Pre-Season - US Tour

james_AFCB

james_AFCB

Star Player
The Athletic reporting we’ve signed up for matches in the US this summer. Unsurprising given Foleys involvement, however I think this is the first time I’ve seen it mentioned as fact.

theathletic.com

Why European football matches might finally be coming to the U.S.

FIFA's rules blocking games abroad look set to change. So who will come to America first and what are the hurdles they face?
theathletic.com theathletic.com

“This summer, Manchester United, Manchester City, Chelsea, Liverpool and Arsenal will all play pre-season in the U.S., with United, Liverpool and Arsenal facing one another, while Chelsea and City have organised a fixture against each other. These fixtures yield millions of dollars in appearance fees but also build a body of evidence that shows the potential of competitive European fixtures on U.S. soil. More Premier League clubs will be in town this summer, with Bournemouth and Aston Villa already signed up, as well as EFL side Wrexham”
 
Erm, this sounds absolutely awful.

what if there were to be a world where the games that truly mattered, involving Europe’s most famous teams, did land in North America?

After the events of the past week, this scenario is now more realistic than ever before…
…Relevent became a concern for FIFA, and by extension U.S. Soccer when, in 2018, the promoter sought to bring a La Liga fixture between Barcelona and Girona to Miami. Later that year, the FIFA Council issued a directive blocking the idea, saying that official domestic games must be staged in the league’s home territory...
…Since then, Relevent has been engaged in a five-year legal battle against both FIFA and U.S. Soccer, arguing that the parties have conspired to prevent Relevent from hosting regular-season matches involving foreign clubs in the U.S., thus violating U.S. antitrust law designed to prevent unjust collusion or monopolies.

It had become background noise, until last Monday when FIFA were dropped from the lawsuit and the two parties announced a settlement, although details of it were not disclosed. Relevent CEO Danny Sillman, however, provided a clue, saying FIFA will “consider changes to its existing rules about whether games can be played outside of a league’s home territory”...
“…Even with the Germans and the English, if you talk to these executives and give them a drink, it becomes very clear they’d be ecstatic to play their games in North America,” jokes one executive with connections across the global game…
 
DJ said:
Erm, this sounds absolutely awful.

what if there were to be a world where the games that truly mattered, involving Europe’s most famous teams, did land in North America?

After the events of the past week, this scenario is now more realistic than ever before…
…Relevent became a concern for FIFA, and by extension U.S. Soccer when, in 2018, the promoter sought to bring a La Liga fixture between Barcelona and Girona to Miami. Later that year, the FIFA Council issued a directive blocking the idea, saying that official domestic games must be staged in the league’s home territory...
…Since then, Relevent has been engaged in a five-year legal battle against both FIFA and U.S. Soccer, arguing that the parties have conspired to prevent Relevent from hosting regular-season matches involving foreign clubs in the U.S., thus violating U.S. antitrust law designed to prevent unjust collusion or monopolies.

It had become background noise, until last Monday when FIFA were dropped from the lawsuit and the two parties announced a settlement, although details of it were not disclosed. Relevent CEO Danny Sillman, however, provided a clue, saying FIFA will “consider changes to its existing rules about whether games can be played outside of a league’s home territory”...
“…Even with the Germans and the English, if you talk to these executives and give them a drink, it becomes very clear they’d be ecstatic to play their games in North America,” jokes one executive with connections across the global game…
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The article is long but worth a read. It is quite alarming the direction of travel that European football seems to be going, albeit on the sly.

I am still confident that fan power in the likes of England and Germany means it won’t happen. But it won’t be for lack of trying from those in charge.
 
NFL, MLB and NHL all do it now - i,e, go to Europe to play. Just a few teams and just a couple of games. MLB went further afield this year.

Dodgers-Padres will open the 2024 regular season in Seoul, Korea, on 20 March. Astros and Rockies will play in Mexico City on 28 and 29 April and London will welcome Mets and Phillies on 8 and 9 June.

MBL planning to go to Japan next season.
 
Toronto John said:
NFL, MLB and NHL all do it now - i,e, go to Europe to play. Just a few teams and just a couple of games. MLB went further afield this year.

Dodgers-Padres will open the 2024 regular season in Seoul, Korea, on 20 March. Astros and Rockies will play in Mexico City on 28 and 29 April and London will welcome Mets and Phillies on 8 and 9 June.

MBL planning to go to Japan next season.
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I really couldn’t care less. It’s a whole different culture that’s completely unrelatable.

A couple of minutes on google has informed me that the first club you mentioned currently play 3,000 miles away from where the team originated. That is mind boggling. I still can’t reference one team in League Two by name because they moved 50 miles 20 years ago.
 
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james_AFCB said:
The Athletic reporting we’ve signed up for matches in the US this summer. Unsurprising given Foleys involvement, however I think this is the first time I’ve seen it mentioned as fact.

theathletic.com

Why European football matches might finally be coming to the U.S.

FIFA's rules blocking games abroad look set to change. So who will come to America first and what are the hurdles they face?
theathletic.com theathletic.com

“This summer, Manchester United, Manchester City, Chelsea, Liverpool and Arsenal will all play pre-season in the U.S., with United, Liverpool and Arsenal facing one another, while Chelsea and City have organised a fixture against each other. These fixtures yield millions of dollars in appearance fees but also build a body of evidence that shows the potential of competitive European fixtures on U.S. soil. More Premier League clubs will be in town this summer, with Bournemouth and Aston Villa already signed up, as well as EFL side Wrexham”
Click to expand...

