Saturday brought the announcement, by Manchester United, Arsenal and Liverpool, of three preseason friendlies set to be staged in the United States. United will kick off their summer preseason tour by taking on Arsenal at SoFi Stadium, home of the Los Angeles Rams and Chargers, on July 27. The 70,000-seat venue in Inglewood, California, which hosted Super Bowl LVI in 2022, will see the Red Devils and Gunners square off in an exhibition match, just one year after they faced each other in New York City.
Which is fitting, because New York and L.A. are the only places people in the rest of the world think of, when they think of the United States.
It’s a joke, but it’s true. Especially in Western Europe. Well, sometimes they think of Miami or Texas! Lol
“It’s great to be visiting the US again this summer,” reads a statement attributed to Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta in the club announcement of the match.
Our matches against Manchester United and Liverpool will be great preparation ahead of the new season. Our tour last year was a real success and it’s always an amazing experience to play in front of our passionate supporters in the US. We’re looking forward to returning and seeing everyone again.”
We’ll have more on the other matches that were announced, shortly.
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.