THE nearest most football teams get to New York is a trip to Rotherham United's New York Stadium - but David Moyes has ensured his players get a close-up view of the 'Big Apple' with a Stateside mini-break.
And while Sunderland's players will not be leaving England until after their weekend game with Southampton, Aitor Karanka is set to take his Middlesbrough players to Spain tomorrow.
Boro's squad are set to fly to Spain for a four-day training break that will see them complete their preparations for Saturday's crucial Premier League home game with Everton at a warm-weather base on the outskirts of Benidorm.
Boro boss Aitor Karanka
It is the third season in a row that Karanka has taken his players to Spain for a mid-season break, with Boro having travelled to the Marbella Football Centre last February, having used the same venue in the build-up to the play-off semi-final with Brentford the previous May.
They are heading to a different base this time around, with Karanka no doubt hoping that a change in environment will lead to an upturn in results.
Boro have not recorded a Premier League win since December 17, with Saturday's 1-0 defeat at Spurs having dropped them to within a point of the relegation zone.
Moyes has arranged for his Sunderland squad to fly to New York after they have hosted Southampton at the Stadium of Light this Saturday.
With no game for 14 days because of their exit from the FA Cup, the Black Cats' squad will fly to the United States for a four-day break aimed at recharging their batteries ahead of the final two-and-a-half months of the season.
The bright lights of New York
Moyes is understood to have arranged a packed itinerary that will include trips to NBA basketball and NHL ice hockey matches.
Sunderland's players will also take part in some fitness training sessions during their time in the US.
It has become relatively common for Premier League clubs who are not in the FA Cup to use fifth-round weekend to get out of the country.
Previous Sunderland sides have travelled to Dubai, but Moyes took his Everton side to New York and regards the popular US tourist spot as an ideal base for developing team spirit.
The Black Cats boss watched his side produce their best performance of the season last weekend, with their 4-0 win at Crystal Palace lifting them to within two points of safety with 14 games of the season still to play.
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