Newcastle United have confirmed three friendly fixtures in the United States in July 2015 as part of the club’s 2015/16 pre-season programme.
The Magpies will face three clubs in three US cities during the transatlantic tour, with fixtures against Mexican and American opposition in Milwaukee, Sacramento and Portland.
United will first face Mexican side Club Atlas in Milwaukee on Tuesday 14 July (kick-off 8pm local time), with the game taking place at Miller Park – the 41,900-capacity home of Major League Baseball franchise the Milwaukee Brewers.
Club Atlas finished third overall in the Mexican top flight in 2014/15, narrowly missing out on the CONCACAF Champions League but securing a place in the prestigious Copa Libertadores.
Newcastle’s second fixture will see the Magpies in California to face United Soccer League side Sacramento Republic FC; the game taking place at Republic FC’s Bonney Field stadium on Saturday 18 July (kick-off 8pm local time).
An MLS-affiliated franchise, Sacramento Republic are coached by former Everton and Portsmouth winger Predrag ‘Preki’ Radosavljević.
United will wrap up their US preparations against Major League Soccer’s Portland Timbers at Providence Park on Tuesday 21 July (kick-off 7:30pm local time, subject to change).
The Timbers currently sit sixth in the MLS Western Conference standings; two points behind fifth-placed LA Galaxy.
Lee Charnley, managing director at Newcastle United, said: “We are delighted to have secured these three matches in the US as part of our pre-season schedule. This trip will play a key part in getting the team’s fitness and preparation absolutely right ahead of the new season.
“It will also enable us to build on last year’s successful tour of New Zealand; helping us develop and strengthen the Newcastle United brand internationally and reach new audiences as we seek to increase our global fan base.
“The US is a key territory for the Premier League and the huge increase in the numbers of US viewers watching Premier League games over the last couple of seasons mean this is a perfect time for us to head across the Atlantic.
“We also know we have a number of strong and enthusiastic fan groups based in the States and we look forward to engaging with as many of them as possible them during this tour.”
As well as games in the United States, the Magpies will play a number of domestic pre-season fixtures which will be confirmed shortly.
Ticket information for all pre-season fixtures will be confirmed at www.nufc.co.uk in due course.
The 2015/16 Barclays Premier League season gets underway on the weekend of 8-9 August 2015, with a full fixture list set to be announced onWednesday 17 June.