Photo by ISIPhotos.com
By DAN KARELL
For the third time in the last five years, Tottenham will be spending a portion of their preseason in the United States.
Tottenham announced today that they have scheduled friendly matches against the Seattle Sounders and Chicago Fire next July ahead of the 2014/2015 English Premier League season. Former Spurs forward Clint Dempsey moved from Tottenham to the Sounders last August in a reported MLS-record transfer deal.
“Everyone is looking forward to traveling to the United States – the club’s third tour there in five years,” Tottenham head coach Tim Sherwood said in a statement. “Pre-season preparations are always key ahead of a new campaign. We all know that the U.S. has first-class facilities, while Major League Soccer is growing each year. The MLS opposition we face will be in the middle of their seasons and playing in their home stadiums so we can expect strong tests from both Seattle Sounders and Chicago Fire. This can only help as we plan for the new season.
Tottenham are currently scheduled to play Seattle on July 19 and Chicago on July 26. The kickoff times of both games are yet to be determined.
Back in 2010 and 2012, Tottenham spent a large chunk of their preseason preparations in the United States, facing the San Jose Earthquakes and New York Red Bulls in 2010 and the LA Galaxy and Red Bulls again in 2012, as well as one more friendly against Liverpool in between.
Tottenham currently have one American player on their roster, goalkeeper Brad Friedel, while Dempsey played on the team for the 2012-2013 season. Tottenham currently sit in seventh place in the league and are in the Europa League knockout stages.
Adding to the club’s links with MLS, forward Jermain Defoe has been heavily linked with a move next month to Toronto FC.
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What do you think of this news? Excited to see Tottenham visit the USA again?
Share your thoughts below.
Man, that was nice while it lasted, but in the end it is a business, and there are plenty of casual fan tools who will go watch, forcing the rest of us to buy as part of our Sounder’s ticket package…yes I am whining…I can only hope there are enough tools, so I can make money on the scam.
I’m pretty sure the Man U and Barcelona’s of the world get huge PR for their friendlies but the likes of Tottenham, Roma, do they really bring enough people to watch the games?
How much money is there for foreign clubs playing friendlies in the USA?
cause it seems most of these clubs have friendlies in Europe, ASIA or USA. Some get a few in the middle east but not many. It seems the biggest clubs come to the USA or Asia (Japan, Indonesia, S. Korea, China, Vietnam)
MLS teams should go to non mls markets and host friendlies versus any team, europe or mexican.
like El Paso? i heard Seattle Sounders and Barcelona are looking to play a friendly in the SunBowl sometime this summer…
haha Not!
Annoying pop-up add for kohls that covers the first few in the list of topics and then opens a new tab if you roll over it.
KOHLS, I will never shop in your store or buy anything on-line from you, this is just too intrusive!
Who cares, they got rid of Dempsey.
So will this mean that Seattle and Chicago can return the favor and play some friendlies at Tottenham next February?
I didn’t think so. The Premier League, unlike MLS, knows that in-season friendlies are a silly use of limited game dates in an already congested schedule.
$$$. MLS teams need it; Premier League teams (for the most part) have plenty. Pulling in the attention of outsiders doesn’t hurt either. I’d imagine we’ll be seeing these friendlies for at least another decade. They’ve worked out quite well for the most part.
Any idea how much a team makes from one of these friendlies? Just curious.
I would dispute the value of the publicity at this point. I have maintained that existing MLS fans don’t need them, and that other soccer fans peek in and then go back to watching European soccer on TV.
Tottenham getting a nice up and coming American talent would be gold from a HP & Under Armor point of view.
Besler? Altidore? Academy age prospects more likely..
Except those academy-age prospects need either a Euro passport or lots of caps with the NT. Not likely to happen.