Manchester City FC will begin the club’s tour of the United States next week in Kansas City as part of Summer in the Soccer Capital, presented by The Sprint Framily Plan.
Sporting Kansas City will take on the reigning English Premier League winners in the Champions Shield at 8 p.m. CT on Wednesday, July 23 at Sporting Park. A limited number of tickets are available for the marquee match via Ticketmaster.com or at the Sporting Park Box Offices. The international friendly – which will be decided by penalty kicks if tied at the end of regulation -- will be nationally broadcast live on ESPN2 and ESPN Deportes with Adrian Healey and Brian Dunseth calling the action.
Manchester City FC’s 23-player travel squad features World Cup veterans Jesus Navas and Gael Clichy along with summer signings Fernando and Willy Caballero. Manager Manuel Pellegrini will be without the club’s players who participated in the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil, however brings first team fixtures Alvaro Negredo, Javi Garcia, Samir Nasri, Aleksandar Kolarov, Matija Nastasic and Stevan Jovetic.
Manchester City FC Travel Squad (bios below)
Goalkeepers (3): Willy Caballero, Richard Wright, Ian Lawlor
Defenders (8): Micah Richards, Dedryck Boyata, Gael Clichy, Karim Rekik, Aleksandar Kolarov, Matthias Bossaerts, Matija Nastasic, Jason Denayer
Midfielders (8): Fernando, Samir Nasri, Scott Sinclair, Javi Garcia, Jesus Navas, Jack Rodwell, Bruno Zuculini, Emry Huws
Forwards (4): Alvaro Negredo, Stevan Jovetic, John Guidetti, Kelechi Iheanacho
Sporting Kansas City will be the first of four opponents for Manchester City in the United States, followed by games against A.C. Milan (July 27), Liverpool (July 30) and Olympiacos (Aug. 2). MCFC, who opened their preseason on July 9, will then kick off the team’s 2014-15 campaign with the Community Shield on Aug. 10 against Arsenal.
Manchester City FC has won the English Premier League in two of the past three seasons with first place finishes in the world’s most-watched league in 2011-12 and 2013-14. The Premier League trophy will be made available in Kansas City for photo opportunities alongside the MLS Cup trophy and Champions Shield at two locations: Kansas Sampler Oak Park (9750 Quivira, Lenexa, KS) from 11:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. CT on Tuesday, July 22 and also at Sporting Park for Manchester City’s open training from 7-8 p.m. CT on Tuesday, July 22. Both events are free and open to the public to attend.
Travel Squad (numerical order) with bios:
#2 DEF Micah Richards - Richards joined Manchester City’s youth system in 2001 and made his first team debut as a 17-year-old in October 2005. He earned his first appearance for England in November 2006, becoming the youngest defender to play for the country’s senior team. Richards has since received 13 caps for England and played for Great Britain in the 2012 Olympics. The right back has made 244 appearances for the Sky Blues in all competitions, scoring nine goals. Richards was an integral figure during Manchester City’s run to the 2011-12 English Premier League title. He led all EPL defenders with five assists that season and was nominated as the club’s player of the year.
#6 MF Fernando - Fernando is one of three new Manchester City signings for 2014-15. The 26-year-old defensive midfielder won 12 trophies with Porto from 2007-2014, including the 2010-11 UEFA Europa League and four Primeira Liga titles. He played in 228 matches across all competitions, including 41 games in Porto’s 2010-11 treble-winning campaign, and played for Brazil at the Under-20 level in 2007.
#8 MF Samir Nasri - Nasri joined Manchester City in August 2011 on a £25 million transfer from Arsenal. The attacking midfielder, who signed a new five-year contract with the club on July 10, has 22 goals in 129 games for the Sky Blues. Nasri scored the game-winning goal and was named Man of the Match in the 2014 Capital One Cup Final as Man City won their first trophy of the campaign in March. He also scored in the Premier League-clinching victory two months later as City completed its first ever double. The 27-year-old Frenchman has 41 caps and played for France at Euro 2008 and Euro 2012, but was omitted from the 2010 and 2014 World cup squads.
