Arsenal are planning just two pre-season friendlies on foreign turf next summer with time tight between the World Cup final on 13 July and the Emirates Cup on the first weekend of August.
Rumour has it that the Gunners will be travelling to the United States for a brace of games as part of a whistle-top tour, presumably of the East Coast, but having played four foreign fixtures prior to the 2011/12 and 2012/13 seasons and five in the build-up to the current campaign they have decided to stick to a conservative schedule for fear of player burnout.
A statement in the club’s Quarterley Report reads: “Our pre-season schedule and desire to take the team further afield is made more complicated this year by the staging of the World Cup.
“With the World Cup final happening on July 13th, it leaves little time for players to recover and prepare in time for the new season in August. That said, we are working hard to arrange an exciting programme of matches before the new season gets underway.
“We are planning to play two matches abroad in the build-up and the Emirates Cup will again be a key part of our pre-season preparations.”
Asked in October 2009 about the prospect of the Gunners touring the USA in the aftermath of the South Africa World Cup the boss was less than enthusiastic.
“No – it doesn’t prepare the players properly, it’s not possible to take players who are just back from World Cups or European Championships, and the Champions League qualifiers might be vital to the season.”
While it’s common knowledge that the boss prefers the players to start pre-season churning butter and milking cows in the fresh air of the Alpine foothills he’s had to soften his stance in view of the club’s commercial ambitions.
It’s possible, as has been the case in recent years, that the club might add a third foreign game in between the Emirates Cup and the start of the Premier League on 16 August although given we’re on for the Treble that could get squeezed out by our appearance in the Community Shield.
What with the UEFA Super Cup and the FIFA World Club Cup on our agenda it’s going to be a friendly-tastic 2014/15…
Please come to Canada, the fans in Montreal are fantastic & will be an easy sell out.
They will be a sell out wherever they go – hopefully Toronto will be on the list.
For giving us Justin beiber alone, Arsenal should move Canada down the list.
We also gave you Celine Dion.
That’s not helping your argument.
Celine Dione should be feed to a pack of hungry jackals for the amount of time’s we’ve all had to hear..My heart will go on.
Canada has gone some way to making up for it with the trailer park boys and Buck 65 though .
I can’t talk as my country has given the world, Boyzone, Westlife and Bono. The cunt margins are insurmountable.
and jim carrey
Sack Venga, then they can go to the Moon if they wish.
Who is this new Sack Venga bloke your’re talking about? Hope he’s a striker!
Distant cousin of Bac’ Sagna? (Bad, sorry)
William Shatner more than makes up for all of it.
Norway call’s your Justin Bieber and raise you Ylvis – The Fox.
We should be erased from the list completely for all eternity for that one.
They wrote that song as a parody – You’ll find this song a bit more amusing than ‘What does the Fox say’ . . . http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mbyzgeee2mg
^Oh, and I wouldn’t watch that clip with the kids or your boss around
Come to Toronto. Tottenham think they own the place with Defoe deciding to mouse it for TFC.
I am really looking forward to the Community Shield with Hull City. The Super Cup with Swansea should be a cracker. FIFA World Club Cup is a mickey mouse cup anyway. Who cares.
Yes, more love for the North American Gooners would be appreciated! It’s always Asia every summer. If it helps, Chinatown is only 5 minute drive from BMO Field in Toronto…
If they come to the US I would fly to whichever city in a heartbeat. What with the US playing Mexico where I live in Phoenix this April it could be the best year ever!
Come On (over to the US) You Gunners!
So Sagna & Vermaelen will be leaving in the summer.
I say a straight swap with Vermaelen & Micah Richards could be a good piece of business.
If he must go, I’d rather it be outside of England. I’ve just got a feeling that if he leaves, he will be tearing it up wherever he goes next, a la Gervinho…
The myth of the Arsenal brand is in what people don’t say. That this club remains the most talked about despite not winning a pin since ’05”
A Pin ?
we won a pin? where is this pin?! i demand to see this pin! i say we use it to jab maureen
I laughed out loud much louder than i should have @mike’s comment. brilliant.
Maureen would gladly accept if its a ‘safety’ pin
Pin is the new 4th place
If the lads need a room around DC, I can help them out. Giroud would need to leave my missus alone though!
