US Tour blog: Merriness, mums and Man Utd

As far as opening matches of US Tours go, everyone connected with the club seemed pretty pleased with how things went against Bournemouth.

In the tunnel area post-match, smiles were all on show. Karl Hein was happy being the penalty hero. Fabio Vieira expressed his joy at netting such a sweet strike. Mikel Arteta was like a proud father after seeing his youngsters beaming with pride at representing our first team - albeit not as much as Josh Nichols’ mother, whose reaction went viral on social media and she became the star of the show in Tinseltown.

Everyone seemingly got some satisfaction one way or another, and that meant the squad could enjoy their deserved day away from training on Thursday. Their ranks have been bolstered by the arrivals of Gabriel Martinelli, Kai Havertz and Gabriel who got into LA in the evening, ready to catch up with teammates on and off the pitch and elevate our pre-season plans to the next level.

As just like in the cut and thrust of Premier League life, attentions have swiftly switched to our next opponents, and a huge occasion. Games against Manchester United stir any Gooner’s soul, and having enjoyed a pair of memorable victories against them last season, our US-based supporters will be desperate to witness one of their own.

Dignity Health Sports Park was a fun ground to visit - a lot different to your traditional English stadiums with its grass bank at one end, food and drink outlets overlooking the pitch and the sun beaming down into the roofless stands. But having never been to SoFi Stadium, I cannot wait to be a tiny speck inside a gargantuan cathedral of sport - the newest entry onto any supporters’ bucket list.

We’re lucky to have it as our home away from home, and just like against Barcelona last season, we’ll be hoping our time in LA has a fairytale ending in the home of Hollywood.

Pre-season is all about working your way through the gears, and that’s how this tour feels too. Our next game is against bigger rivals, in a bigger venue amidst a bigger noise - now that’s something to smile about.

Tour teaser

In the last blog, we asked you to name the four American players to have played for us during our four American tours. The answers are Gedion Zelalem, Matt Turner, Auston Trusty and Folarin Balogun.

This time, we want to know if you can recall the five players who have played for both us and Manchester United in the Premier League era? Check out tomorrow’s blog for the answer!