Manchester City Confirm International Champions Cup 2018 Participation

Manchester City have announced they will participate in the International Champions Cup 2018 (ICC) for the second consecutive year, travelling to the United States this summer to take part in the prestigious pre-season event.

The fixtures and locations are yet to be announced, but the Citizens have confirmed that one of their matches will take place in New York City, per an official press release on their website.

The tour, presented by Visit Abu Dhabi, was revealed by Man City left-back Benjamin Mendy during a surprise visit to the Rockefeller Center on Friday.

The 23-year-old, who has been sidelined since September with a serious knee injury, spoke to locals from the top floor of one of New York's most famous landmarks: "It's been amazing to come to New York City to announce the tour and give some local fans a real surprise!" Mendy said, per Man City's website. "The soccer fans in the United States are so passionate about the game and it's always a pleasure to visit here."

City will return to the States following last summer's successful tour, in which Pep Guardiola's side travelled to Los Angeles, Houston and Nashville to play in front of huge crowds.

In July 2017, City lost 2-0 to Manchester United in Texas in front of 67,401 fans in the first Manchester derby to take place outside of the United Kingdom. This was followed by a 4-1 victory over Real Madrid in L.A. with 93,098 watching on and a 3-0 win against Tottenham Hotspur in front of 56,232 at LP Field, Nashville.

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Clearly the tour was good preparation for the 2017/18 season, as City are 15 points clear at the top of the Premier League table having started the season with 19 wins and one draw from their first 20 league matches.

They face Basel in the Champions League second round on February 13 and are still competing in both domestic cups, with the Carabao Cup final against Arsenal taking place at Wembley Stadium on February 25.

City's opponents for this summer's ICC are currently unknown, and it could stay that way for some time. Last season, the fixtures were announced on City's official website on May 16.

With over three months of the 2017/18 season still left to play and Guardiola's men hoping to win a historic quadruple, not many fans will be thinking about a summer vacation to the U.S. just yet. However, judging by how quickly Man City hit their stride at the beginning of the campaign, securing another spot at the International Champions Cup can only be good news for the club.