Breaking Down Manchester United's Pre-Season Friendly Opponents
Manchester United's pre-season tour gets underway on July 18, but which teams will they be facing?
A combination of extremely familiar opponents and more exotic fare, a short tour will see United travel considerably fewer miles than they did this time last year. After Louis van Gaal's side flattered to deceive when they swept all before them on last summer's pre-season tour, this year will probably see more muted reactions to any potential successful results.
The opponents lined up for United's lucrative commercial venture-cum-pre-season warm-up extravaganza hail from Mexico, the U.S., Spain and France and feature some of the best-known players in the world, although it is only in the second half of the tour that they come to the fore.
All fixture dates relate to BST.
Club America: July 18, CenturyLink Field, Seattle
1 of 4
Unfortunately for travelling reds, this game will be played at a neutral venue rather than Club America's legendary home ground, the Estadio Azteca in Mexico City.
The alternative venue, the CenturyLink Field in Seattle, though, has a relatively storied recent history, given that it the home of the Seattle Seahawks. It is also the home of MLS team the Seattle Sounders.
On July 18 (July 17 local time), it will be the setting for United's clash with Mexico's most successful club side. The current CONCACAF champions, Las Aguilas have won 12 league titles, one more than archrival C.D. Guadalajara.
America can call upon the services of plenty of Central and South American international footballers. Oribe Peralta, the man sometimes preferred to Javier Hernandez in the Mexico national side will lead their line with Paraguay international Osvaldo Martinez.
Martinez was part of the Paraguay squad in the recent Copa America, although his only start was in the third-place play-off defeat to Peru.
There are no out-and-out superstars playing for America, though, which is good, given Louis van Gaal has said he will be using players for 45-60 minutes at the most for this one, per the club's official website.
San Jose Earthquakes: July 22, Avaya Stadium, San Jose
2 of 4
The most notable thing about the build up to this game was that the venue was moved because Van Gaal was reportedly not keen on the travel implications of the original venue.
The game was originally scheduled to be played at the California Memorial Stadium, but plans were changed to avoid a 47-mile trip each way, reported by Ian Ladyman of the Daily Mail. This decision gives a pretty clear indication that the well-being of the squad is being prioritised over commercial interests on this tour, given the capacity of the Avaya Stadium is under a third of the original venue.
The San Jose Earthquakes will thus be taking on United at their newly opened regular home ground.
Their original incarnation as a NASL side in the 1970s had United connections, as George Best plied his trade there toward the end of his playing career.
The current edition have had a slightly bumpy history in MLS, with issues surrounding the franchise in the mid-2000s. However, some success has built up since, and they qualified for the CONCACAF Champions League for the first time in 2013/14.
Their Scottish head coach, Dominic Kinnear, spent most of his playing career in the United States and cut his coaching teeth at the Earthquakes before spending eight years in charge at Houston Dynamos, during which time his side won two MLS Cups.
Key players for the Quakes include captain Chris Wondolowski who has been capped 28 times for the U.S.—although he will forever be remembered elsewhere for his last-second miss against Belgium during the round of 16 of the 2014 World Cup.
Occasional Switzerland international Innocent Emeghara arrived in 2015 and might be familiar to European football fans. Former Watford and Leicester City man Jordan Stewart has been in San Jose since 2013 and plays at left-back or on the left side of midfield.
Also worthy of a mention is Honduras international centre-half Victor Bernardez, who was part of the side that, frankly, roughed up France in a 3-0 loss to Les Bleus at last summer's World Cup.
FC Barcelona: July 25, Levi's Stadium, Santa Clara
3 of 4
FC Barcelona need no introduction.
Treble winners last season, Luis Enrique managed to rebound from a mid-season crisis in spectacular fashion.
Still sublime in possession, Enrique's Barcelona have adapted since the Pep Guardiola peak in 2011 and are much more prepared to play directly. In Lionel Messi, Neymar and perennial Manchester United hate figure Luis Suarez, they have a devastating front three.
The midfield behind them is not too shabby either, with Ivan Rakitic proving a better fit for the side than Cesc Fabregas.
Given their Copa America endeavours, Neymar and Messi may not play any part in this one, but even if they do not, Barcelona have plenty of players who can hurt United. They should provide a much stiffer test than the first two opponents, and it will be interesting to see if Van Gaal gives senior pros a longer run-out against his former club.
Paris Saint-Germain: July 30, Soldier Field, Chicago
4 of 4
Ligue 1 giants Paris Saint-Germain are United's final tour opponents. This one has an intriguing subplot provided by the rumours Les Parisiens are pursuing the signature of Angel Di Maria, per David McDonnell in the Mirror.
Regardless of whether they have prised Di Maria away from Old Trafford by late July, Paris Saint-Germain have no shortage of talent. However, they in flux because of the persistent rumours about the futures of Edinson Cavani, Ezequiel Lavezzi and Zlatan Ibrahimovic, reported by Sky Sports, talkSPORT, and the Express respectively.
What Paris look like when they line up against United, then, is unknown.
It looks like their manager—ex-United man Laurent Blanc—will still be in charge, though.
The team could yet benefit from the relaxation of financial fair play rules this summer, per the Telegraph, which suggested Cristiano Ronaldo may consequently be a target for Les Rouge et Bleu. If they flex their full spending power over the next few weeks, they could make even more of an impact on the European stage next season.
.jpg?w=600 "Offseason Moves for Every Team 👉")
.png?w=600 "New NBA Mock Draft 📝")