@TV5
I’m also here in DC, would love to have them here, and no disrespect to your wife, but isn’t it more the case you’d need to keep her away from Giroud, than vise-versa? And that doesn’t even touch on keeping yourself away.
I live in a small town in Ireland. If the team comes here as part of their tour I can put them up. Arsene can have the spare room and the players can kip on the couch. I can supply sandwiches too.
Chicagooooo
Sorry but there are more Brits and Londoners in Canada 😛
Sue, you really think so? 🙂
What about all the Expats/IC’s in the US over the last 400 years?
Speaking for myself, I was last in London in 2000 and before that 1634 through my lineage. I think the US is more ripe for the picking…come for a visit boys!! 😉 😉 😉
Vancouver is a beautiful city, Arsenal would love it and we would love them! Come to Vancouver!
Euripides, I’ll see your credentials and raise them. I was last in London tomorrow (my seventh trip), and my lineage goes back through Wales and England to 110 BC. I’m not kidding. It’s documented.
Sweet! I’m not sure how far back I can trace on the Anglo or Saxon side, but on one side back through the Normans and the other side a very “gentle” Scottish border clan…back to the 600’s I guess. Also the 1634 reference was to when my line became “Ignorant Colonials”. Hey, maybe we’re cousin’s! Plus, I love the San Diego of Canada (just a name I gave it a while back). Though I haven’t been there for far too long. My aunt is Cree. Plus, Super Joe comes from Burnaby! Dunno if my son and I could make it… Read more »
The US does not need Brits to sell out an Arsenal match. Arsenal have legions of American fans. There are fan clubs all over the US. It’s way past time the club plays on American soil.
Why the Chicago hate? We have a beautiful city (in spring, summer and fall), a 60,000 seat stadium on the lakefront. Great place to live or visit (except perhaps today with another 8-10 inches of snow expected). Let the feisty, friendly local Gooners welcome fellow fans around the country and world!
The easiest answer here is Denver. Kroenke owns the MLS side here, as well as the stadium they play in. The Arsenal also have a commercial partnership with the Colorado Rapids.
@badaab Yeh, I would think so too, but it seems there’s not a whole lot of interaction there. Or even acknowledgement. Granted we do have a huge Arsenal badge on the north wall by the cannon, but there’s not much mention of it anymore.
I remember the season before last they would show Arsenal highlights during half-time. And this past season there started to be little blog articles recapping matches by one of the Rapids reps who’s a life long gooner.
There should be more.
badaab, are you an STH/C38?
Later, Man
Thierry is in NYC…
Miami please
Arsenal welcome to Houston
yes!!!
Love the optimism. Treble, UEFA Super Cup, Community Shield and CWC? That’s why are in this buisness indeed. To win everything. It will happen isa.
Atlanta or Dallas please!
Duane! We Are… Love the Energy Franklin is providing… now just win baby.
And Arseblog we’re sending our Penn State University American Tackle Football (HandEgg) team to Dublin in August… so if you’re not doing anything…
Sporting Park would love to have Arsenal, why not have the newly minted EPL holders play at the current MLS holders place. Makes a lot of since to me…
PORTLAND!!!! WEST COAST BROS! ITS THE BEST!
Hate to break it to you Gooners in Canada and the north west, it’s all about business. The East Coast has a huge arsenal following. Since it’s going to be a short trip, expect NYC, Philly, Boston, or DC/Baltimore area to be where the team visits.
It is also easier logistically since those cities are very close in proximity to one another
I know, I know, but we can dream, can’t we?
The L.A. Galaxy! Please! You guys will love Southern California! Visit Hollywood and Disneyland! And if you don’t want to play the Galaxy, play Cruz Azul USA (they occupy the same stadium).
NYCFC and the new Miami bimbos would be nice. Having a little piss in the Manchester back yard. Mwhahahaha!
America. Where being gay is a lifestyle choice and being obese is err…genetics
wherever Heroldgoon is from, where being an idiot is mandatory
This is nasty to see
Arsenal should come to visit between these states ::: Washington DC-Maryland-Virginia-North Carolina
Heroldgoon talk like he knows anything. Generalizing a bout a country that is so big, not even percentages make his statement seem smart at all…but anyway…if Arsenal come to the US I will go, I shal be there and it should be amazing to get to see the mighty Arsenal live 😀
Where are you from Heroldgoon?
