Schalke to contest friendly in Philadelphia

In May 1963 the Royal Blues embarked on their first ever overseas tour. Now, some 49 years later, Schalke will finish off the season with a trip to the United States. The team will be in New York from 8 to 14 May, during which time they will take on Major League Soccer outfit Philadelphia Union. The game will kick off at 7.30 pm local time on Wednesday 9 May (1.30 am CET on Thursday 10 May). It will be the third time the Royal Blues have been to the US, having held a training camp in Miami during the winter break of the 1989/90 season under their then coach Peter Neururer. Philadelphia Union were founded in 2008 and joined the MLS two years later. They have played at PPL Park since 2010. The stadium is located on the waterfront along the Delaware River and has a capacity of 18,500. The meeting of the two clubs will see Schalke's director of sport Horst Heldt meet up with an old acquaintance in Philadelphia manager Peter Nowak, who played alongside Heldt in the midfield of 1860 Munich from 1995 to 1998. The Union's best-known player in Germany is likely to be midfielder Freddy Adu. Adu was at one time considered one of his country's biggest talents and signed his first professional contract when he was just 14 years old, making him the youngest ever player in the US. Nick Sakiewicz, Philadelphia Union CEO & Operating Partner said: "Over the last two years we have hosted top English, Mexican, Spanish and Scottish clubs to play the Union. Now it is only fitting that we bring one of Germany's top Bundesliga clubs to the Greater Philadelphia region for the first time for our fans to enjoy. Schalke 04 is a club with rich European history and we are honoured to welcome them and the German community."