This July, D.C. United welcomes a European opponent with a historical pedigree to Audi Field for an exhibition match, joining a list of summer friendlies throughout the D.C. region.
Scottish club Celtic F.C. will visit D.C. to face off against the Black and Red on Saturday, July 20, at 7:30 p.m.
Known as “The Bhoys,” Celtic have won 11 of the last 12 Scottish Premiership titles and currently sits in first place ahead of rivals Rangers.
Fans looking to secure their tickets can sign up on the club’s priority access page online to receive more information before tickets go on sale on March 27. The friendly is included in all full-season ticket holder packages.
The matchup will be the first of three games in Celtics’ preseason tour in the United States. The Scottish side will face off against last year’s English Premier champions Manchester City in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, on July 23 and London side Chelsea at Notre Dame Stadium in Indiana on July 27.
Speaking in his new role as club ambassador, former D.C. United captain John Harkes (1996-1998) told WTOP he’s deeply connected to the upcoming affair. Growing up in New Jersey, the former midfielder said he grew up a Celtic fan and recalled playing against its reserve sides as a youth player.
“I think it’s just going to be a big game,” Harkes said. “It’s great for D.C. United, it’s great for Audi field, and it’s great for the community to have international competition and big clubs like Celtic coming over here to play, so I’m really looking forward to it.”
The friendly lands in the middle of United’s regular season and two weeks before it participates in Leagues Cup, a tournament between MLS teams and clubs from Liga MX. D.C.’s general manager Ally Mackay told WTOP that head coach Troy Lesesne will look to put out a roster that can go “toe-to-toe” against Celtic, but it will be depend on player availability.
“Our roster is a competitive group,” Mackay said. “I think a lot of them probably have ambitions to play in Europe. So when you have this caliber of team come over to D.C., I think they’ll look at it as a showcase event and have that ability to really turn those competitive juices on.”
Celtic’s history
Celtic, based in Glasgow, Scotland, was established in 1887 and is considered to be one of the most decorated clubs in European soccer. It has won 53 Scottish League titles, 41 Scottish Cups and was the first British club to win the European Cup — now known as the UEFA Champions League — in 1967.
The club was founded for charitable purposes by a Catholic priest who looked to raise funds for poor children and immigrants in the East End of Glasgow. Former defender Roy Aitken told WTOP those links with its supporters remains to this day even as the club has grown into an international brand.
Now, coached by manager Brendan Rodgers, Aitken says fans should expect an attractive style of play by the Scottish team when it faces D.C.
“We call them friendlies, but I can assure you that it won’t be played in a friendly manner,” Aitken said. “They’ll be played in a very competitive manner, that’s the way that Celtic play every game.”
This will not be the first time both teams face off in a friendly affair. In 2006, United defeated Celtic 4-0 at RFK Stadium in front of an announced crowd of 15,223. One of the goals scored came from a then-17-year-old Freddy Adu, and the match also featured future Black and Red coach Ben Olsen.
Aitken said don’t expect the same result this year. Celtic comes to D.C. after participating in UEFA Champions League, Europe’s premier club competition. Its roster is armed with multiple international players including former English goalkeeper Joe Hart, U.S. defender Cameron Carter-Vickers and Japanese forward Kyogo Furuhashi.
“So I’d expect to have an edge to the game right from the start,” Aitken said. “20,000 in Audi Field will be fantastic. So it’s got the makings of a great match, but I’m sure there’ll be a competitive edge to it.”
Summer of soccer in DC
The friendly at Audi Field is one of several soccer matches touching down in the D.C. region. First, the U.S. men’s national team and FIFA Men’s World Cup winners Argentina will each host exhibition matches at Commanders Field in Landover, Maryland, in early June prior to participating in the Copa America tournament.
In late July, the Washington Spirit is scheduled to host two of three group stage matches in a special summer tournament pitting NWSL clubs against six of the best clubs from Mexico’s first division women’s soccer league.
European giants FC Barcelona and AC Milan are set to play each other in a preseason match at Baltimore’s M&T Bank Stadium on Aug. 6 as part of the 2024 Soccer Champions Tour.
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