Plenty of debuts in Manchester City’s preseason opener against Club América over in the United States, and that included their new away shirt. Luckily, we had a camera on hand to capture all the action for our ‘Framed’ series.
Premier League champions Manchester City returned to action with a 2-1 victory over Club América in the opening match of their pre-season tour of the United States. Although the man everyone wants to see in action, Erling Haaland, was not quite ready to make his debut, instead opting to watch on from the sidelines while rocking the much-hyped Travis Scott x Air Jordan 1 Low “Reverse Mocha” a day ahead of their official drop date, there were first appearances for Julian Alvarez, Stefan Ortega Moreno and Kalvin Phillips, all in City’s new away kit.
It was Kevin De Bruyne who put on a masterclass, showing that he's more than ready for the season to start. The Belgian tucked away a brace, opening the scoring with a trademark finish on the half hour mark, riding two challenges on a burst forward and curling a wonderful 18-yard effort into the far corner before ghosting in behind the opposition defence to collect Riyad Mahrez’s perfectly weighted through ball and firing underneath Oscar Jimenez on the stroke of half-time. There was a response in between those two strikes, with Club América drawing level when striker Henry Martin latched onto a lofted ball over the top and checked inside Nathan Ake before squeezing the ball between Ortega Moreno’s legs.
There was an interesting introduction for Kalvin Phillips, who came on at half time as a centre back – a sign of things to come? Solid performances from Grealish will also spark hope amongst the City faithful that he is ready to fulfil his potential this season.
All round, plenty to enjoy about this match, and that’s without Haaland even getting onto the pitch. Premier League beware: City look primed to defend their title.
Photography by Ashley Orellana for SoccerBible.