#9 FWD Alvaro Negredo - Negredo became a Manchester City player in July 2013 on a £16.4 million transfer from Sevilla, one month after City signed his club teammate Jesus Navas. The forward enjoyed a successful debut season in England, scoring 23 goals in 48 matches across all competitions. He notched a hat-trick last November in a 5-2 Champions League group stage win over CSKA Moscow, marking the first time a City player had ever scored three goals in a Champions League contest. The 28-year-old has won 21 caps for Spain since 2009 and was part of the team that won Euro 2012. He was named to Spain’s 30-man provisional roster for the 2014 World Cup but did not make the final squad.
#11 DEF Dedryck Boyata - A versatile defender, Boyata entered Manchester City’s youth system in 2006 and made his first team debut in January 2010. The 23-year-old Belgian was named Young Player of the Season for 2009-10. He has made 52 total appearances over the last five seasons, including loan spells at Bolton Wanderers and FC Twente. Boyata has played for Belgium at the Under-19 and Under-21 levels and signed a contract extension with the Sky blues in May, keeping him at the club until 2016.
#12 MF Scott Sinclair - Sinclair signed a four-year contract with Manchester City in August 2012 after two successful seasons at Swansea City, where he scored 36 goals in 91 matches. He represented England at the 2011 Under-21 European Championships and played for Great Britain at the 2012 Olympics. The 25-year-old winger spent the 2013-14 campaign on loan at West Bromwich Albion, making eight total appearances. Sinclair was under contract with Chelsea from 2006-2010, going on loan to six different English clubs during that time.
#13 GK Willy Caballero - The veteran goalkeeper played three years at Argentinian club Boca Juniors before excelling in Spain’s La Liga for the past 10 seasons. He made 186 league appearances for Eche from 2004-2011 and played another 117 league games with Malaga from 2011-2014. He set Malaga’s club record for longest top-flight shutout streak in 2011, going 480 minutes without conceding a goal. He joined Manchester City on July 8, signing a three-year contract.
#14 MF Javi Garcia - The 27-year-old defensive midfielder began his career in the Real Madrid youth system from 1996-2004. He broke out at Benfica, where he won the 2009-10 Portuguese Primeira Liga and three straight Portuguese League Cups from 2010-12. He joined Manchester City in August 2012 for £15.8 million and has since made 71 total appearances and scored two goals. A winner of the 2006 Under-19 European Championships with Spain, he also represented his country at the 2009 Under-21 European Championships and made his senior team debut in May 2012.
#15 MF Jesus Navas - After 10 seasons with Spanish club Sevilla, Navas signed for Manchester City last June and became a regular starter on the right wing. He registered six goals and 13 assists in 48 games across all competitions and scored a late goal in the 2014 Capital One Cup Final, sealing City’s 3-1 win over Sunderland in March. A Spain international since 2009, Navas helped his country win the 2010 World Cup—playing the 30-minute extra time period in the Final—and Euro 2012. He was one of seven players cut from Spain’s final roster for the 2014 World Cup alongside club teammate Alvaro Negredo.
#17 MF Jack Rodwell - Rodwell entered Everton’s youth system as a seven year-old and made his first team debut against AZ Alkmaar in the 2007 UEFA Cup group stage, becoming the youngest player to feature for Everton in a European match at 16 years and 284 days. The defensive midfielder played five seasons for Everton, representing England at the Under-16, Under-17 and Under-21 levels before making his senior debut in November 2011. He transferred to Manchester City in August 2012 for £12 million and has made 26 appearances over the last two years.
#19 DEF Gael Clichy - An English Premier League veteran, Clichy played 264 matches for Arsenal from 2003-2011 before joining Manchester City in July 2011. The French left back made an immediate impact during his first City campaign as the club won its first English league title since 1968. He has played in 102 games and contributed six assists over the last three seasons, settling into a backup role behind Aleksandar Kolarov last year. Clichy has earned 19 caps for France since his first senior team call-up in February 2008, including appearances at the 2010 World Cup and Euro 2012.
#22 DEF Karim Rekik - Rekik signed for Manchester City from Dutch club Feyenoord in the summer of 2011. The central defender has made just one Premier League appearance for the Sky Blues but enjoyed a successful loan stint at PSV Eindhoven last season, playing 31 games in all competitions. He has earned caps for the Netherlands at the Under-16, Under-17, Under-19 and Under-21 levels and made his senior team debut in March. He was named to the Netherlands’ 30-man provisional roster for the 2014 World Cup but did not make the final squad.
