United to face Barca in San Francisco glamour friendly

NEW YORK: European heavyweights Manchester United and Spanish giants Barcelona will face off in a glamour friendly in San Francisco on July 25, organisers of the International Champions Cup announced on Tuesday.
English football powerhouse United, who won the 2014 tournament, will tackle Spanish league leaders Barcelona at the Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, which was only opened in July last year.
United will also play Mexican side Club America in Seattle on July 17, San Jose Earthquakes on July 21, at a venue to be announced, and Paris Saint-Germain at Chicago’s Soldier Field on July 29.
“Manchester United has a great history of visiting these US cities, creating memorable experiences for players and fans that date back as far as the 1950s,” said United managing director Richard Arnold in a club statement.
“After this month’s Manchester derby broke records to become the most-watched Premier League match in US cable television history, the club is excited to be returning to the United States at a time when the appetite for football is greater than ever.”
Barcelona are also due to play the Los Angeles Galaxy at California’s Rose Bowl on July 21 and Chelsea in Washington DC on July 28 before travelling to Florence to tackle Fiorentina on August 2.
Chelsea and PSG will face off in Charlotte, North Carolina, on July 25 in a rematch of their Champions League last 16 encounter earlier this year, which saw the French side progress on away goals.
Chelsea, who are on the verge of winning the Premier League title, begin their US tour with a game against New York Red Bulls in New Jersey on July 22.
The Blues were held by Arsenal on Sunday at Emirates Stadium and must now wait at least another week for title celebrations.
Jose Mourinho’s side will also tackle Fiorentina at their Stamford Bridge home in London on August 5, three days before the 2015-16 Premier League season begins.
“I’m pleased we are able to announce our fixtures for what promises to be an exciting summer,” said Chelsea chairman Bruce Buck on the club’s website.
“As promised, we face some excellent opposition across several iconic venues in the United States and to top it off we are delighted to be hosting Fiorentina at Stamford Bridge in front of our loyal fans.”
Aside from the 10-team US tournament, the International Champions Cup is also staging games in Australia, where Manchester City will play Real Madrid, and China, with AC Milan set to play city rivals Inter.