The Football United Tour 2014 will be played in three cities with the likes of Andy Carroll and All Whites hero Winston Reid coming from Hammers and Loic Remy – should United keep him from a return to QPR.
Newcastle face Sydney in Dunedin on July 22 before Phoenix play West Ham in Auckland the next day.
A double-header will then be played at Wellington’s Westpac Stadium on July 26 with the A-League teams playing the other Premier League sides.
While crowds won’t be expected to match the 83,000 that turned out to see Manchester United play the A-League All Star in Sydney or the 95,000 who watched Melbourne Victory host Liverpool, it’s a big deal for New Zealand.
It will be the first time two EPL clubs have been there at the same time, while the last English top-flight side to visit there was Everton in 1987.
Sydney FC CEO Tony Pignata thanked Phoenix for the opportunity.
“Playing against two strong EPL sides will be a great experience for our players and will be an important part of our pre-season programme,” he said.
“You don’t often get the opportunity to have games against such quality opposition leading into the season.”
It’s conceivable that both sides could be led by new managers, with both Alan Pardew and Sam Allardyce’s jobs under the microscope. Sydney FC will be under new management, with the club working through a shortlist to replace sacked Frank Farina with Graham Arnold, Holger Osieck and Mark Rudan among contenders. Wellington’s Ricki Herbert appears safe, for now.
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