SUNDERLAND have announced a pre-season tour of the United States that will take place in July.

The Black Cats’ first-team squad will head to the US for the first time since 2015 as part of their preparations for the 2023-24 season.

Tony Mowbray’s side will play three Stateside matches as part of their tour, with the first seeing them line up against San Antonio FC on Saturday, July 15.

The game will take place at Toyota Field, which is the home stadium of San Antonio, who play in the USL Championship, which is the United States’ second tier.

After playing their opening match in Texas, Sunderland will head to Albuquerque, in New Mexico, to take on New Mexico United at Isotopes Park on Wednesday, July 19. Like San Antonio, New Mexico United also play their league football in the USL Championship.

The Black Cats will complete their US tour with a third game in North Carolina’s WakeMed Park on Friday, July 21, with the opposition for that match to be confirmed at a later date.

A number of supporter engagement sessions will also be scheduled as part of the US tour, with fans able to attend training sessions and meet members of the first-team squad.

“We are really excited to be taking the team back to the US in the summer of 2023,” said Sunderland sporting director Kristjaan Speakman. “It’s been a complex planning process over the past 12 months, as we wanted to ensure we combined a first-class training programme with an opportunity to engage with our overseas fanbase.

“We hope the multi-city approach will allow plenty of supporters to engage with the team and by announcing our plans well in advance, we also hope to see some familiar faces make the trip from the UK.”

Ticketing information for the matches in the US will be released in due course.