May 6 – Manchester United are to play a high-profile exhibition match to inaugurate Kansas City’s 77,000-capacity New Arrowhead Stadium, which could be a host venue if the United States is chosen to host the 2018 or 2022 World Cup, it has been announced.
The game against the Wizards on July 25 will be the third stop on United’s historic summer tour of North America, which will see them play Celtic in Toronto, Major League Soccer’s (MLS) Philadelphia Union in Philadelphia and the MLS All-Stars in Houston.
Though the Premier League champions have conducted pre-season tours of North America in the past, this summer will be the first time the squad will play teams from the MLS, a sign of the emerging strength of the League.
“This will be one of the biggest sporting events the Midwest has ever seen, and it’s a great opportunity for Kansas City to show that we deserve to be one of the host cities for the World Cup,” Wizards President and OnGoal chief executive Robb Heineman said.
“When OnGoal purchased the Wizards we anticipated bringing high-profile teams like Manchester United to Kansas City, and with our new stadium opening in 2011, our fans can expect more games of this caliber in the future.”
The match will be the first in the newly updated stadium, which underwent $375 million (£255 million) in renovations, and is the home of the Kansas City Chiefs of the National Football League.
Chiefs chairman Clark Hunt said: ”We are very excited to welcome Manchester United as the first event in the build up to the grand opening of the New Arrowhead.
“Manchester United is one of the most popular brands in all of sports, and we’re thrilled to have them make their inaugural appearance in Kansas City in the New Arrowhead this July.”
Officials predict a record attendance for a football match in Kansas City, beating the crowd of 37,319 in 2001 who watched the United States beat Costa Rica 1-0 in a World Cup qualifying match.
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