If they don't promote it as the "Bourne In The USA" tour I shall be very disappointed...
 
DJ said:
I really couldn’t care less. It’s a whole different culture that’s completely unrelatable.

A couple of minutes on google has informed me that the first club you mentioned currently play 3,000 miles away from where the team originated. That is mind boggling. I still can’t reference one team in League Two by name because they moved 50 miles 20 years ago.
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Yeah, DJ, I agree that I have learned quite a bit over the past seven years that the sports culture, and home club culture, over there is distinctly different from here.

However, as you pointed out, the expansion of the US from Eastern markets (i.e. east of St. Louis) to the full country saw some extremely loved and followed baseball teams move from the New York area to California in the late 1950's. Just opening up the markets they said, but the fans who were left behind were crushed.

No one then ever conceptualized playing a baseball game in Korea ..... or London for that matter ... at the time.

Personally, my home town Montreal Expos relocated to Washington in 2004 ... damn near killed my old man.

I have said before on here that globalization causes more disruption than it provides opportunities. But, it's here for the time being and does it really rend the fabric of English football culture if Man United plays one in-season game against Fulham in NYC (maybe it does......... ?).

Anyway, not down to me to tell you what you should or shouldn't care about. Just pointing out to the Forum at large that sports franchises playing an occasional game out of country is not without precedence.
 
Toronto John said:
But, it's here for the time being and does it really rend the fabric of English football culture if Man United plays one in-season game against Fulham in NYC (maybe it does......... ?).
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Respect the perspective but on this point the answer is a simple "Yes it does". Because it won't stay at one. And it won't always be in the USA, instead being touted to the highest bidder irrespective of any other considerations.

There's a line. Overseas competitive matches are way, way over it.
 
Toronto John said:
does it really rend the fabric of English football culture if Man United plays one in-season game against Fulham in NYC (maybe it does......... ?).
Click to expand...
Yes it does in my view, there would be people from those two teams who will hold their personal records of never missing a home match or never missing an away match, countless more couldn’t attempt a 100% season home and away or just away. These are all things countless fans of every team do every season.


But what perplexes me is why the Premier League is special to people from other counties but then want that to be in their own country? Surely the whole point of English football as an attraction is the tradition? The famous clubs? The atmosphere and thus the home supporters?

It’s not the players, they come and go… so everything that makes the Premier League “special” take that away from their clubs communities and play games all around the world?

Makes zero sense to me from a fan point of view, obviously clubs want to cash in on the easy short term money. But long term it probably ruins what makes the Premier League attractive in the first place.
 
kirsikka said:
Respect the perspective but on this point the answer is a simple "Yes it does". Because it won't stay at one. And it won't always be in the USA, instead being touted to the highest bidder irrespective of any other considerations.

There's a line. Overseas competitive matches are way, way over it.
Click to expand...
Yeah, as I said, the perspective from your side is much different. That said, I have seen the shifting sands over here since said 1957, so I accept that there may be some inevitability. To further the context, MLB plays 162-game season, so what does a couple of games matter. On the other hand, NFL plays 17-game season, so taking a home game from a team to a neutral site is extremely significant.

In the end, sequere pecuniam, I suspect.
 
DJ said:
Yes it does in my view, there would be people from those two teams who will hold their personal records of never missing a home match or never missing an away match, countless more couldn’t attempt a 100% season home and away or just away. These are all things countless fans of every team do every season.


But what perplexes me is why the Premier League is special to people from other counties but then want that to be in their own country? Surely the whole point of English football as an attraction is the tradition? The famous clubs? The atmosphere and thus the home supporters?

It’s not the players, they come and go… so everything that makes the Premier League “special” take that away from their clubs communities and play games all around the world?

Makes zero sense to me from a fan point of view, obviously clubs want to cash in on the easy short term money. But long term it probably ruins what makes the Premier League attractive in the first place.
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Thanks DJ. As I said, I never ever appreciated the importance of the culture, even having read the books that you recommended to me a few years back. I mean, I got it but I never really got!!
 
DJ said:
Yes it does in my view, there would be people from those two teams who will hold their personal records of never missing a home match or never missing an away match, countless more couldn’t attempt a 100% season home and away or just away. These are all things countless fans of every team do every season.


But what perplexes me is why the Premier League is special to people from other counties but then want that to be in their own country? Surely the whole point of English football as an attraction is the tradition? The famous clubs? The atmosphere and thus the home supporters?

It’s not the players, they come and go… so everything that makes the Premier League “special” take that away from their clubs communities and play games all around the world?

Makes zero sense to me from a fan point of view, obviously clubs want to cash in on the easy short term money. But long term it probably ruins what makes the Premier League attractive in the first place.
Click to expand...
I think you are right, there is a certain amount of attraction to the tradition and history but I also think it is partly to do with star attraction. It's why MLS is full of and has been the retirement community of many big stars of global football. Messi is a huge draw in MLS right now.

Man City vs Chelsea is happening this summer in a stadium that holds 100K +
 
DJ said:
But what perplexes me is why the Premier League is special to people from other counties but then want that to be in their own country? Surely the whole point of English football as an attraction is the tradition? The famous clubs? The atmosphere and thus the home supporters?
Click to expand...
The other thing that I should have commented on ........ and @USCherry hit it on the nail ... is that a lot of it is about the spectacle as opposed to it being "special". You guys are already seeing sports-tourists at games, and I have seen mention of people getting to games and spending more time in fancy facilities or on their mobile devices than actually watching the match.
 
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