Manchester United’s first outing ahead of the 2018-19 season will see them face Liga MX side Club America, with Jose Mourinho starting to piece together his plans for the new campaign.
The University of Phoenix Stadium – home to NFL franchise the Arizona Cardinals – will provide the backdrop for the Red Devils’ opening fixture of a pre-season schedule in the United States.
Mourinho’s men have the International Champions Cup competition to come, but will be building their way towards those challenges with two more warm-up games – a meeting with MLS outfit the San Jose Earthquakes to come before tackling AC Milan on July 25.
There will be plenty of familiar faces on show for the Red Devils as they step up their preparations for another shot at major honours, while new additions and exciting youngsters will also be given an opportunity to impress.
| Game | Club America vs Manchester United |
| Date | Thursday, July 19 (Friday UK) |
| Time | 3:00am BST / 10:00pm ET |
TV Channel, Live Stream & How To Watch
In the United States (US) the game will be not be shown live on television, but it will be available to stream live online via Manchester United’s in-house TV channel, MUTV.
| US TV channel | Online stream |
|---|---|
| N/A | MUTV |
In the United Kingdom (UK), the game can be watched live on TV and streamed through MUTV.
| UK TV channel | Online stream |
|---|---|
| MUTV | MUTV |
Squads & Team News
| Position | Club America players |
|---|---|
| Goalkeepers | Marchesin, Jimenez, Estrada |
| Defenders | Vargas, Sanchez, Alvarez, Reyes, Valdez, Aguilera, P. Aguilar, Torres, Leon, Zamora |
| Midfielders | G. Rodriguez, Uribe, Dominguez, Corona, Arce, Moreno, Garcia, Ibarra, V. Rodriguez, I. Aguilar |
| Forwards | Menez, Martinez, Ibarguen, Lainez, Martin, Peralta, Gonzalez |
Paraguay international Ceciilo Dominguez suffered a fractured jaw in a friendly meeting with Morelia and misses out as a result.
Former Roma, Paris Saint-Germain and AC Milan star Jeremy Menez will also play no part as he remains sidelined with damaged knee ligaments.
Potential Club America XI: Marchesin, P. Aguilar, Aguilera, Corona, Uribe, Ibarguen, Ibarra, Martinez, Reyes, G. Rodriguez, Valdez.
| Position | Man Utd players |
|---|---|
| Goalkeepers | Romero, J. Pereira, Grant |
| Defenders | Valencia, Darmian, Dalot, Fosu-Mensah, Williams, Smalling, Bailly, Tuanzebe, Mitchell, Shaw |
| Midfielders | Garner, Herrera, A. Pereira, McTominay, Hamilton |
| Forwards | Chong, Gomes, Mata, Martial, Greenwood, Bohui |
Mourinho will be without the services of his World Cup stars, with England contingent Jesse Lingard, Phil Jones and Marcus Rashford enjoying a summer break along with Paul Pogba, Marouane Fellaini, Romelu Lukaku and David de Gea.
New signing Fred is also resting after his efforts in Russia with Brazil, but Diogo Dalot and Lee Grant have made the trip alongside academy stars such as Angel Gomes and Tahith Chong.
Alexis Sanchez is yet to join up with the squad after encountering visa issues.
Potential Man Utd XI: J. Pereira, Fosu-Mensah, Smalling, Bailly, Mitchell, McTominay, Herrera, A. Pereira, Gomes, Mata, Martial.
Match Preview
With Sanchez unavailable and World Cup stars enjoying a post-tournament break, Mourinho will get the chance to experiment with his Manchester United side.
Pre-season is intended to build fitness and match sharpness, but the Red Devils already know what to expect from their international performers and will be confident that they can slot seamlessly back into the fold.
They will be eager, however, to get game time for their new recruits, with it important for the likes of Dalot, Fred and Grant to feel at home in new surroundings.
Senior minutes for youngsters such as Gomes, Chong and Mason Greenwood will also aid their respective developments as they begin to push for more regular involvement with the first team.
The likes of Luke Shaw, Anthony Martial and Matteo Darmian will be eager to impress as well after seeing their future at Old Trafford called into question.
Results are not especially important at this stage, so Mourinho can tinker with his plans as much as he wants and settle on a favoured XI at a later date.
Mexican outfit Club America will provide a stern test of a young United side’s credentials, though, having already taken in two friendly outings to date as they gear up for the start of the new Liga MX campaign.
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