Wednesday night may be the first time this has ever happened. Across the United States, 25% of the Premier League teams will be playing in different friendlies.
In the Pacific Northwest, Seattle Sounders plays Manchester United. Down the road in Portland, the Timbers take on West Bromwich Albion. In the Midwestern United States, Newcastle United kick off their US summer tour with a friendly against Sporting Kansas City. Then in the Southern United States, Houston Dynamo takes on Bolton Wanderers. And last, but not least, Everton begins its US summer tour with a friendly in the Northeast against Philadelphia Union. Needless to say, it’s going to be a busy night for fans of the Premier League in the States.
Surprisingly, only one of the five games is being featured on national television and that’s Seattle against Manchester United (10pm ET, FOX Soccer Channel). However if you visit the respective club sites for each MLS team participating Wednesday night, you may be able to find online or radio coverage of the games.
With so many Premier League teams playing in one country on the same night, it’s a great opportunity for you — the readers of EPL Talk — to give a shout-out and let us know if you’re planning on going to one of the games tonight. If so, post a comment below. Let us know which game you’re going to, who you’re looking forward to seeing (club or players), and how far you’re traveling to attend the game.
In disappointing news, we’ve learned that Tim Howard will be not be playing in tonight’s friendly for Everton, nor the game against DC United at the weekend. The iconic American goalkeeper is reportedly still on vacation after participating in this summer’s Gold Cup competition.
Regardless, there’s still plenty in store for soccer fans tonight no matter which part of the country you’re in. And if you can’t make it, be sure to watch the United game on television. There’s no doubt that the Seattle and Manchester United fans will create an incredible atmosphere.
PS – If you’re planning on going to any of the games tonight and you’d like to write a story about your experiences or take some photographs, please e-mail me (thegaffer[at]epltalk[dot]com) if you’d like to have them published on the site.
