Chelsea, Newcastle headline Premier League summer tour in U.S.

The Premier League will stage a six-team Summer Series across five Eastern cities in the United States in July, headlined by Chelsea and Newcastle United, the league announced on Tuesday.

Having previously arranged a biennial Premier League Asia Trophy dating back to 2003, the Premier League will host a preseason tournament in the U.S. for the first time, July 22-30.

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With Manchester United, Liverpool and Arsenal also planning to play summer friendlies in the U.S., Tuesday's news means that almost half of the Premier League's 20 teams will prepare for the 2023-24 season in North America.

«We are delighted to be bringing six clubs to the USA in July for the first-ever Premier League Summer Series,» Premier League chief executive Richard Masters said. «Our clubs have incredible supporters in the U.S., who passionately follow their teams throughout the season.

»We have seen this dedication first-hand from the tens of thousands who have attended our Mornings Live fan events and are excited to be building on this by bringing live Premier League action to five cities this summer.

«We are currently enjoying one of the most competitive Premier League seasons of all time at both ends of the table, and I am sure we will see some thrilling matches during the tournament.»

Chelsea will face Brighton & Hove Albion in the opening Summer Series game at Philadelphia's Lincoln Financial Field on July 22, with Fulham facing Brentford and Newcastle taking on Aston Villa at the same venue the next day.

Three games on July 26 will pit Brentford against Brighton in Atlanta, Fulham versus Villa in Orlando and Chelsea taking on Newcastle in the late game at Atlanta's Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

Brig