Barcelona to visit Galaxy, Sounders on U.S. tour

Barcelona has announced plans to embark on its fifth preseason tour of the U.S. and will play three games on the West Coast as part of an agreement with Major League Soccer.

Barça will travel across the pond on July 29 and play its first game against David Beckham and the Los Angeles Galaxy on Aug. 1 at the Rose Bowl, where a huge crowd is expected. Beckham, who is currently on loan to AC Milan, is scheduled to return to the MLS club by then.

A trip to north to Seattle follows as Pep Guardiola's team is due to meet Seattle Sounders FC at Qwest Field on Aug. 5, while plans for a third game are currently in the works.

Barcelona penned a five-year alliance deal with MLS and its marketing arm last year that will see the team play a series of friendlies in America. In 2006, Barça played three times in the U.S. in front of crowds that averaged more than 80,000, while last summer it played twice when around 40,000 went to each game.

The Blaugrana are still keen to promote themselves in the U.S. despite seeing plans to enter a Miami-based MLS team collapse due to the recent credit crunch.

Barcelona is on track to win the Spanish league, and faces Manchester United for the Champions League title May 27.