Manchester United officially confirm US summer tour details

Manchester United are set for a return to the United States in July for a summer pre-season tour. Sir Alex Ferguson's side will play five matches on American soil, most notably highlighted by a re-match versus the MLS All-Stars in New Jersey on July 27th and a clash versus FC Barcelona in Washington DC on July 30th. Sir Alex had this to say in a team release from today's annoucement:

"Tours are a fantastic chance for the players to get away as a unit, to put in some good training sessions and to meet some of our fans around the world who don’t have a chance to watch us play live every week.

"Our visits to the US are always enjoyable ones. The training facilities are excellent and we certainly found last year that, with the improving quality of the MLS teams, the games are very competitive, which is great preparation for a new season. To finish off with a match against Barcelona will be a special moment for all our fans in the States."

United last toured North America in the past summer when they visited Toronto, Philadelphia, Kansas City, Houston, and Guadalajara. Other recent pre-season visits to North America include in 2003 and 2004.

Full summer tour fixture list:

* July 13: New England Revolution, Gillette Stadium, Boston

* July 20: Seattle Sounders FC, Qwest Field, Seattle

* July 23: Chicago Fire, Soldier Field, Chicago

* July 27: MLS All-Stars, Red Bull Arena, New Jersey

* July 30: FC Barcelona, FedEx Field, Washington DC

Here's the United official 2011 summer tour video:

Manchester United US 2011 Summer Tour: Official Video (via thegaffer)