Manchester United’s Busy Start To The 2018-2019 Season
After looking at the newly-released 2018-19 Premier League fixtures, Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho will undoubtedly be hoping that his Red Devils will get off to a fast start against a tough slate of opponents.
However, before the season even starts, Mourinho will get a chance to field his team and iron out some of the wrinkles during a preseason tour that will take place in the United States for the second year in a row. Manchester United will play in several friendly matches and in International Champions Cup games. Given the star power that Manchester United will bring across the pond, and the fact that the United States — where “soccer” (as they call it) continues to grow in the popularity — failed to qualify for this year’s World Cup, the opportunity to watch the Red Devils will likely be met with enthusiastic crowds.
The tour begins just one week after the conclusion after the World Cup, kickoff with a match against Liga MX side Club America, at the University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale Arizona, the home of the Arizona Cardinals of the National Football League. Manchester United will subsequently play against the San Jose Earthquakes of Major League Soccer, the top level of football played in the United States.
But the Americans will be in for a real treat when Manchester United squares off against AC Milan, the titans of Serie A, as part of their International Champions Cup commitments. That game will be played in the Rose Bowl, in Pasadena, California (a suburb of Los Angeles); it’s one of the most famed stadiums in the United States, seating more than 90,000 fans.
But that won’t be the only major venue where Manchester United will play. Three days after playing AC Milan, Manchester United will get their first crack at Premier League rival Liverpool, who was one of only four teams — along with Manchester United — to qualify for the Champions League group stage last year. Manchester United won’t get to play Liverpool until approximately three months into their regular season play, so it’ll be a good chance for them to get a closer look at their rivals. The game will be played at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor, Michigan, the largest stadium in the United States (seating over 107,000 fans).
After taking on Real Madrid in Miami, Florida, and finishing off against Bayern Munich of the Bundesliga, Manchester United will return home with less than one week left before they begin playing against Premier League rivals. To start off, they’ll face Leicester City on the 11th of August. Two weeks after that, in only the third match among their fixtures, Manchester United will host Tottenham, who finished right behind Manchester United in the regular season standings and qualified for the Champions League group stage along with the Red Devils. Both teams were eliminated in the Round of 16 in the knockout phase of the Champions League.
Simply put: Mourinho and the Red Devils might enjoy their time in the States, but should the journey as a business trip instead of a vacation, because they’ll have to get right back to work once they return to Europe.