Manchester City coming to Philadelphia?
It's a rumor as of now, but nothing more.
CHICAGO - Greetings from the perpetual whirlwind of humanity that is O'Hare Airport. I'm laying over in the Windy City for an hour or so on the way to Toronto. It's 77 degrees and sunny outside, but the next fresh air I'll get will be about 20 degrees colder than this north of the border.
While I have a few minutest to spare, let's address a rumor that's been going around for the last few days.
A few people have emailed or tweeted at me asking if I've heard anything about Manchester City possibly playing in Philadelphia this summer. All we know for certain so far is what the club itself has announced, which is that "City will be playing games against a number of high-profile opponents in different cities along the East Coast.
Of course, there aren't that many cities for City to choose from, and Philadelphia now has a credible history of staging big-time soccer games. That includes City's eternal rival, Manchester United, which christened Lincoln Financial Field in 2003.
I've checked a bunch of different websites this afternoon and I don't see any confirmation or even mention of Philadelphia at this time. So while it's certainly possible that this will happen, let's not put too many carts before our horses yet.
The only match that's been published as of now is City vs. Club America of Mexico at the Georgia Dome on July 28. That was reported today by the Washington Post's Steven Goff.
I'll be back later tonight with a preview of the Union game at Toronto F.C. And I'll be liveblogging from BMO Field tomorrow night, so be sure to join me for the 7 p.m. kickoff.