Inside Leeds United’s US tour, Japan call, Brazil stress test and Under-21 contingent | OneFootball

Leeds United send a 65-strong party to the United States this week for a football-first pre-season with complex logistics. According to yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk, the workload is viewed as 10-fold greater than recent Germany camps.

Talks started in December, offers arrived in January. A Japan option, explored via Ao Tanaka’s national-team link and J1 opponents, was deemed too much of a stretch and not the right level.

Promoter TEG built a schedule anchored by Liverpool in Chicago and invited Leeds. The club chose Red Bull’s new New York facility, selected by Brazil as its World Cup base, as a single hub over Tampa.

A March recce covered hotels and training sites in New York, Tampa and Chicago. Travel will be commercial from Manchester to the US, then internal charters and a charter home from Chicago, with a Paris-based provider that Chris Domogalla has already tested.

Premier League status for 2026/27 kept Plan A intact. An advance party flew on Monday to prepare, including operations and security staff, a performance chef, a nutritionist and a physio, plus orders for ice towels in 35 degree Tampa and family photos in rooms.

Players will eat on arrival, do mobility work, then start with a Wednesday double session. Senior players get single rooms, around nine Under-21s will share due to late World Cup returnees, security draws on the 49ers’ Nickel Group alongside three Elland Road staff. The club is ready for in-tour signings, with medicals in the UK or at facilities in New York, Tampa or Chicago.

Source: yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk