• United's first game comes one day after World Cup
final
• Five games in three countries scheduled in a fortnight
Paul Scholes, Ryan Giggs and Darren Fletcher are
among the Manchester United players likely to take part in their
pre-season tour of North America. Photograph: Mike
Egerton/Empics
Manchester
United are to start their build-up to the
2010-11 season the day after the World Cup final, when they meet
Celtic in Toronto in the first fixture of a three-country tour of
North America.
After a short training camp in Chicago, base of their new shirt
sponsors Aon, United will head for Canada to play the Scottish
league runners-up on 12 July. They then face Philadelphia Union on
21 July, Kansas City Wizards four days later and an MLS all-stars
team at the Reliant Stadium in Houston on 28 July. They will then
travel to Mexico for the opening of Chivas' new 45,000-seat stadium
in Guadalajara on 30 July, a game that they committed to as part of
the agreement that will take the Mexican striker Javier Hernández to
Old Trafford.
Although none of the players travelling to the World Cup are
expected to be involved, the remainder of United's first-team squad
– including Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes, Antonio Valencia, John
O'Shea, Edwin van der Sar, Dimitar Berbatov and, depending on his
fitness as he recovers from a
hamstring injury, Michael Owen – will be in the touring
party.
"It is great to be going back to North America," said Ferguson.
"I enjoyed the last two tours there immensely. The quality of the
facilities are outstanding and there is a real enthusiasm in the
crowds."
Philadelphia Union v Manchester United 21 July,
Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia
Kansas City Wizards v Manchester United 25
July, Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas
MLS All-Stars v Manchester United 28 July,
Reliant Stadium, Houston
Chivas v Manchester United 30 July,
Guadalajara, Mexico
