Clement Lenglet was shown a second yellow for dissent in the 78th minute, it only confirmed what had felt inevitable for much of the match. PSG wasn’t just better — they were in a different league entirely. Their form hadn’t lost a single beat since their historic treble win.
Still, for all the dominance on display, the atmosphere inside the Rose Bowl was conspicuously subdued. The crowd clearly biased in favor of PSG both in noise and in kit, but it never quite felt like they were watching the best team in Europe. There were brief moments of liveliness — a wave cheer during an injury break made several laps around the stadium and drew some genuine energy from the stands — but they were exceptions. Even the goals didn’t generate the kind of sustained noise you’d expect. In Europe, this type of matchup would’ve been deafening. In Pasadena, it often would have been put to shame by the typical rancor of college games that have created the lore of the Rose Bowl.
“It was difficult,” Vitinha said post-match when asked about the playing conditions. “The heat was one thing, but also the rhythm… it felt a little off.” His words mirrored what many in the crowd may have felt — a performance that deserved more, unfolding in a setting that struggled to rise to the occasion.
That disconnect is hard to ignore, especially with the World Cup coming to the United States next year. Sunday’s game was a test run of sorts — not just for the infrastructure, but for the culture of football fandom in America. The attendance numbers were promising, but the atmosphere was more tentative than electric. Perhaps it’s a reflection of the Club World Cup still being unfamiliar territory for most casual fans, or it may speak to a broader question about whether the U.S. is prepared to match the emotional intensity that football commands in other parts of the world.
“We’re happy with the result,” said PSG manager Luis Enrique, “but the heat and the timing had an impact — not just on how the game played out, but on the experience around it. That matters too.”
PSG’s performance made one thing clear — they’ve brought their best. Whether the American stage can meet them there is still up for debate.
