Manchester United has announced plans to play five matches on a North and Central American tour this summer. It will be the club’s first visit to the continent in six years, with a number of high-profile matches against MLS teams, Celtic and Chivas Guadalajara in Mexico. Sir Alex Ferguson’s side will also train in Chicago.
The pre-season tour marketing exercise, will start with a match against managerless Celtic in Canada before moving south to Philadelphia, Kansas, Houston and then on to Mexico two days later.
The team will play the club’s first ever match in Mexico to open Chivas’ new 45,000 seat stadium in Guadalajara as part of the deal that brought Javier Hernandéz to Old Trafford.
United, who last toured the United States in 2004, will start with a training camp in Chicago, conveniently the home of new shirt sponsors Aon.
The squad will include players not heading to the World Cup including Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes, Edwin van der Sar, Darren Fletcher, Antonio Valencia, John O’Shea, Michael Owen, Dimitar Berbatov, Federico Macheda and the da Silva twins.
Full Tour Schedule
July 9: Training in Chicago
July 16: vs. Celtic at Rogers Centre (Toronto)
July 21: vs. Philadelphia Union at Lincoln Financial Field
July 25: vs. Kansas City Wizards at Arrowhead Stadium
July 28: vs. MLS All-Stars at Reliant Stadium (Houston)
July 30: vs. Chivas at Chivas Stadium (Guadalajara)