Philadelphia Union will host English Premier League club Everton in an international friendly in July. The second-year MLS club will take on the Toffees on Wednesday July 20 at PPL Park and one Everton player in particular is excited about the match.
"Philadelphia Union is a fantastic club and I'm really looking forward to playing against them," said Everton goalkeeper Tim Howard.
"Nick Sakiewicz brought me through the ranks when I was younger, I'm friends with members of their coaching staff, and one of my best friends, Danny Califf, plays for them. It's a club whose results I always look out for and hope they do well.
"It will be a tough game for us. They're going to be in the mold of their manager, Peter Nowak. He's a tough, hard-nosed former Polish international who doesn't back down!
"I know for a fact from being very close to him that he expects nothing less from his team as well."
The likes of USA number one Howard, Australian international Tim Cahill, Spanish playmaker Mikel Arteta, French striker Louis Saha, captain Phil Neville, England internationals Phil Jagielka and Leighton Baines and Holland's World Cup runner-up John Heitinga are likely to be part of David Moyes' squad to travel Stateside.
The match is Everton's first of a two-game pre-season tour of the USA ahead of their meeting with DC United in Washington three days later.