Man Utd, Liverpool & Arsenal set for United States pre-season friendlies against each other
Manchester United, Liverpool and Arsenal are all heading to the United States for pre-season ahead of the 2024/25 campaign, with the Premier League giants all set to face each other in a string of high profile summer friendlies.
America has been a common destination for leading European clubs in recent years, with Real Madrid and Barcelona also hosting informal Clasico games in each of the last two summers. Other smaller Premier League clubs like Aston Villa and Brentford have been involved in well received pre-season games in the country, where the appetite for European ‘soccer’ is enormous as part of last year’s inaugural Premier League Summer Series eventually won by Chelsea.
Details about the summer of 2024 are yet to be released, but United and Arsenal played each in front of more than 80,000 people at the MetLife Stadium near New York last July.
United also faced Real Madrid, Borussia Dortmund and Wrexham during their tour, while Arsenal were invited as the opponent for the annual MLS All-Star game at the same venue and then later played Barcelona in Los Angeles.
Liverpool played a pair of friendlies in south east Asia last summer, facing Leicester City and Bayern Munich in Singapore and 2024 will mark their first pre-season in the United States since 2019. It is also going to be their first without Jurgen Klopp in nine years following his recent announcement.
This year will be the first time all three have been in the United States in one summer since 2014.
All three Premier League clubs are majority-owned by American entities. Even with Sir Jim Ratcliffe recently buying 25% and taking over sporting operations, the Glazer family still retain 75% majority ownership of United, while Stan Kroenke’s firm owns Arsenal and Liverpool have been controlled by Fenway Sports Group since 2010. Each owner also runs at least one other American sports team.
The Athletic has reported that Chelsea, another American-owned club, and Manchester City are also set to spend the summer of 2024 stateside and are in talks about playing a game against each other.
|
Club |
Year |
Opponents |
|---|---|---|
|
Man Utd |
2023 |
Arsenal, Wrexham, Real Madrid, Borussia Dortmund |
|
Arsenal |
2023 |
MLS All-Stars, Man Utd, Barcelona |
|
Arsenal |
2022 |
Everton, Orlando City, Chelsea |
|
Liverpool |
2019 |
Borussia Dortmund, Sevilla, Sporting CP |
|
Arsenal |
2019 |
Colorado Rapids, Bayern Munich, Fiorentina, Real Madrid |
|
Man Utd |
2018 |
Club America, San Jose Earthquakes, AC Milan, Liverpool, Real Madrid |
|
Liverpool |
2018 |
Borussia Dortmund, Man City, Man Utd |
|
Man Utd |
2017 |
La Galaxy, Real Salt Lake, Man City, Real Madrid, Barcelona |
|
Liverpool |
2016 |
Chelsea, AC Milan, Roma |
|
Arsenal |
2016 |
Guadalajara, MLS All-Stars |
|
Man Utd |
2015 |
Club America, San Jose Earthquakes, Barcelona, PSG |
|
Man Utd |
2014 |
LA Galaxy, Roma, Inter, Real Madrid, Liverpool |
|
Liverpool |
2014 |
Roma, Olympiacos, Man City, AC Milan, Man Utd |
|
Arsenal |
2014 |
New York Red Bulls |
|
Liverpool |
2012 |
Roma, Tottenham |
|
Man Utd |
2011 |
New England Revolution, Seattle Sounders, Chicago Fire, MLS All-Stars, Barcelona |
|
Man Utd |
2010 |
Philadelphia Union, Kansas City Wizards, MLS All-Stars |