Chelsea, Newcastle headline Premier League's US pre-season tournament

Chelsea and Newcastle will be the main attractions among six Premier League clubs set to take part in a pre-season tournament in the United States later this year.

Alongside Chelsea and Newcastle, the inaugural Premier League Summer Series also features Aston Villa, Brentford, Brighton and Fulham.

The tournament will comprise nine matches to be played in five East Coast cities between July 22 and July 30.

"We are delighted to be bringing six clubs to the USA in July for the first-ever Premier League Summer Series tournament," Premier League chief executive Richard Masters said on Tuesday.

"Our clubs have incredible supporters in the US, who passionately follow their teams throughout the season."

"We have seen this dedication first hand from the tens of thousands who have attended our Mornings Live fan events and are excited to be building on this by bringing live Premier League action to five cities this summer."

The tournament will kick off with Chelsea against Brighton at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia on July 22.

Fulham will face Brentford before Newcastle and Aston Villa go head to head at the same venue the following day.

The Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Orlando's Exploria Stadium, Red Bull Arena in Harrison, New Jersey and FedEx Field in Landover, Maryland will also host games.

The Premier League has previously hosted pre-season matches abroad in its Asia Trophy competition, with nine editions having taken place in China, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand since 2003.

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