#29 GK Richard Wright - Wright has amassed nearly 450 appearances during his 20-year career, most notably featuring for Ipswich Town (1995-2000) and Everton (2002-2007). The 36-year-old has been a reserve goalkeeper for City since signing in August 2012. He played 22 games for Arsenal during the club’s 2001-02 Premier League and FA Cup double-winning campaign and has twice been capped by England.
#35 FWD Stevan Jovetic - Jovetic spent five years at Fiorentina, where he scored 40 goals in 134 games, before joining former Fiorentina teammate and close friend Matija Nastasic at Manchester City in July 2013 for £22 million. He tallied six goals in 16 appearances across all competitions in his first season with the Sky Blues. Jovetic was a founding member of the Montenegro national team that played its first game in March 2007 and has earned 30 caps with 12 goals.
#36 MF Bruno Zuculini - Zuculini entered Manchester City’s radar after playing 98 games and scoring 10 goals in five seasons at Argentinian club Racing. The 21-year-old, who has represented Argentina at the Under-20 level, agreed to join City in February before finishing the 2013-14 season with Racing. He completed his £1.5 million transfer this summer.
#38 DEF Aleksandar Kolarov - Kolarov has played 136 matches for Manchester City since signing from Italian club Lazio in 2010. He became a regular starter at left back last year, setting a career-high with 44 appearances in all competitions. A free kick specialist, Kolarov has scored four goals each of the past three seasons. The 2011 Serbian Player of the Year has earned 49 caps was a key member in Serbia’s qualification for the 2008 Olympics, 2010 World Cup and Euro 2012. He signed a new three-year deal with City in June.
#48 GK Ian Lawlor - Lawlor is a member of Manchester City’s Elite Development Squad and has represented Ireland in Under-19 European Championship qualifying. The goalkeeper trained with the first team during its 2012-13 preseason tour of Austria.
#52 MF Emry Huws - Huws entered Manchester City’s youth system in 2009 and became captain of the club’s under-21 side during the 2011-12 season. He made his first team debut for the club in an FA Cup match in January before going on a successful loan to Birmingham City, where the midfielder scored two goals in 17 games and helped the Blues avoid relegation to English League One. He earned his first cap for the Wales senior team in March 2014, and has represented his country at the Under-17, Under-19 and Under-21 levels over the last four years.
#60 FWD John Guidetti - Guidetti signed for Manchester City as a 16-year-old in 2008 but has yet to make a Premier League appearance for the club. The 22-year-old striker enjoyed a productive loan spell at Dutch club Feyenoord in 2011-12, where he scored 20 goals in 23 games (including three separate hat-tricks) and helped the team qualify for the UEFA Champions League. He was tabbed to feature for Sweden at Euro 2012 but missed the tournament due to virus. He played for Sweden’s Under-17, Under-19 and Under-21 squads before debuting for the senior team in 2012.
#67 DEF Matthias Bossaerts - Bossaerts joined Manchester City in April 2012 from Anderlect, the same Belgian academy that produced City’s current captain Vincent Kompany. The 18-year-old captained the Elite Development Squad last season.
#68 DEF Matija Nastasic - Nastasic signed a five-year contract with Manchester City in summer 2012 after one standout season with Italian club Fiorentina. The 21-year-old centerback has made 50 appearances for City over the last two seasons and was named the club’s Young Player of the Season in May 2013. Nastasic made his senior team debut for Serbia in February 2012.
#71 DEF Jason Denayer - Following the 2013-14 season, Denayer was a Manchester City Elite Development Squad Player of the Year nominee. The 19-year-old Belgium youth international defender made 31 appearances in all competitions last season as City finished fourth in the Barclays u21 Premier League and reached the final of the Premier League Cup under Patrick Viera.
FWD Kelechi Iheanacho - Iheanacho signed a contract with Manchester City in January after leading Nigeria to the 2013 FIFA Under-17 World Cup title last November. He won the Golden Ball award for best player at the tournament and scored six goals in the competition, including four in a 6-1 win over Mexico in the group stage and Nigeria’s second in a 3-0 win over the same Mexican side in the Final.
