Hello General,
Will Aston Villa be taking a preseason tour this summer? If so, when will it be announced?
You answered earlier questions about partnering with football (soccer) clubs at different levels in the USA, but you said the time is not right. Are you able to elaborate on why the time is not right? The midwest has tons of areas with strong football that are still untapped by MLS or even USL teams. The Cleveland, OH area produces some of the best soccer in the country, having the #1 high school team in the nation, the NCAA champion Akron Zips, and youth teams that regularly do well in national tournaments. Two of this years 10 MLS Generation Addidas signings came from Cleveland, three Clevelanders were first round draft picks. Given Aston Villa's obvious connections in Cleveland, it seems it would be relatively easy and inexpensive to begin a partnership with a youth club/team(s) in this area. The soccer talent in the US is mushrooming, perhaps even exploding. I think Aston Villa could really benefit from having a base in the US, wherever it is.