EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Charlie Stillitano wanted to make sure I saw the traditional exchange of gifts between Barcelona and Juventus at halftime during their match at MetLife Stadium here last Saturday, so we left his suite and walked into one nearby. Inside, board members of the two famed European clubs shook hands, exchanged trinkets and smiled for photographs.
“It comes from European protocol,” Stillitano said as a way of explaining the elegantly awkward moment, a fixture of matches between top European clubs rarely replicated in American sports.
The real stars of the show, though, were the soccer legends mingling nearby.