Why Liverpool is back in the US after a five-year absence – and who benefits
Liverpool land in Pittsburgh tonight as they begin their first US pre-season tour since 2019.
It is a significant moment for new head coach Arne Slot, who is ramping up preparations for the new season after two productive weeks at Liverpool’s training ground in Kirkby. But it also has important commercial implications for the club.
We analyse Liverpool’s motives for going, who could benefit and what fans can expect over the next two weeks.
Who are Liverpool playing and which players are leaving?
Liverpool play Real Betis on Friday at the 68,400-capacity Acrisure Stadium, home of the NFL’s Pittsburgh Steelers. On Saturday, they travel to Philadelphia to prepare for next Wednesday’s game against Arsenal at the Eagles’ 70,000-capacity Lincoln Financial Field.
The final stop is on Saturday, August 3, when they take on rivals Manchester United at the 77,000-capacity Williams-Brice Stadium in Columbia, South Carolina, before returning home to Merseyside.
Slot’s squad remains weak, with Alexis Mac Allister, Luis Diaz, Darwin Nunez, Alisson, Virgil van Dijk, Cody Gakpo, Ryan Gravenberch, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Joe Gomez, Diogo Jota and Ibrahima Konate all absent due to commitments at the European Championship and Copa America.
A number of those senior players are expected to team up with their team-mates later in the tour. Striker Jayden Danns will miss the trip with back discomfort, while fellow youngster Bobby Clark will also remain behind as he builds up his fitness after an injury.
What an experience it promises to be, for youngsters like Stefan Bajcetic, Luke Chambers, Kaide Gordon, Ben Doak, James McConnell, Owen Beck, Amara Nallo, Lewis Koumas, Harvey Blair, Luca Stephenson and Trey Nyoni. All will get the chance to impress on the tour.
Bobby Clark did not travel to the US due to injury (Stu Forster/Getty Images)
How much local interest is there?
The games against Arsenal and United are expected to sell out, but ticket sales for the Betis game have been considerably slower. Remaining seats cost between $75 (£59) and $303 (£235) against Betis, $101 to $500 against Arsenal and $145 to $616 against United, although some are selling for considerably more on the resale market.
Club ambassadors Ian Rush, John Barnes and Natasha Dowie will make a series of public appearances in the States, along with Anfield legends Gary McAllister, Lucas Leiva and Sami Hyypia. Liverpool singer Jamie Webster will also entertain the crowds.
“I travel all over the world with Liverpool and in America our fan base is getting bigger every year,” said Rush, who scored 346 goals for the club in the 1980s and 1990s.
“It will be something different for Arne – something he has never experienced before. He will realise how big the club is that he has joined. For many of these supporters, it is not possible to come to Anfield, so we have a duty to bring Liverpool to them.
Liverpool vs Manchester United drew a sell-out crowd in Michigan in 2018 (Andrew Powell/Liverpool FC via Getty Images)
“I’m really looking forward to seeing how the young players on the tour do. Everyone gets a chance to shine and this is their chance to force their way into the manager’s plans for next season.”
Lou Vogel is president of the official Liverpool supporters club in Philadelphia, which has approximately 850 members spread throughout the metropolitan area.
The 37-year-old has been a fan since he started watching games on TV nearly two decades ago while attending the University of Pennsylvania, and the absence of some star names from Slot’s roster hasn’t exactly dampened expectations.
“There’s a huge amount of excitement. From our perspective, Philly gets to be the centre of the universe for Liverpool FC for about 72 hours,” he says The Athletics.
“It’s something that may not happen again. It’s not just about the club being in town, it’s about Liverpool fans from all over North America and beyond being here. It’s a chance to showcase our city and the affinity that many of us have for the club and the culture.
Liverpool have a strong fan presence in Philadelphia (thanks to the Liverpool supporters club in Philadelphia)
“I have been a Philadelphia Eagles season ticket holder for 22 years. I have been to 180 home games in a row, but my passion for the Eagles does not compare to my passion for Liverpool.
“Living in the city I see more and more LFC shirts and jackets as I walk around. The interest in the Premier League has increased massively since NBC started showing the games. Out of 70,000 I think it will be around 45,000 Liverpool fans against Arsenal.
“This city is more like Liverpool than any other city in America. It should feel like home to them.”
What does Arne Slot hope to achieve with it?
This is the first time Liverpool have completed a three-match tour abroad since 2019, when they played in South Bend, Boston and New York.
Jurgen Klopp was not a fan of long-distance travel during his time as national coach and preferred training camps in Europe during the pre-season.
Liverpool played twice in one week in Singapore last summer and 12 months earlier they were away for the same length of time when they played two games in Thailand and Singapore. They did not tour in 2020 or 2021 due to the global pandemic.
Slot expects the intensity to increase during Liverpool’s stay in the United States after they fielded 25 players in their 1-0 defeat to Preston North End in a closed friendly in Kirkby last Friday.
“We’re trying to implement the ideas and keep doing what we’ve done so well. Keeping the boys fit, that’s the first goal,” he said.
“With all the players coming back, I think the quality will definitely go up a lot. These two things — training sessions and guys coming back — will help us to play even better than we did (against Preston).”
Arne Slot has high expectations for Liverpool’s American tour (John Powell/Liverpool FC via Getty Images)
How important is the tour commercially?
America is the number one international market for Liverpool’s merchandising business and one of the new Nike kits will be launched during the tour. There are 67 official Liverpool supporters clubs in the country and they have international academies in 12 states.
Liverpool’s commercial strategy has evolved over the past 18 months as the company has secured lucrative deals with top US brands such as Google Pixel (mobile partner), Peloton (digital fitness partner), UPS (global logistics and shipping partner) and Orion Innovation (digital transformation partner).
““It’s an important market for us in terms of growing our retail business and it’s a mature market for sponsorship in terms of the way they market their sports there,” said Liverpool’s commercial director Ben Latty. The Athletics in March.
“American companies are really focused on reaching a global audience and one way to do that is through Premier League football. Which club do you root for? I hope Liverpool FC remains number one on that list for a long time to come.”
As well as meeting the demands of sponsors, Liverpool also want to leave a legacy through the work of the LFC Foundation coaches, who will be delivering football clinics for the region’s youth in all three cities.
Liverpool’s 28-man squad for the US tour: Endo, Szoboszlai, Salah, Jones, Elliott, Tsimikas, Robertson, Carvalho, Bajcetic, Chambers, Pitaluga, Phillips, Gordon, Doak, McConnell, Jaros, Kelleher, Beck, Nallo, Koumas, Van den Berg, Quansah, Morton, Bradley, Blair, Stephenson, Davies, Nyoni
(Top photos: Arne Slot/American fans welcome Liverpool players in 2018; Getty Images)