Chap on Twitter saying it’s going to be New York.
Thanks, Blogs! Arsenal in America, woo-hoo!
If they come to Boston, NY, Philly, DC or Columbus OH. I’m there.
Of course preferably… Philly… Basically with in a 10 hour drive radius.
NYC couldn’t sell out a preseason game between Chelsea and Mac City last year. I also don’t see how Stan profits the most from that move. Denver seems likely. Also not sure if Stan could profit from having a match where the Rams play (since his LA stadium isn’t up yet).
Go figure, does he know dates? I need to get tickets as soon as they come out
I need to get tickets the minute they go on sale
Woohooo… Pleaes please let us know hwen they go on sale
Me too!! I disagree with your East Coast being a better market comment…you forget Chelsea sold out a 70,000 Century Link field in Seattle a few summers ago. We have the best fan base in MLS and one of the best stadiums, the atmosphere has been compared to that of a European match…Red Bull stadium rarely fills up….
they will if we come, anyway thiery henry red bull vs arsenal would be amazing, i suppose the second would be the rapids as they own by stan
Why not India ? I’m dying to see the gunners in my country
Please… come to Texas.
Anywhere in Texas. I’ll literally travel anywhere within this state.
Ha! Ribery and Shaqiri out for Bayern. They’ll need to do some re-shuffling. Clutching at straws, I know, but still…
😉
This is easy, it’s obviously New York. It’s on the East Coast and you pretty much take care of all the fans in the North East. It’s a short trip from London as well and is the biggest media market in the US. Plus, they have their thing with the Red Bulls and of course, Thierry Henry.
Question is – do they play the 90K seater Giants Stadium or the 25K Red Bulls arena – hope it’s the latter.
It would be fantastic to have The Arsenal play in Canada. Toronto would be perfect to offset the Tottenham-Defoe hype. Don’t just stick to the US. Canuck Gooners are great supporters.
California please! Saw Madrid, Juventus and Milan last summer here and there were quite a few gooners wearing Arsenal jerseys proudly. Trying to figure out who was an exgooner among those teams’ players. I guess they had premonitions Ozil was going to be a gunner.
Last time they planned being in my country some fucktards scuppered the plan. It’s like being assured a sumptuous meal only for Big Sam to appear before you unexpectedly as you are about taking the first mouthful.
They should have done the America tour a different year when there are no World Cup imo. Then they could have done a big tour all over. But who knows, maybe they will revisit with a proper tour next year 🙂 Its a big market, and growing rapidly. Good time to take advantage. Personally i think football, or Soccer as they call it is getting so popular because they get 2x 45 mins of uninterupted game time without a billion commercial breaks. Hehe
The Arsenal should play in front of 100k at the Big House. We’re getting Real Madrid v Man U there in August.
Serious question: is there something I can join through arsenal to increase chances of getting tickets?
Very Very excited for them to come to the USA
A visit to east coast is now in preparation, even though I go to the emirates every year, I think I want to see how football has flourished here in the states.
I watched Citeh, Spuds and Sporting Lisbon (and of course RBNY) play at Red Bull Arena in NJ in 2010, always in my Arsenal top. I cursed out Adebayor and told Robbie Keane where to go. Oh, to be a Gooner in NJ watching the Gunners in NJ!
MASSIVE untapped market the US of A. I was frankly a tad surprised that the club chose to reinforce their Asian gains as oppose to make a trip to the US. With Zelalem, it makes sense to grow the support base in America where soccer is growing fast with plenty of potential. Personally like to see the evolution of the soccer league in the US to something more akin to the British/Continental game. I understand that the Americans were concern that it would be difficult to translate relegation and the other systemics in the more traditional league but this whole… Read more »
Yankee stadium please. Beers in the Bronx, watching giroud and the boys – then all hop on the 4/5 train down to the The Blind Pig or O’Hanlons on 14th st. Two great arsenal pubs. Always packed for every game. Get it sorted Arsene. 🙂 Maybe two upfront Giroud (lock up your daughters) and Henry (if we can borrow him) – worlds best looking strikeforce. VAVAVOOM!