Finally. After years of pent-up demand to see Arsenal play pre-season games in the United States, while all of the major clubs in the Premier League have toured the US of A for several years, Arsenal have announced that the club will play one match in America this summer.
Arsenal will play New York Red Bulls on July 26 (5pm ET kickoff) where the Gunners will come up against Arsenal legend Thierry Henry.
Originally, the rumors were that Arsenal would play in Boston, but the club has announced that the friendly at Red Bull Arena in New Jersey will be the only preseason game the Gunners will play outside Europe this summer.
Arsenal chief executive Ivan Gazidis said: “We are delighted to be visiting the United States for the first time in 25 years. We enjoy fantastic support there, and in particular in New York, so we are looking forward to providing our fans with an opportunity to watch the team play live. The fact that Thierry is the New York Red Bulls club captain makes this a particularly special fixture, and everyone involved with the club is looking forward to it.”
Wenger added: “This will be a great chance to play in front of supporters who have not seen the team play before. The New York Red Bulls will be midway through their season, so they will provide a good test. Obviously it will be good to play against Thierry. He is a very special player in our club’s history and I know the players and the supporters will enjoy this very much.”
Thierry Henry said: “It goes without saying that hosting Arsenal at Red Bull Arena will be a special moment for me both on a professional and personal level. As I have said before, the club is in my heart and this will be another terrific chapter in my relationship with Arsenal Football Club. Along with my team-mates, I am excited to host Arsenal in New York – one of the greatest cities in the world – and hope that Red Bulls and Arsenal fans will be able to enjoy the match.”
Ticket details for the match will be announced in the next few weeks.
The last time Arsenal played in the United States was 1989 when they played against Independiente at Miami’s Sun Life Stadium.
Hopefully if this summer’s friendly is a success, it’ll encourage Arsene Wenger to bring his team back to the States in future years.
If you’re an Arsenal fan and you’re going to try to get tickets, let us know in the comments section below and let us know where you live! I have a feeling that there’ll be Arsenal fans traveling from across North America for this one match.
