Man City are among the clubs to have played a key role in the explosion of football’s popularity in the United States, Football Insider has been told.
The US will co-host the 2026 World Cup alongside Canada and Mexico, and the MLS is among the game’s fastest-growing leagues.
City spent pre-season ahead of 2022-23 in America, playing friendlies against Club America and Bayern Munich in Houston and Green Bay respectively.
It was the seventh time the club has visited the States since they were catapulted to global attention by their Abu Dhabi-backed takeover in 2008.
City’s parent company, City Football Group, also has an outpost across the pond in the form of 2021 MLS champions New York City.
Chris Canetti, president of Houston’s successful 2026 World Cup bid, believes City’s visits to Houston in 2017 and 2022 were instrumental in FIFA’s decision to grant them host status.
“We’ve had many major other major soccer matches,” he told Football Insider.
“Real Madrid and Bayern Munich have been here, as well as Man City in 2017 and last year. Having those matches here during the last two decades was helpful to our bid.
“It illustrated to Fifa that Houston is a football city. It was great to see City play Club America. It was a unique match-up, and it was amazing to see the enthusiasm for it.
Cannetti has previously worked as president of MLS side Houston Dynamo and assistant general manager of New York Red Bulls, rivals of City Football Group’s New York City.
“I think it’s key to have global players on the football stage like City Football Group. They own clubs throughout the world. It brings credibility to what is happening in the MLS and draws worldwide interest.
“Some fans from Europe might not be paying attention otherwise but now have their eyes on what is going on here. The league is not just a small domestic league anymore. The MLS wants to be in the top five or 10 leagues in the world.
“The growth has been monumental, and there is no doubt the World Cup will enhance that. We’re prepared to host thousands and thousands of fans.
Cannetti has previously confirmed that Houston is likely to spend up to £67million to host World Cup matches, but he believes the investment will be returned with interest – financially and in terms of social value.
“We’re very focused on legacy. We want the power of the event to make Houston a better place in the long term. We’re all about growing the game. Also, social and environmental impact. We have subcommittees thinking through these areas.
“We’ve run think tanks with local stakeholders and created a very specific legacy of creating a soccer club for the underserved, inner-city youth in Houston. That can provide social value for thousands.
The Premier League are keen to introduce a new pre-season tournament in the US next summer, while Uefa also have plans to take an expanded Super Cup competition to the country in the coming years.
Canetti is confident that Houston is well placed to host elite sides like City during blue-chip football events both after and in the lead-up to the World Cup.
“The Copa America is coming here in 2024. It was here in 2016 and was extremely successful. Houston had the third-best attendance of all the cities that hosted.
“There used to be the International Champions Cup, with big clubs from England, Spain etc. I’m not sure if that will come back, but I assume so. This is a place where people can make a lot of money from putting on marquee football matches.“
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Man City can end annoying habit against Nottingham Forest
Manchester City head to Nottingham Forest looking to build on their midweek win over Arsenal in the Premier League
Man City lost at Spurs again this month
Don’t play the occasion
Nottingham Forest are much more dangerous at home, where they have a very good record. But they are still a side that are expected to be in a relegation dogfight up to the final weeks of the season.
What has been particularly galling in recent Manchester City defeats has been how the team have bucked the trend of the opposition side they have lost to. Southampton had a wretched record under Nathan Jones aside from their remarkable Carabao Cup quarter-final win over the Blues, while Spurs went and conceded four at Leicester the week after beating them.
City have won their last nine matches against newly-promoted sides – including a 6-0 hammering of Forest in the return fixture – and must be winning games like this if they want to win the league.
Arsenal pressure
The pressure is now on Arsenal following City’s surge, and with both sides level on points every weekend will have the feel of a shootout. Arsenal go to Unai Emery’s Aston Villa in the lunchtime kick-off and City will be well aware of the result before they start at Forest.
An Arsenal win would reinforce Guardiola’s message of the need to treat their rivals as serious contenders for the title, but more dropped points would give City further incentive to continue their recent form.
Champions League returns
City fly to Germany on Tuesday as the Champions League returns with a last-16 game at the in-form Leipzig. The Blues will once again be expected to go deep in the competition, so Guardiola will once again have to juggle his selections.
It will be interesting to see how strong he goes at Forest with Leipzig in mind.
Haaland link-up
Haaland scored a hat-trick inside 40 minutes when Forest came to the Etihad, and looks back to his best. When he is in this kind of form goals are expected, but he has also been contributing more to the team lately as well as he has been getting better service.
As much as he remains the likeliest source of goals, the Norwegian now has four assists to his name after his more recent against Villa. Forest will know about his goal threat, but his team play may take them by surprise.
Guardiola clarified his Bernardo Silva comments on Friday, insisting that he would absolutely play the Portugal international at left-back again after recent experiments against Villa and Arsenal. Nathan Ake, Rico Lewis and Aymeric Laporte could all start there but using Bernardo has given City a real impetus in the last few matches.
Bernardo finds it tough being asked to add another thing to his game, but it has been very effective for the team.
Source: footballinsider247.com; manchestereveningnews.co.uk
