Manchester City have confirmed they will travel to the United States to take on Club America and Bayern Munich in two pre-season friendlies ahead of the 2022/23 campaign.
Due to COVID restrictions, the Blues have been unable to travel abroad for pre-season friendlies, with the upcoming US tour their first trip Stateside since the 2018/19 campaign. Houston, Texas is the first stop on the tour for City, who will take on Mexican side Club America in the opening match.
The NRG Stadium will play host to the fixture on Wednesday 20th of July, with kick-off at 7:30 pm CDT (21st of July at 1:30 am in the UK) – City's only other visit to that ground having come all the way back in 2017.
The Blues took on Manchester United during Pep Guardiola's second preseason in charge of City, with the Catalan's side slumped to a disappointing 2-0 defeat to a Romelu Lukaku-inspired Reds side. Ederson was amongst the City debutants that day, with the Brazillian having been at fault for both of United's goals.
A crowd of 67,401 were in attendance for the fixture, with another bumper crowd expected at the NRG Stadium for this summer's encounter.
Speaking on the announcement, Chief Football Operations Officer at City Football Group, Omar Berrada, spoke of his excitement ahead of the tour:
"We are excited to return to the United States for this summer’s preseason trip, our first since before COVID. Houston welcomed us with southern hospitality when we came for preseason in 2017 and we are really looking forward to returning to see our Texan fans."
The tour represents an opportunity for City's American supporter base to attend a match in person, with their opponents equally excited for the clash.
Founded in 1916, Club America are the record Mexican champions, and President Santiago Banos is already looking ahead to the July fixture:
"Facing a rival like Manchester City is always an exciting opportunity and we’re very thankful for the invitation. The upcoming match on July 20 is an incredible chance for fans in the United Kingdom, United States and abroad to better get to know Mexican football."
Renowned for their loyal support, the match will mark the first-ever meeting between City and Club America. Former Barcelona midfielder Jonathan dos Santos is amongst the standout names for the Mexican side, who will be eyeing up a shock result when they take on Premier League opposition in City.
Tickets for the Club America fixture are already on sale to fans, with City directing interested supporters to www.lsse.net/copadelonestar; television broadcast information will be released at a later date according to the club.
Club America are just one of the two opponents City will take on during the summer tour, with Bayern Munich confirmed as the second opponent to be faced Stateside. The Blues will take on the Bundesliga champions at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wisconsin – home of the Green Bay Packers, in what will be the first-ever football match to be played at the American football stadium.
The fixture is scheduled for Saturday 23rd of July, with kick-off at 6:00 pm CDT (24th of July at midnight in the UK), in a clash that will see City boss Guardiola come up against his former side in Bayern.
Guardiola won seven major honours during his time with the Bavarian giants, but it won't be the first time the Catalan has come up against Bayern as City manager, having overseen a preseason friendly against the Bundesliga juggernaut in his first campaign in charge of the Blues, as well as a preseason game at Miami's Hard Rock Stadium in July 2018.
City travelled to Munich in the summer of 2016, but succumbed to a 1-0 defeat against Bayern, during a game that marked Carlo Ancelotti's home debut in charge of the record Bundesliga champions. In 2018, Guardiola's side ran out 3-2 winners following a Bernardo Silva brace and a Lukas Nmecha strike to overcome a 2-0 deficit.
Fast forward a few years and Guardiola will once again take charge of a preseason fixture against his former side, with the two sides battling it out for the USA Cup.
CEO Berrada expressed his delight at facing Bayern in City's second preseason friendly, stating:
"We know there is a great sports history and culture across the region and it is an honour for Manchester City to be part of the first professional soccer game to be held at this iconic venue."
The Bayern clash will round off City's tour of the States, as the Blues complete their preparations for the 2022/23 season, with supporters able to purchase tickets for the match in Green Bay from 6th May via Ticketmaster.com. Further ticket information relating to Packers season ticket holders, season ticket holders at Bayern and City, and the official supporters clubs of the two sides can be found here. Broadcast information will be released in the coming months.
Written by: @AmosMurphy_
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