La Liga and Champions League champs Real Madrid suffered a bad start to the forthcoming season with poor results in the pre-season games.

The friendly games in the preseason camp in the United States did not go as planned as the team struggled. The champs won just one of four games but the result won’t matter so much until next week when the full blown football seasonresumes. For now it’s a matter of optics as many predict the team might struggle to match last season’s brilliance.

The team was without star forward Cristiano Ronaldo as he was enjoying an extended break following his participation at the FIFA Confederations Cup and the birth of his twins. He was absent as Marcelo scored the deciding penalty kick that ensured Los Blancos defeated MLS All-Star team.

Madrid and the All-Star side played a 1-1 draw so the shootout determined the winner.

“It’s not a good sensation. It’s not a good sensation in general. We did good things, but the feeling isn’t good. In four games, not being able to win, something’s happening. For us, we can’t be happy today but at the same time, we’re done with the tour,” Coach Zinedine Zidane said.

Americans would not be happy that they did not get to see Ronaldo – the team’s superstar. His absence might also hurt marketers as he is a fans’ magnet. The Portuguese is set to return to the team on August 5 to prepare for the UEFA Super Cup clash against Manchester United – Europa League champs.

After the loss to Barcelona in the Miami El Clasico last week, Zidane would be receiving Ronaldo ahead of the Spanish Super Copa game against Barcelona. The preseason results are rarely pointers to how the season goes so Madrid still have a clean slate.