Liverpool and Manchester United, the two most successful clubs in English football history, will meet in a preseason friendly on Aug. 3 at the University of South Carolina in Columbia. This will mark the first meeting between the two sides in the United States since the summer of 2018, when faced off at Michigan Stadium, on the University of Michigan campus in Ann Arbor.
It will also mark the first soccer game ever played at the home of the University of South Carolina Gamecocks football team, the 77,559-capacity Williams-Brice Stadium.
The University of North Carolina Tar Heels, based in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, hosted Chelsea versus Wrexham last summer.
“We had an incredible time during last year’s visit to the US and we are pleased to be returning with the men’s team to prepare for the 2024/25 season,” reads a club statement attributed to Manchester United Football Director John Murtough.
“The popularity of English football is continuously growing in the US, and we’ve come to expect passionate and enthusiastic support from our US fan base. They didn’t disappoint last year and everyone at the club is looking forward to reconnecting with those fans again this summer.
This match against Liverpool, and the clash against Arsenal in Los Angeles are the first two summer preseason matches to be announced. Tickets for both go on pre-sale Monday, then open up to general sale on Tuesday.
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He currently contributes to Ravens Wire, part of the USA Today SMG’s NFL Wire Network. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated, Chicago Tribune and the Washington Times. You can follow him on Twitter.