Go West

A small shred of positivity to emerge from the media centre at Arsenal this week as they've announced a pre season trip to America.

This visit will take the form of a friendly against the New York Red Bulls on the 26^th of July, a match that is set to be the Gunner’s only match outside of Europe during the summer. New York of course makes for an inviting prospect for a long-weekend to cheer on the boys, and whilst tickets are yet to be announced, for those able to make it out there it will surely prove to be a memorable trip.

Arsenal last faced the Red Bulls in the Emirates cup in 2011, a game that was drawn 1-1 as I’m sure you all remember…..anyway, there will certainly be some great sentimental value in this reunion at the very least.  Henry’s contract with the Red Bulls is due to expire at the end of this season, and whilst he insists that his playing days are not over, who knows whether there will be another opportunity to see him play against his old team. At the ripe old age of 36 surely enough will be enough very soon, although as I type this the seemingly immortal Ryan Giggs does spring to mind.

So this could possibly be the last chance for Arsenal fans to catch a glimpse of one of the greatest players to have ever worn the shirt, maybe one of the greatest to have ever played in the premier league.

This is the first time Arsenal have travelled to the US in 25 years, a seriously long time when you consider that there was no Premier League or indeed Champions League at that time. The popularity of ‘soccer’ in the US faces stiff competition from the well-established national sports out there (apparently they would rather watch rounders or adverts for two hours but there we are), but this season’s huge broadcasting deal with NBC is surely a promising development. If you weren’t already aware, this season NBC are broadcasting every single Premier League game. I spent the first 3 weeks of this season out there, and it was nothing short of glorious to be able to park myself in front of the TV for the duration of the weekend without having to worry about what game was on where, or if at all.

This apparent rise of football in the US has sparked suggestions that the time is right for Arsenal to establish a greater presence across the pond in order to reap the benefits of an increasingly lucrative market, and this tour surely shows that Arsenal’s top brass agree. 

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