Cristiano Ronaldo made it look easy.

He used multiple step-over moves to fake out three defenders, then fire a sharp shot with his left foot. His shot found its way inside the post during a 4-1 Real Madrid exhibition win against the Los Angeles Galaxy last week.

The Galaxy's Bryan Jordan and A.J. DeLaGarza didn't stand a chance. Ronaldo froze both defenders before finishing his wonder goal.

It was a moment out of the highlight reel, one seen out of the UEFA Champions League or La Liga in Spain.

That play at the Los Angeles Coliseum resembles the type of soccer fans in Europe are used to seeing.

Ronaldo and his Real Madrid teammates bring their brand of play to San Diego on Wednesday, when they will take Chivas de Guadalajara at Qualcomm.

World power clubs don't normally come to San Diego. The closest thing to a team of Real Madrid's caliber was the visit of English club Portsmouth FC last year for a friendly against Mexico Club América. But that team doesn't carry the same star power as Real Madrid.

The Real Madrid-Chivas match is part of the World Football Challenge, a tour of European and Mexican clubs taking on each other and Major League Soccer teams.

The tour is part of the European clubs preseason schedule.

Real Madrid would have visited three U.S. cities when done, including a match in Philadelphia on Saturday.

The Copa del Rey champions are slated to arrive in San Diego on Wednesday morning, check in at their hotel and prepare for their match against Chivas a few hours later.

Real Madrid won't be spending much time here, even if it is the club's first official visit to San Diego.

Coach José Mourinho's decided to keep his squad in Los Angeles for its entire visit in the West Coast. Real Madrid established camp at UCLA. The team will fly to Philadelphia Friday, a day before their match against the Philadelphia Union.

But why not spend time in San Diego, which has plenty of places to visit before and after training sessions?

Mourinho based his team in Los Angeles when it came to the United States last year.

"It's a good place to be in condition, and to train," Mourinho said about opting to stay in Los Angeles. "We have great facilities and conditions to work and at the same time, there's what the American society gives to the soccer players. They can walk the streets, they can spend time together, they can improve their relationships and that's important in the preseason."

It's ironic that a team filled with what is the equivalent of soccer rock stars could walk the streets of L.A. without going noticed.

Real Madrid brought most of its stars to this tour minus the Argentine standouts. Ronaldo, the Portuguese national who set La Liga's scoring record with 40 goals last season, is perhaps the biggest name on the roster. Brazilian Kaka, German standout Mesut Ozil, World Cup championship goalkeeper Iker Casillas, Xabi Alonso and Ricardo Carvalho are also on the team.

Midfielder Angel Di Maria and striker Gonzalo Higuain were left off the travel roster as they were with Argentina at Copa América this month.

Chivas is no stranger to San Diego. The club has visited a handful of times, including a friendly against sister club Chivas USA of Major League Soccer last year at Petco Park. The Mexican Chivas brought what amounted to a "B" team.

This time, Guadalajara brings its "A" squad. After all, this will be its last preseason match before the start of the Mexican Apertura tournament this weekend.

Guadalajara has players from Mexico's Copa América team and its World Champion Under-17 squad. Goalkeeper Luis Mitchel, defenders Héctor Reynoso Jonny Magallón, midfielders Marco Fabian, Giovanni Casillas, and forwards Alberto Medina and Omar Arellano are on the roster. The list also includes defender Miguel Ángel Ponce, a San Ysidro High product.

Ponce signed with Chivas in 2004.

But Guadalajara is not Real Madrid. It doesn't have the star power. Guadalajara is Mexico's most popular club and one of the richest in North America but it doesn't stack against Real Madrid, one of the wealthiest clubs in the world, off the field.

On the field, both teams are in their preseason so it might be interesting to see how Wednesday night's match plays out. Chivas knows what to expect from Real Madrid or they can ask the LA Galaxy.

"It's a team worth hundreds of millions of dollars versus a team that's worth maybe 10-15 million at most," said Galaxy captain Landon Donovan after losing to Real Madrid. "In the world of soccer, that's a massive difference and you expect them to win."

And you perhaps expect them to make plays similar to the one of Ronaldo's against the Galaxy.

Just ask Galaxy defender Greg Berhalter.

"It's tough," Berhalter said of Ronald. "The best defenders in the world can't contain him. Your confidence shouldn't be shaken. He's the best player in the world. It happens."

ivan.orozco@sandiegored.com