Missing Many Of Its Stars, The Premier League Visits US

An eerie quiet had lately befallen the Premier League with its major stars largely taking a break after the European Championship and Copa America tournaments. The transfer window has also been relatively quiet. Things will now perk up just a bit as threadbare travelling sides try to make their owners a quick buck on global tours before starting again in league play.

At least 15 players will be missing from the squad that Manchester City takes to the United States for a three-match tour beginning Tuesday in North Carolina against Scottish champion Celtic. Attendance numbers should still be mind-numbing for a tour which will see the Premier League champions play Barcelona in Florida and AC Milan in New York before the Citizens face Chelsea in a 100,000-seat college football stadium in Ohio in 10 days. With so many players missing from the traveling squad, City fans can celebrate the fact that Erling Haaland and Jack Grealish did not participate in the Euros and will be among the club’s few stars visiting the states. Goalkeeper Ederson, despite a facial injury that kept him out of the Copa and rumors he could be headed to Saudi Arabia before summer’s end, is also on the roster.

Chelsea likewise has a good number of players on the beach, but US supporters should enjoy seeing a host of stars who played little due to injury last season and will be anxious to impress new manager Enzo Maresca on the club’s four-match blitzkrieg starting with Wrexham tomorrow and ending with Real Madrid on August 6th. The long list of formerly walking wounded who will visit the US includes the likes of Reece James, Christopher Nkunku, Ben Chilwell, Romeo Lavia and Wesley Fofana. Fans will particularly want confirmation that Romeo Lavia is a real person after the expensively purchased midfielder was invisible for virtually the entirety of last season.

Half of the Premier League is touring the US this summer, the other sides including Liverpool, Arsenal, Manchester United, Aston Villa, West Ham, Crystal Palace, Wolverhampton and  Bournemouth. Liverpool will be involved in two high profile matches with Premier League foes. The Reds face Arsenal in a July 31st matchup in Philadelphia before meeting historic rival Manchester United on August 3rd in South Carolina. Despite missing as many as 11 regular team players, Liverpool’s squad will include club legend Mohamed Salah. It could be the last chance for Liverpool US supporters to see the Egyptian superstar in a Reds shirt as the 32-year-old Salah is entering the last year of his contract on Merseyside. Liverpool fans will also be able to get their first look at new Manager Arne Slot. While hampered by the absence of many of his stars, Slot should give audiences some sense of his intended style of play for the club in the post Klopp era.

Arsenal face both Liverpool and Manchester United as part of their whirlwind US visit which begins in California versus fellow Premier League side Bournemouth on Wednesday. The Gunners then stay in California to play Manchester United on Saturday. Arsenal’s announced US squad sees the return of defender Jurrien Timber who suffered a serious knee injury in the Gunners’ first Premier League match next season. Manchester United will announce its squad on Wednesday with the expectation that, as with many of the touring Premier League clubs, it will include a number of young Academy players.

The US matches, while relatively laid back, can provide a breakthrough opportunity for youngsters trying to make a mark. Kobbie Mainoo, for example, saw his first significant minutes last summer for the Red Devils, eventually cracking the club’s Premier League starting lineup and then concluding his 2023/24 season playing for England in the European Championship final.