Perhaps Manchester United will make American soccer history again this summer, when they return to the United States. The club announced today that they will be returning stateside, but were very light on the details.
It appears that most of the details (opponents, destinations, dates) are still set to be worked out.
We do know that United will play Wrexham in San Diego this July, as that was widely reported a couple weeks ago.
“This will be our first visit to the U.S. for five years and everyone at the club is looking forward to it,” United’s football director John Murtough said.
“We know that Manchester United and the Premier League in general are growing in popularity across the U.S., so we are looking forward to building on this connection this summer.”
Yes, United last came to the USA for their summer preseason back in 2018, when they played Liverpool at Michigan Stadium, a.k.a. The Big House, in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The third largest stadium in the world, on the University of Michigan campus, it has hosted the top two most attended soccer matches on American soil, ever.
Number one (pictured above) is when United faced Real Madrid there in 2014. When Madrid came back two years later, this time against Chelsea, the attendance figure marked the second highest crowd in U.S. history.
So where else might United play this summer? With one destination in Southern California already, it is quite possible they will set up shop in the Los Angeles area. They have staged their summer preseason headquarters at UCLA in past years.
And in that section of the country, it is very likely they play a match in Las Vegas, and/or Northern California, with a return to Santa Clara (San Francisco metropolitan area) potentially in the cards.
Miami, New York City and for some very bizarre, inexplicable reason Charlotte, are all typically top draws for these kinds of preseason friendlies as well.
Paul M. Banks is the owner/manager 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.”
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