This summer of 2015 Manchester United look set to play in a short three-match tour of America. This summer’s trip to the United States looks likely to take place on the East Coast with possible targets in Atlanta, Ohio, and New Jersey.
While talks are still continuing on settling on specific destinations this is a step that should please both fans and Louis van Gaal. While last summer’s tour in the USA was something of a success with several young players getting playing time and winning the International Champions Cup, it was also spread out over five matches in 12 days and included travel all across the country. There is also the little matter of van Gaal fuming over the length of this tour which has impacted the current decision making process.
Van Gaal’s style of managing means that he wants as much control as possible. A three-match shortened tour of the U.S. seems to be something of a compromise for the Dutch manager. Of course, everyone knows that these tours are all about the money and not so much about getting players match fit.
Pre-season is primarily about getting the players fit and ready for the season, but these tours that have become so popular among fans and players focus more on providing fans around the world with a chance to catch their favorite team play. It also provides clubs with a massive source of income and the ability to spread their brand globally, thereby further increasing income.
While these tours are great for us as fans, I can definitely see how this is a problem for the managers. This past summer was an absolute nightmare with preseason tours falling immediately after the end of the World Cup.
The 2015 tour should most likely include Manchester United’s full squad of superstars, even with van Gaal saying he is planning to bring more youngsters again and give them a shot at playing time.
In looking at the potential destinations the most likely stadiums to hold the matches in Ohio would be Cleveland’s FirstEnergy Stadium at a capacity of 73,200. This compares to the Columbus Crew Stadium at 20,145, which is significantly smaller and should rule that out as a venue.
New Jersey has the MetLife Stadium at the Meadowlands which holds 82,566 and has been a host for previous tour matches.
If Atlanta is the third location the most likely stadium would be Turner Field, home of baseball’s Braves. Its capacity is 49,586 and MLB teams have already shown that they can host a soccer match. The other option would be the Falcons’ Georgia Dome, though I doubt van Gaal would be too keen on playing in a dome with artificial turf.
There is also the chance that they could play matches in either Philadelphia or Washington D.C., both of which have been venues for Manchester United pre-season matches in the past. The great thing about all of these destinations is that none are more than a two-hour flight away. A far cry from the cross country hopping they did last year.
While there are plenty of complaints to be had about the problems of doing summer tours for these teams, the positives will outweigh the negatives for any fan.
I do hope that they decide to open up at least one training session per venue to give fans a chance to watch behind the scenes and perhaps even a shot at getting autographs. That was one of the great things from their tour way back in the summer of 2003.
I had the opportunity to attend their training prior to playing in New York and even picked up signatures of players like Ryan Giggs, Roy Keane, Paul Scholes, Ruud van Nistelrooy, and Tim Howard. If teams are going to go to the effort of traveling over for the fans, I believe they should provide more events like this in which there is access to the players.
I am excited by the prospects of Manchester United returning to the States and especially staying on the east coast where they are much more accessible for me. A trip to New York is definitely doable, but the problem for myself, and many others, is the exorbitant prices that these games now command.
While I would love to go see United play live and in person, it is a much different atmosphere and team in the pre-season. Spending several hundred dollars for a trip to see a weakened side from the “nosebleeds” doesn’t really appeal to me. For me, I would much rather continue saving my money for a real match played at Old Trafford, however, these games are always a big draw and I expect this summer’s tour to be a tremendous success. It should also be something that van Gaal can get behind if it does indeed stay at three matches played on the east coast.
