UPDATE: After initial reports suggested reigning Premier League champions Manchester City could play New York City FC in a friendly this May, it appears the Citizens are only contemplating a quick jaunt Stateside and there will be no such friendly between the sister club’s.
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On Tuesday The Telegraph claims that City were planning a trip to New York at the end of May, the current PL season finishes on May 24, and will take on NYCFC in a friendly game. But it has been confirmed to PST that City could potentially head to the U.S. in May and that no game against New York City FC has been scheduled.
Manuel Pellegrini and his staff recently faced plenty of criticism after travelling to Abu Dhabi for a midseason break, before returning to England just 20 hours before their FA Cup fourth round match against second-tier side Middlesbrough on Saturday which they shockingly lost 2-0 at home.
At the end of their title-winning campaign last season City traveled to play a friendly in the UAE in late May before the bulk of their side jetted off to the World Cup in Brazil.
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With the Citizens already slated to tour Australia in the International Champions Cup and be based in Melbourne this summer (the home of Melbourne City, another club owned by City’s owner Sheikh Mansour under the umbrella of the City Football Group) a trip to the U.S. will see the Manchester club continue to rack up the air miles as their pursuit of becoming a global brand continues.
Following a summer tour to the U.S. in 2014 and a huge growth in their commercial revenue, Man City are fast becoming one of the most recognizable brands in world soccer. Playing games on foreign soil continues to be a huge part of the Citizens’ marketing strategy.
