Newcastle and Chelsea among six English clubs set for pre-season USA tournament

Newcastle and Chelsea will head a field of six Premier League clubs taking part in a pre-season tournament in the United States.

The pair will be joined by Aston Villa, Brentford, Brighton and Fulham in the inaugural Premier League Summer Series, comprising nine matches, to be played in five East Coast cities between Saturday, July 22 and Sunday, July 30.

Premier League chief executive Richard Masters said: “We are delighted to be bringing six clubs to the USA in July for the first-ever Premier League Summer Series tournament.

“Our clubs have incredible supporters in the US, who passionately follow their teams throughout the season.

“We have seen this dedication first hand from the tens of thousands who have attended our Mornings Live fan events and are excited to be building on this by bringing live Premier League action to five cities this summer.

“We are currently enjoying one of the most competitive Premier League seasons of all time at both ends of the table and I am sure we will see some thrilling matches during the tournament.”

The tournament will kick off with Chelsea v Brighton at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia on July 22, with Fulham facing Brentford before Newcastle and Aston Villa go head to head at the same venue the following day.

The Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Orlando’s Exploria Stadium, Red Bull Arena in Harrison, New Jersey and FeExField in Landover, Maryland will also host games.

Newcastle boss Eddie Howe, whose side’s second fixture against Chelsea on July 25 will see striker Miguel Almiron and chief executive Darren Eales return to the home of former club Atlanta United, said: “We look forward to taking the squad to the United States as part of the Premier League Summer Series.

“We know the quality of opposition will be strong, and the matches will be highly competitive as we prepare for next season.

“It’s also a great opportunity to be close to our amazing fans in North America. We are blessed to have incredible support wherever we go, and we look forward to the opportunity to play in front of them at three great stadiums.”

The Premier League has previously hosted pre-season matches abroad in its Asia Trophy competition, with nine editions having taken place in China, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand since 2003.