Manchester United to face Real Madrid and Barcelona in pre-season US tour

Manchester United will face Real Madrid, Barcelona and Manchester City this summer in the International Champions Cup in the United States.

United start their pre-season tour with two games against Major League Soccer sides, Los Angeles Galaxy on 15 July and Real Salt Lake two days later, before kicking off the ICC tournament against their Manchester rivals on 20 July at a venue yet to be decided.

José Mourinho will then come up against his former club when United face Real Madrid at the Levi’s Stadium, Santa Clara, on 23 July. The clash comes three years after a record-breaking US soccer attendance of 109,318 spectators watched United record a 3-1 win over the Spanish club.

The tour will conclude in Washington DC with a game against Barcelona on 26 July at FedEx Field, in what will be the first meeting between the two sides since United claimed a 3-1 victory in the sell-out clash in California two summers ago.

Speaking of the club’s summer plans, Manchester United’s vice chairman, Ed Woodward, said: “Tours are vital for the team’s preparations for the season ahead and we are facing top-class opposition in world-class stadiums, ensuring it is the ideal environment for the manager and team to prepare.

“Everybody is excited for the tour and it gives us the opportunity to play in front of some of the millions of Manchester United supporters which we have across the USA. I am delighted that those fans will be able to see every kick of every match of the 2017 Tour, presented by Aon, on the new MUTV app.”

This will be the fifth consecutive year that the ICC returns to the US. United have taken part in the last four ICC tournaments in North America and China. The team has played 10 games, winning on seven occasions with almost 600,000 supporters attending matches.

Manchester City will also take on Tottenham as part of the American section of the 2017 ICC, playing at the Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tennessee on 29 July, three days after they tackle Real Madrid at the Los Angeles Colosseum on 26 July.

Tottenham will also meet Paris Saint-Germain in Orlando on 22 July with another game against Roma in New Jersey three days later before the clash with City. Spurs travelled to Australia last summer for ICC matches against Juventus and Atlético Madrid in Melbourne.

City’s manager, Pep Guardiola, believes the ICC will offer ideal preparation for the 2017-18 campaign. “The International Champions Cup is a fantastic tournament and we are delighted to be invited to compete in it once again. We have some great games lined up in some amazing stadiums,” Guardiola said in a statement on the club’s website.

“The Real Madrid game will be an incredible occasion in Los Angeles and we know all about the strength of our English opponents Tottenham, for the game in Nashville, and it will be amazing for the fans to see the passion of a Manchester derby in the States.”

The City pair Ilkay Gündogan and Gabriel Jesus were in New York for the launch event as they both continue their rehabilitation from injury.

The German midfielder Gündogan said: “The United game will be a very big one for both teams and I am very excited. It is good preparation for us for the next season.”

Tottenham’s ambassador Ledley King told the launch event he believes the ICC will provide much-needed high-level competition at a crucial stage of pre-season.

The former England defender said: “We are a young exciting team which wants to compete at the highest level and be in the Champions League year in and year out, so these [opposition] teams are fantastic Champions League teams which we want to be competing against. We are really looking forward to the challenge.”

Aside from the first Manchester derby to be held in the United States, Real Madrid will also play Barcelona in the first El Clásico outside Spain since 1982.

The ICC returns to the United States for the fifth consecutive year, with similar tournaments set to be held in China and Singapore.

The China event will involve Bayern Munich and Arsenal, who will play in Shanghai on 19 July, as well as Milan, Internazionale and Borussia Dortmund.

Bayern will also play at the ICC Singapore 2017, facing Chelsea, who could well be the new Premier League champions, on 25 July and then Inter two days later.

Paris Saint-Germain v Roma (TBC, 19 July)

Manchester United v Manchester City (TBC, 20 July)

Barcelona v Juventus (MetLife Stadium, New Jersey, 22 July)

Tottenham v Paris Saint-Germain (Orlando, 22 July)

Manchester United v Real Madrid (Santa Clara, California, 23 July)

Roma v Tottenham (Red Bull Arena, New Jersey, 25 July)

Manchester United v Barcelona (Washington DC, 26 July)

Paris Saint-Germain v Juventus (Miami, 26 July)

Real Madrid v Manchester City (Los Angeles, 26 July)

Manchester City v Tottenham (Nashville, 29 July)

Real Madrid v Barcelona (Miami, 29 July)

Juventus v Roma (Foxborough, Massachusetts, 30 July)