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Everton fans who reside in the United States have been waiting since 2013 for the Toffees to cross the pond and visit America as part of their preseason warmup.
Well the wait is over.
Everton have announced that they will taking part in the Florida Cup from July 25th-28th.
Taking place in Orlando, the Florida Cup will consist of Everton, Arsenal, Inter Milan and Colombian side Millionarios.
The Blues will play Millionarios in the ‘semi-finals’ with the winner of that clash taking on the winner of the Arsenal vs Inter Milan battle. Both matches will take place on Sunday July 25th, with the winners meeting for the Florida Cup title (and the losers playing for 3rd place) on Wednesday July 28th.
Stateside Toffee fans will get a first-hand look at the squad under whoever is appointed as manager following Carlo Ancelotti’s sudden departure. The Blues are currently said to be considering a number of names to replace the veteran Italian, with Nuno Espirito Santo and a pair for former Blues David Moyes and Marco Silva said to be frontrunners.
Of course a win in the semi finals would see Everton match up with either fellow Premier League mid-table dwelling Arsenal in an early measure of how the team is coming together. Or, should Inter beat the Gunners, the Toffees may be lining up against their former star striker Romelu Lukaku. Of course the Belgian striker will be coming off the Euro 2021 championship and may be delayed, but with a new manager for Inter this year as well, he may need to embed himself early to get on track.
No matter what, American Toffees should be excited at the prospect of getting to see the team in person and to see for themselves how the team is doing under new leadership. Can the Blues impress and get the new regime off to a fast start?
The Club has clarified for UK-based fans not to book travel or accommodation until leisure travel to the United States is permitted due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Any official Club travel packages to the USA will also be subject to those government travel restrictions and more information will be communicated at a later date.
More information about the 2021 Florida Cup is on the website FloridaCup.com. Tickets for all games will go on sale tomorrow (Thursday, 3rd June) for US-based supporters, and can be purchased online here.