Manchester derby set for summer lift off in Houston

May 16 – The International Champions Cup are having a second shot at staging the first ever Manchester derby outside Manchester. This time the US organisers are looking to play the game at the NRG Stadium in Houston Texas.

The first attempt to play the match was part of the same pre-season competition last year in China but that game was called off at the last minute after days of torrential rain had made the ground unplayable. It would have been the first time Pep Guardiola and Jose Mourinho would have faced each other with their new teams (City and United) since they had met in the UEFA Super Cup in 2014 when they were managing Bayern Munich and Chelsea.

The Houston game will be the 174th time the two teams have met in their 115-year rivalry. ESPN will broadcast the game.

“The last time we played in Houston, over 70,000 packed the stadium and we are looking forward to entertaining them again,” said Manchester United’s Executive Vice Chairman Ed Woodward.

The 2017 International Champions Cup will run from July 19 – 30 and feature 12 matches played across 11 cities throughout the United States. Eight teams will play in the competition in the US: Manchester United, Manchester City, Tottenham Hotspur from England; Juventus and AS Roma from Italy; Paris Saint-Germain from France; and FC Barcelona and Real Madrid from Spain.

The competition will also create an El Classico match-up between the two giant Spanish clubs in Miami.

“The Manchester Derby is one of the world’s most iconic games,” said Ferran Soriano, Chief Executive of Manchester City. “We are very excited to play it in front of our passionate American fans. There are so many great memories from this game in history and we can’t wait to create some new ones in Houston.”

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