European Teams Prepare for Season in United States Tournament

(Twitter.com)

As teams prepare for the upcoming season, eight European clubs have opted to prepare in North America by participating in the International Champions Cup.  Some of the biggest teams in Europe have already begun to prepare for the tournament which begins on Thursday.


Action will get underway in Toronto as AC Milan squares off with the Greek champions, Olympiacos.  The competition serves as a great way for teams to test their squads in a competitive environment prior to the start of the regular season which is now just under a month away.

The eight team tournament will have a group stage with two groups of four teams.  The winner of each group will advance to the finals which will be held in Miami on August 4.

Group A, which will begin action on Saturday, is made up of Inter, AS Roma, Manchester United, and reigning European Champions Real Madrid.

The action in Group B will begin with Thursday's match between Olympiacos and Milan, but also includes the top two finishers in the Barclay's Premier League, Manchester City and Liverpool.

(lfctour.com)

With the tournament now only hours from commencement, all the participating teams have already arrived stateside and are currently holding their training sessions.

Liverpool FC, being one of the teams to already be deep into preparations, has set up its training camp in Boston the home of the Fenway Sports Group, who owns the Merseyside club.

Harvard University and Fenway Park have already played host to training sessions for the Reds, who have delighted American fans by hosting open training sessions and signing autographs.

The first test for the Reds in the US will take place Wednesday evening at Fenway, as they take on AS Roma in a friendly prior to the beginning of their International Champions Cup campaign.

(mirror.co.uk)

Manchester United have also begun preparations, as they prepare for their first match in the United States.  United's first match under the direction of new manager Louis van Gaal will be against the LA Galaxy in the Chevrolet Cup, also on Wednesday.
Van Gaal has publicly criticized the club's US tour saying "You have to travel distances, you have to fly a lot, you also have jetlag - that is not very positive for a good preparation," in an interview with BBC Sports in Los Angeles.

United will hope that this preseason will help prepare for the first Premier League season with Van Gaal at the helm, following a dismal season under the leadership of David Moyes.

Despite several questions still remaining as teams remain active in the transfer window, all participants in the International Champions Cup will surely take advantage of the tournament as a trial for their squads.