Relevent Sports, a division of RSE Ventures, today announced that English Premier League rivals Manchester United F.C. and Manchester City F.C. will face off in the Manchester Derby at NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas on Thursday, July 20 as part of the 2017 International Champions Cup presented by Heineken. The match is set to kick off at 8:30PM CT on ESPN.
As two of the top clubs in the English Premier League, Manchester United F.C. and Manchester City F.C. have a long and storied rivalry which dates all the way back to 1881. Sharing the same hometown, the aptly named Manchester Derby has taken place 173 times between the two clubs who boast a combined 24 English Premier League titles, including seven of the previous ten. This match will represent the first Manchester Derby played outside of the United Kingdom in the rivalry’s 136-year history.
Tickets for the Manchester United F.C. v Manchester City F.C. matchup at NRG Stadium will go on sale to the general public beginning May 23.
Houston Dynamo and Houston Dash Season Ticket Members will receive first access to purchase tickets through an exclusive presale window beginning at 10 a.m. CDT on Thursday, May 18, while all Dynamo and Dash fans with an email address opted in to Dynamo or Dash Insider E-news will have the opportunity to purchase tickets ahead of the general public at a later time. Presale information will be communicated to Dynamo fans directly via email.
Fans interested in receiving access to the Dynamo and Dash fan presale can opt-in to become Dynamo and Dash Insiders by clicking here. Special ticket plans will also be available and will include tickets to the Manchester Derby and premier Dynamo matchups.
The current roster for both clubs feature some of the top international talent from around the world. Following in the footsteps of legendary managers including Sir Matt Busby and the great Sir Alex Ferguson, Jose Mourinho has already etched his name into the Manchester United F.C. record books. Having already won both the Community Shield and EFL Cup in their 2016-17 campaign, Manchester United F.C. features an exciting core led by French midfielder Paul Pogba as well as English legend Wayne Rooney. Manchester City F.C. has found continued success under first-year manager Pep Guardiola, boasting a balanced lineup complete with the likes of Argentinian superstar striker Sergio Aguero, Belgian national Kevin De Bruyne at the midfield and World Cup winner David Silva. Each team is currently battling for supremacy in the English Premier League and qualification for next season’s Champions League.
In addition to being the home of the Houston Texans and the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, NRG Stadium has played host to a number of major sporting events, including two (2) Super Bowls, two (2) NCAA Men’s Final Fours, Copa America, Gold Cup and various top international soccer matches featuring the United States Women’s and Men’s National Teams, the Mexican Men’s National Team and some of the top soccer clubs in the world.
Fans can find all venue-specific and other ticket information at www.internationalchampionscup.com.
“Manchester United and Manchester City always come ready to compete at a world-class level when they meet for the Derby,” said Charlie Stillitano, Chairman of Relevent Sports. “This summer’s match will be no different, with many of the world’s greatest athletes on display. Fans will be treated to a historic rivalry being played in the United States for the first time as part of an elite lineup for this year’s ICC. We could not be more thrilled to have this match as part of the 2017 tournament and look forward to hosting this Texas-sized rivalry in the city of Houston.”
“The game in Houston gives our large U.S. family of fans another chance to see the team play live,” said Manchester United’s Executive Vice Chairman Ed Woodward. “The last time we played in Houston, over 70,000 packed the stadium and we are looking forward to entertaining them again.”
“The Manchester Derby is one of the world's most iconic games,” said Ferran Soriano, Chief Executive of Manchester City. “We are very excited to play it in front of our passionate American fans. There are so many great memories from this game in history and we can't wait to create some new ones in Houston."
“We are proud that Houston and NRG Stadium were selected to host the latest chapter in this historic rivalry between two of the most prestigious soccer clubs on the planet, Manchester City and Manchester United,” said Jamey Rootes, President of the Houston Texans and Lone Star Sports & Entertainment. “This is the first time the Manchester Derby will be played outside of the UK, which is a testament to our community’s demonstrated ability to host the world’s largest and most important sporting events. We look forward to once again welcoming the world to NRG Stadium this July.”
The 2017 International Champions Cup presented by Heineken will run from July 19 – 30 and feature 12 matches played across 11 cities throughout the United States. In total, eight teams from around the globe, including England (Manchester United F.C., Manchester City F.C., Tottenham Hotspur F.C.), Italy (Juventus F.C., AS Roma), France (Paris Saint-Germain F.C.) and Spain (FC Barcelona, Real Madrid C.F.) will compete in this year’s tournament. Each team will play three contests and the club with the most points at the end of the tournament will be crowned champion. Each win in regulation will result in three points and a tie will go straight to a shootout; the winning team in a shootout will receive two points and the losing team will receive one.
Arguably the most recognizable soccer club in the world, Manchester United F.C. is frequently mentioned among the most successful teams in English league soccer and has been home to some of the game’s greats including Sir Bobby Charlton, George Best and Denis Law. The club is also incredibly successful off the field, having become the first sports franchise to be valued at over $3 billion, according to Forbes. The record 20-time league title winners have dominated English soccer for much of the last 25 years. During that time, some of the biggest names in soccer, including David Beckham, Ryan Giggs, Cristiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney, have pulled on the famous red shirt and run out on Old Trafford's hallowed turf. All of the aforementioned names played under the greatest manager soccer has ever known: Sir Alex Ferguson. He took charge of Manchester United F.C. in November 1986, before retiring in May 2013 with a record 13 English soccer league titles. The club is currently managed by José Mourinho, who took over the reins in May of 2016. This years squad features star veteran strikers Wayne Rooney and Zlatan Ibrahimović, along with young superstar midfielder Paul Pogba. For more information on Manchester United F.C., please visit www.manutd.com.
Manchester City is an English Premier League club whose roots began in East Manchester in 1880 as St Mark’s West Gorton. It officially became Manchester City F.C. in 1894 and has since then gone on to win the European Cup Winners’ Cup, four League Championship titles, including two Premier League titles, and five FA Cups. Manchester City F.C. is one of four teams comprising the City Football Group and counts New York City FC, Melbourne City FC and Yokohama F-Marinos among its sister clubs.
Under manager Pep Guardiola, one of the most highly decorated managers in world football, the Club plays its domestic and UEFA Champions League home fixtures at the Etihad Stadium, a spectacular 55,000 seat arena that City have called home since 2003. Today, the Stadium sits on the wider Etihad Campus, which also encompasses the City Football Academy, a world-leading first team training and youth development facility located in the heart of East Manchester. Featuring a 7,000 capacity Academy Stadium, the CityFootball Academy is also where Manchester City Women’s Football Club and the Elite Development Squad train on a daily basis and play their competitive home games. For more information, please visit www.mancity.com
For the second consecutive year, Heineken is the presenting sponsor of the 2017 International Champions Cup. In addition to Heineken, the 2017 tournament features a leading line-up of sponsors, including Ally, Nike, Orlando, Chevrolet, AON, Groupon, VividSeats, Gatorade and Xyience. Additional partners will be announced in the coming months. All matches for the International Champions Cup will be carried on ESPN networks including ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN Deportes and streaming network ESPN3, accessible through WatchESPN and the ESPN App.
Fans can follow the ICC on social media at @intchampionscup for exclusive content and announcements, and join the conversation using #2017ICC. Fans can sign up for up news, updates and ticket information at www.internationalchampionscup.com.
