Manchester United
Manchester United return to US for pre-season tour
Last summer, Manchester United claimed the International Champions Cup and broke the American record for attendance of a soccer match in a fixture at Michigan Stadium. This summer, the Reds are back in the US to try and defend their title and get ready for the upcoming season.
It was a promising start to Louis Van Gaal’s tenure at Manchester United last summer when he coached the team to the International Champions Cup title during the 2014 summer tour. And after a debut season that saw the team finish fourth in the Barclay’s Premier League, Van Gaal is taking the team back to the United States for Tour 2015, presented by Aon, as preparations for the upcoming season start to get serious.
The team departed England on Monday and headed for Seattle, where they will take on their first opponents - Mexican side Club America - on Friday, July 17. From there, the Reds head south to sunny California for matches against the San Jose Earthquakes from the MLS on July 21 and Spanish treble winners Barcelona on July 25. The final match of Tour 2015 is on July 30 and sees ManU face Paris Saint-Germain at Chicago’s Soldier Field.
For Manchester United fans, Tour 2015 is the first chance for a glimpse of the team with all the latest signings. Bastian Schweinsteiger and Morgan Schneiderlin quickly completed their transfers to be able to make the trip to the US following the earlier arrivals of Matteo Darmian and Memphis Depay.
With all the new faces, Luke Shaw sees the tour not only as an opportunity to get fit for the coming season, but also as a way to gel as a team.
“I think the tour is the most important time to get to know everyone and to settle into the group as a new player,” Shaw said. “It’s never easy coming to a new club but everyone here is great and really helps you."
Touring the US is also an indication just how beloved Manchester United is outside of England. Who could forget the amazing atmosphere for the match against Real Madridlast summer in Michigan Stadium that drew nearly 110,000 fans? The match set a record for attendance at a soccer match in the US.
"It was unbelievable to see last year how many supporters we have in the United States,” said Juan Mata. “I think it’s very nice to know that the American fans are trying to learn more about the history of the club and we really, really love them and we thank them a lot because we can feel their support even from overseas.”
Manchester United’s Tour 2015 runs from July 17 until July 30. After the tour it won’t be long until the first Premier League match of the season on August 8 against Tottenham Hotspur. Be sure to follow @DHLManUtd on Twitter, and keep up to date on the latest from Tour 2015 and the upcoming Premier League season right here on InMotion!
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