What makes absolute sense is a battle in Baltimore between sports brands Under Armour and Warrior. The former is based in Charm City; the latter is synonymous with Maryland's state team sport, lacrosse.
What seems a tad more strange is those two brands facing off in a soccer match, which will take place when English Premier League foes Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur meet at M&T Bank Stadium at 1 p.m. on Saturday (ESPN2).
Boston plays a large role for both Liverpool, which is owned by Fenway Sports Group, and Warrior, which is owned by Boston-based New Balance. But Warrior doesn't have nearly the name recognition of Under Armour, which inked a five-year deal with Tottenham last year and is determined to take European market share from Adidas and Nike.
Both clubs are still on the outside looking in among the EPL elite. Tottenham had its Champions League spot stolen when Chelsea won the European title in May. Liverpool is coming off an eighth-place finish in the Premier League, its worst since 1994.
- Craig Stouffer
