Elite clubs strengthenin themselves in Pre-season!!

The elite clubs engaging in pre-season together to strengthen themselves.
The Birds of same feathers flock together!!!

The man in charge of the International Champions Cup says the competition represents a new approach to pre-season preparations by Europe's elite clubs.

Fifteen of the continent's biggest clubs are contesting the 2017 edition, which is broken down into separate competitions in three countries.

This year, eight teams - Manchester City, Manchester United, Tottenham, Real Madrid, Barcelona, Paris St-Germain, Juventus and Roma - will have played three games each at 11 venues in the United States.

"These clubs realise they are bigger together than they are separate," says Charlie Stillitano, chairman of Relevent Sports, which launched the competition in 2013.

Speaking to BBC Sport, Stillitano added: "It comes down to trust and years and years of working.

"Early on they did not want to play against big teams. They certainly did not want to play against their big rivals. Over time that has changed.

"The bigger and better you are, the more exposure you have."

Already this month the two Manchester clubs met in their first derby played outside England - and 67,000 supporters turned up to watch.

And just this week, 200,000 fans attended three International Champions Cup fixtures held on the same day, even though the USA national team was playing Jamaica in the Gold Cup final on the same night.

To cap it all off, there's the small matter of Real v Barcelona to come on Saturday - the first El Clasico to be played outside Spain in 25 years....

#Copied from http://www.bbc.com/sport/football/40753139