- United to take part in the International Champions Cup
- Games against top la liga sides Real Madrid and Barcelona
- Games against two MLS sides to kick-off tour
(NYSE:MANU) Manchester United will play five games in the USA this summer, including matches against Real Madrid, Barcelona and Manchester City in the Club's Tour 2017, presented by Aon.
United will kick-off their pre-season in North America with two games against Major League Soccer sides, taking on Los Angeles Galaxy at the Stubhub Centre on Saturday 15 July, followed by a match against Real Salt Lake at Rio Tinto Stadium on Monday 17 July.
Days later, United will take part in the International Champions Cup (ICC), kicking off the tournament against rivals Manchester City on Thursday 20 July with the venue to be revealed in due course for the highly anticipated Manchester derby.
Jose Mourinho will then come up against his former Club when United face Real Madrid at the Levi's Stadium, Santa Clara, on Sunday 23 July. The clash comes three years after a record breaking US soccer attendance of 109,318 spectators watched the Reds record a 3-1 win over the Spanish giants.
The tour will then conclude in Washington DC with a game against Barcelona on Wednesday 26 July at FedEx Field, in what will be the first meeting between the two sides since United claimed a 3-1 victory in the sell-out clash in California two summers ago.
Speaking of the Club's summer plans, Manchester United's Executive Vice Chairman, Ed Woodward, said:
"Tours are vital for the team's preparations for the season ahead and we are facing top class opposition in world class stadiums, ensuring it is the ideal environment for the manager and team to prepare.
"Everybody is excited for the tour and it gives us the opportunity to play in front of some of the millions of Manchester United supporters which we have across the USA. I am delighted that those fans will be able to see every kick of every match of the 2017 Tour, presented by Aon, on the new MUTV app."
This will be the fifth consecutive year that the ICC returns to the US, as part of their worldwide tournaments through Relevent Sports, Catalyst Media Group and LeSports, which has seen some of the biggest football clubs in the world take part.
Manchester United has taken part in the last four ICC tournaments in North America and China. The team has played 10 games, winning on seven occasions with almost 600,000 supporters attending matches.
Tickets for the games are expected to be in high demand, with Manchester United enjoying sell-out crowds in previous visits to North America, with more than half a million spectators attending games. Supporters, including UK-based Manchester United fans, can purchase tickets for the game via www.manutd.com/Tour2017 with additional details announced in due course.
CONFIRMED SUMMER SCHEDULE 2017
| DATE | OPPOSITION | VENUE | KICK-OFF | |||
| Sat 15 July | LA Galaxy | StubHub Stadium, Carson | TBC | |||
| Mon 17 July | Real Salt Lake | Rio Tinto Stadium, Salt Lake | TBC | |||
| Thurs 20 July | Manchester City | TBC | TBC | |||
| Sun 23 July | Real Madrid | Levi's stadium, Santa Clara | TBC | |||
| Wed 26 July | Barcelona | FedEx Field, Washington, D.C. | TBC | |||
Ends
About Manchester United
Manchester United is one of the most popular and successful sports teams in the world, playing one of the most popular spectator sports on Earth. Through our 139-year heritage we have won 65 trophies, enabling us to develop the world's leading sports brand and a global community of over 659 million followers. Our large, passionate community provides Manchester United with a worldwide platform to generate significant revenue from multiple sources, including sponsorship, merchandising, product licensing, new media mobile, broadcasting and match day.
About the international champions cup
The International Champions Cup (ICC) was formed in 2013, with some of the world's biggest football clubs taking part in pre-season competitions around the world. The ICC was founded by Relevent Sports and sees competitions amongst football's elite being played in the USA, China and Australia. In 2014 an all-time record attendance in the US was broken, with 109,318 spectators watching Manchester United's 3-1 win over Real Madrid at the Michigan Stadium.
Manchester United in the USA
Close season tours
May/June 1950:
- Twelve games against mainly local clubs (included one game against Mexican club Atlas)
- New York, Fall River, Mass., St Louis, Los Angeles, Chicago (also Toronto Montreal)
May/June 1952:
- Twelve games against local clubs and also Atlas x 2, Tottenham Hotspur x 2 and Stuttgart Kickers (Germany)
- New Jersey, Philadelphia, Fall River, Mass., Chicago, Los Angeles (also Toronto Montreal)
May/June 1960:
- Ten games against local clubs and also Heart of Midlothian x 4 and Munich 1860
- New York, St Louis, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Fall River, Mass., Philadelphia (also Toronto Vancouver)
May 1967:
- Benfica (Los Angeles), Dundee (San Francisco)
May 1970:
- Bari (New York), Eintracht Frankfurt x 2 (San Francisco and Los Angeles)
May 1976:
- Chicago Sting, Dallas Tornado
May 1978:
- Tampa Bay Rowdies, Tulsa Roughnecks
May 1980:
- Portland Timbers
May 1982:
- Seattle Sounders
Pre-season tours
July 2003:
- Celtic (Seattle), Club America (Los Angeles), Juventus (New Jersey), Barcelona (Philadelphia)
July 2004:
- Bayern Munich (Chicago), Celtic (Philadelphia), AC Milan (New York)
July 2010:
- Philadelphia Union, Kansas City Wizards, MLS All-Stars (Houston)
July 2011:
- New England Revolution (Boston), Seattle Sounders, Chicago Fire, MLS All-Stars (New Jersey), Barcelona (Washington)
July 2014:
- Roma (Denver), LA Galaxy (California), Inter Milan (Washington), Real Madrid (Michigan), Liverpool (Miami)
July 2015:
- Club America (Seattle), San Jose Earthquakes (California), Barcelona (Santa Clara), Paris Saint-Germain (Chicago)
View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170321006574/en/
Contacts:
Enquiries:
Manchester United
Andrew Lisgo, +44 (0) 161 868 8221
