River Plate vs Millonarios in Fort Lauderdale Saturday in battle of South American giants

River Plate of Argentina and Millonarios of Colombia, two of South America’s most well-known clubs, will face each other in a friendly Saturday night at DRV PNK Stadium in Fort Lauderdale.

The match is being billed as “El Duelo de Millonarios” because both teams go by the nickname “Millonarios.”

River Plate has dominated Argentine soccer, winning the Primera title 37 times, the Argentine national cup 14 times and the Copa Libertadores 14 times. The Colombian Millonarios recently won the 2022 Copa Colombia title.

Both teams brought their strongest squads for the South Florida preseason showdown. River is led by new head coach and iconic former center back Martín Demichelis, who replaced head coach Marcelo Gallardo following the highly successful manager’s decision to step aside at the end of the 2022 season after nine titles.

The roster includes 2022 World Cup winning goalkeeper Franco Armani, defender Emanuel Mammana, midfielder Enzo Pérez, former MLS star Ezequiel Barco, Colombian striker Miguel Borja, and center back Leandro Gonzalez Pirez, on loan from Inter Miami.

Millonarios’ roster includes national team goalkeeper Álvaro Moreno, Costa Rican international center back Juan Pablo Vargas after his participation in the 2022 World Cup, and young midfield star Daniel Ruiz.

“It brings us joy to see our fans here in Miami, and I know River will have many fans here, too,” said Millonarios coach Alberto Gamero. “It gives us satisfaction to know we have so many followers and we have a great responsibility to them and want to give them a good show.”

Gamero added that many Colombians are fans of River because it is a historic club in South America and has a history of great Colombian players on its rosters.

“This match, for us and them, will be very beneficial to get ready for our seasons,” he said. “We are facing one of the best teams in recent years. We will try to compete because even though it is a friendly, you want to win and hopefully we can play an entertaining match and come out with a result.”

River forward Miguel Borja, who played for Colombia in the 2018 World Cup, will be playing against many players he knew growing up. He said he is adjusting to his new team.

“The preseason is very important for players to evolve and get ready for the new season,” Borja said. “The game against Millonarios will be another step.”

The list of former River Plate players reads like a who’s who of Argentine soccer, including former Inter Miami players Federico and Gonzalo Higuaín. Others include Ballon d’Or winners Alfredo Di Stefano (1957 and 1959) and Omar Sivori (1961), El Principe Enzo Francescoli, Ariel Ortega, Pablo Aimar, Javier Mascherano and, most recently, young exciting prospects such as Julián Álvarez.

Millonarios, meanwhile, have won 20 titles in club history. Among the alumni are Inter Miami forward Emerson Rodríguez, Di Stefano (1949-53), Venezuelan national team goalkeeper Wuilker Fariñez (2018-2021), and MLS standouts and MLS Cup winners Chicho Arango (2019-2021) and Román Torres (2012-2015).

Tickets for the 7 p.m. match are available at intermiamicf.com