KISSIMMEE — The Florida Cup kicked off on Sunday night in front of a crowd representative of the global feel to the tournament.
A large contingent of Colombian fans were in attendance to support Independiente Santa Fe, while there were also some Bayer Leverkusen fans and a vocal group of Mexican fans there to catch a glimpse of superstar Javier "Chicharito" Hernandez.
Leverkusen dominated the matchup but needed an 87th minute goal from Stefan Kiessling to down the reigning Copa Sudamericana champions 1-0 in the opening game.
"We're very happy with the first game of the Florida Cup," Leverkusen coach Roger Schmidt said through a translator.