James Collins' development side will head stateside on 18th July ahead of the nine-day tournament, which will see the under-21s face two clubs from MLS NEXT Pro as well as Chelsea’s under-21s, as preparations for their first season back in Premier League 2 Division 1 ramp up.
Taking place at Real Salt Lake’s Rio Tinto Stadium and Real Monarchs’ Zions Bank Stadium, the inaugural edition of the competition will see Wolves and Chelsea face two of MLS NEXT Pro’s Real Monarchs, Colorado Rapids 2 and Toronto FC, as well as each other in a battle of the PL2 sides.
“At Wolves, we’re all about providing our players with great experiences,” said Jon Hunter-Barrett, Wolves’ academy manager for football. “We’ve spoken recently about all the international trips and tournaments that our academy players are taking part in this summer, as we want to provide experiences to players at all ages of the programme.
“This competition in Salt Lake City will be another of great added value to our under-21s, especially around pre-season when we’re trying to establish and build relationships between players ahead of the Premier League 2 campaign.
“Next season, with the step up to Division 1, the players will be playing stronger teams, so it’s important that preparation on and off the pitch for all the boys is going to be elite because we ultimately want them to be consistent so they can compete against those teams at that level.”
Ali Curtis, SVP of competition and operations at MLS NEXT Pro, said: “International competition is a priority for our league. There are a lot of benefits, both on and off the field, that we are excited about.
“This year is the start to a competition that we hope to grow in the years ahead. We look forward to welcoming Chelsea and Wolves to the US and we appreciate the opportunity to collaborate with Premier League 2.”
The full schedule for the inaugural MLS NEXT Pro Invitational is as follows:
- Tuesday 19th July | Real Monarchs vs Chelsea | Rio Tinto Stadium | 7.30pm (2.30am BST)
- Thursday 21st July | Chelsea vs Wolves | Zions Bank Stadium | 8.15pm (3.15am BST)
- Saturday 23rd July | Real Monarchs vs Wolves | Zions Bank Stadium | 6.30pm (1.30am BST)
- Saturday 23rd July | Toronto FC II vs Chelsea | Zions Bank Stadium | 8.45pm (3.45am BST)
- Wednesday 27th July | Colorado Rapids 2 vs Wolves | Zions Bank Stadium | 8pm (3am BST)
The league with the most total points accumulated in head-to-head competition will be crowned Invitational champion.
“The Summer of Soccer in Utah continues with this unique, unprecedented event,” Real Salt Lake president John Kimball added. “First it was our Liga MX exhibition last month, then we hosted the US Women’s National Team last week.
“Now our expert staff have the opportunity to show off our exquisite facilities to entities and individuals from the US, Canada and England for the first-ever MLS NEXT Pro Invitational, and we could not be prouder to provide this opportunity for our fans, as well as the participant leagues and clubs.”
Supporters across the globe will be able to watch the four matches involving MLS NEXT Pro vs PL2 clubs live on mlsnextpro.com. For fans interested in attending the matches, tickets are currently available for purchase online through RSL.com/tickets.
