Photo by ISIPhotos.com
By DAN KARELL
Many of the world’s best players and teams will be making their home in the USA for the next two weeks as they prepare for their upcoming seasons, and tonight will feature the first batch of intriguing friendlies.
The Los Angeles Galaxy take on Manchester United tonight, while Sporting Kansas City faces Manchester City in a pair of high-profile match-ups featuring MLS sides.
Clubs such as Manchester United, Manchester City, Real Madrid and AS Roma are all making the trip across the ocean to take on each other and a few MLS teams as part of their pre-season training programs. Tottenham already started things off last Saturday with a friendly match against the Seattle Sounders and the international friendlies will continue through Aug. 12, when Real Salt Lake hosts Club Tijuana.
Some of the highlights of this summer’s friendly schedule include Real Madrid vs. Man United in the Big House, Man City vs. Sporting KC at Sporting Park, and the MLS All Stars vs. Bayern Munich in Portland.
Here’s a look at this summer’s friendlies in the USA and how to catch them on TV:
TONIGHT
7 p.m. – Toronto FC vs. Tottenham – ESPN 2 – BMO Field, Toronto
7:30 p.m. – Liverpool vs. AS Roma – NBC Sports Network – Fenway Park, Boston
7:30 p.m. – Columbus Crew vs. Crystal Palace – TheCrew.com – Crew Stadium, Columbus, OH
8 p.m. – Atletico Nacional vs. AS Monaco – beIN Sports USA – Marlins Park, Miami
9 p.m. – Sporting Kansas City vs. Manchester City – ESPN 2 – Sporting Park, Kansas City, Kan.
9 p.m. – FC Dallas vs. Aston Villa – Toyota Stadium, Frisco, Texas
10:30 p.m. – LA Galaxy vs. Manchester United – Fox Sports 1 – Rose Bowl, Pasadena, Calif.
THURSDAY
8 p.m. – AC Milan vs. Olympiacos – BMO Field, Toronto
FRIDAY
7 p.m. – Philadelphia Union vs. Crystal Palace – PPL Park, Chester, Pa.
SATURDAY
4 p.m. – AS Roma vs. Manchester United – FOX – Sports Authority Field, Denver
5 p.m. – New York Red Bulls vs. Arsenal – ESPN 2 – Red Bull Arena, Harrison, N.J.
6 p.m. – D.C. United vs. Fulham – Everbank Stadium, Jacksonville, Fla.
6 p.m. – Inter Milan vs. Real Madrid – Memorial Stadium, Berkeley, Calif.
8 p.m. – Chicago Fire vs. Tottenham – ESPN – Toyota Park, Bridgeview, Ill.
9 p.m. – Houston Dynamo vs. Aston Villa – BBVA Compass Stadium, Houston
SUNDAY
4 p.m. – Manchester City vs. AC Milan – Fox Sports 1 – Heinz Field, Pittsburgh
6 p.m. – Liverpool vs. Olympiacos – Fox Sports 1 – Soldier Field, Chicago
7 p.m. – San Jose Earthquakes vs. Atletico Madrid – Candlestick Park, San Francisco
TUESDAY
7 p.m. – Inter Milan vs. Manchester United – NBCSN – FedEx Field, Landover, Md.
9 p.m. – AS Roma vs. Real Madrid – Fox Sports 1 – Cotton Bowl, Dallas
JULY 30
7 p.m. – Manchester City vs. Liverpool – Fox Sports 1 – Yankee Stadium, New York
JULY 31
8 p.m. – Bayern Munich vs. Chivas de Guadalajara – ESPN – Red Bull Arena, Harrison, N.J.
AUG 2
1 p.m. – AS Roma vs. Inter Milan – Fox Sports 2 – Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia
3 p.m. – Manchester City vs. Olympiacos – Fox Sports 2 – TCF Bank Stadium
4 p.m. – Real Madrid vs. Manchester United – FOX – Michigan Stadium, Ann Arbor, Mich.
6:30 p.m. – Liverpool vs. AC Milan – NBCSN – Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, N.C.
AUG 6
9:30 p.m. – MLS All Stars vs. Bayern Munich – ESPN2/UniMas – Providence Park, Portland, Ore.
AUG 12
10 p.m. – Real Salt Lake vs. Club Tijuana – Rio Tinto Stadium, Sandy, Utah