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I've never seen Arsenal play in person. I'm American, I'm 26, I've lived in Indiana my whole life and I'm (up to this point in my life) way too poor to be able to go to London or somewhere else in England or Wales for a game. I know that I'm not alone in this - there are tons of Arsenal fans worldwide who can't afford to go see the team in person, including many who live in London.
But as I've seen other teams come to the United States for summer friendlies, including places like Chicago and St. Louis that I could easily reach by car, or even the Chelsea vs. Inter Milan game that was played in Indianapolis in August, I've gotten increasingly jealous.
Well, it looks like there's a chance that could all change this summer. Arseblog News is reporting that with the World Cup this summer, Arsenal will be playing in only two friendlies this coming offseason, in the few weeks between the Cup final and the Emirates Cup in early August. And the "rumor" is that they could both be played on the east coast of the United States. Since the travel wouldn't be as tough for players like Mesut Ozil and Santi Cazorla who are likely to be in Brazil for the World Cup, it might be feasible.
Simple logic would say that New York City is a likely possibility - it's the country's biggest city, there are plenty of Arsenal fans in the city and a major supporters' group, and Thierry Henry plays there. A game at MetLife Stadium or one of New York's baseball stadia wouldn't be out of the question, and Red Bull Arena would be a possible option as well. Other than that, I have no idea. Boston? Maybe - if Liverpool came here again this year, an Arsenal-Liverpool friendly at Fenway Park could be pretty amazing. Philadelphia has a good soccer fanbase as well, and multiple stadia capable of holding a game like this.
I'm fairly certain that Arsenal won't be coming to Indianapolis, but if they should make it to American shores at all, it would make my summer. It's far from certain, but it would be pretty great if it happened. It's a lot easier for most of us here to get to New York than London, after all.
