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WORLD FOOTBALL

International Champions Cup 2017: Full Fixture Schedule and Dates Announced

Gianni Verschueren@ReverschPassX.com LogoFeatured ColumnistMarch 21, 2017

Manchester United's Ecuadorian midfielder Antonio Valencia (2nd L) celebrates with Manchester United's Belgian midfielder Marouane Fellaini (R) after scoring their third goal during the English Premier League football match between Middlesbrough and Manchester United at Riverside Stadium in Middlesbrough, north east England on March 19, 2017. Manchester United won the game 3-1. / AFP PHOTO / Lindsey PARNABY / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or 'live' services. Online in-match use limited to 75 images, no video emulation. No use in betting, games or single club/league/player publications. / (Photo credit should read LINDSEY PARNABY/AFP/Getty Images)
LINDSEY PARNABY/Getty Images

Manchester United will face La Liga giants Real Madrid and Barcelona, as well as Premier League rivals Manchester City, in the 2017 International Champions Cup.

The pre-season tournament will also feature Paris Saint-Germain, Juventus, AS Roma and Tottenham Hotspur, but United and Real have the toughest schedule, with Los Blancos taking part in the first Clasico to be played in the United States on July 29 in Miami, per ESPN FC. 

United will kick off their tournament against City on July 20. Their next fixture will be against Los Blancos on July 23 before their final match, against Barcelona, on July 26.

Here's a look at the full fixture list:

ICC Schedule (USA)
DateLocationMatch
July 19TBDParis Saint-Germain v AS Roma
July 20TBDManchester United v Manchester City
July 22East Rutherford, N.J.Barcelona v Juventus
July 22Orlando, Fla.Tottenham Hotspur v Paris Saint-Germain
July 23Santa Clara, Calif.Manchester United v Real Madrid
July 25Harrison, N.J.Tottenham Hotspur v AS Roma
July 26Landover, Md.Manchester United v Barcelona
July 26Miami, Fla.Paris Saint-Germain v Juventus
July 26Los Angeles, Calif.Real Madrid v Manchester City
July 29Nashville, Tenn.Manchester City v Tottenham Hotspur
July 29Miami, Fla.Real Madrid v Barcelona
July 30Foxborough, Mass.Juventus v AS Roma
ESPN FC

The ICC was born in 2013 as a series of pre-season tournaments played all over the world, designed to give overseas fans the chance to watch Europe's top teams in action.

International Champions Cup 2017: Full Fixture Schedule and Dates Announced
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Many of these sides already planned pre-season tours through the United States, Australia and Asia, and the ICC made it a lot easier to schedule matches against other top clubs. The format has quickly gained popularity, and tournaments will also take place in China and Singapore this year.

While there are trophies at stake―Real have won three ICC tournaments so far―the matches remain typical friendlies and usually don't feature a lot of major stars. Sports writer Adam Hurrey isn't too excited:

Adam Hurrey @FootballCliches

God, I can't wait to overreact to the pre-season performances and meaningless results of the International Champions Cup! https://t.co/qKOf1IoanG

Legendary United manager Sir Alex Ferguson disagrees, however, via SiriusXM FC:

SiriusXM FC 157 ⚽📻 @SiriusXMFC

Preseason used to be easy. Now, you have to win. You don't want to play AC Milan/Juventus/Real Madrid & lose. - Sir Alex on @IntChampionsCup

For American fans, the chance to witness a Clasico between Real Madrid and Barcelona without having to travel to Spain is a unique opportunity. The same holds true for those who can't wait for the latest edition of the Manchester derby.

And in a year where there are no international obligations during the summer for the top players in Europe and South America, the likes of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo may see more minutes in pre-season than they did in 2016.

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