Yahoo News Aston Villa confirm pre-season plans including USA tour and Borussia Dortmund friendly
Aston Villa have confirmed they will be returning to the United States of America this summer for a three-game pre-season tour taking in three cities.
Like last year, Villa will be based in Washington for the first part of the trip, before heading to Ohio to face Columbus Crew on Saturday, July 27 at Lower.com Field at 8pm local time (2am BST). The MLS Champions will compete against Villa as part of the Leagues Cup Showcase.
Unai Emery's side will then face Bundesliga outfit RB Leipzig at the Red Bull Arena in New Jersey on Wednesday, July 31 at 8pm local time (2am BST). Villa will round off the visit with three days in Chicago and a match against Liga MX Champions Club America, facing the Mexican giants at the Windy City’s Soldier Field on Saturday, August 3 at 4.30pm local time (10:30pm BST)
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Villa's commercial chief Chris Heck said: "Our 150-year anniversary tour will help drive the club's global agenda of showcasing Aston Villa to great cities in the US and Europe.
“Back on top, with an international stage, we will kick off a most memorable year for our great fans and global sponsors. It’s a most exciting time to be a Villan!"
Villa will begin their pre-season schedule at Walsall on Wednesday, July 17 (7.30pm kick-off). The club have also confirmed the pre-season friendly against Borussia Dortmund at Signal Iduna Park on Saturday, August 10 (5pm KO local time).
Villa hope to announce an additional domestic fixture in due course, with talks reportedly taking place with Athletic Bilbao. All matches will be streamed live on VillaTV. Further details around streaming and ticketing will be announced in due course.
