RSL will host Manchester United in summer friendly on July 17

It’s apparently official. Real Salt Lake will face English giants Manchester United FC in a friendly this summer, according to a report from ESPNFC.

The club confirmed that in a press conference today. The match will take place on July 17.

That announcement came just before a press conference likely announcing that very thing today — although the timing of the announcement certainly provoked plenty of curiosity as we all wondered exactly what it was about.

Real Salt Lake has arguably only once faced a team quite of Manchester United’s caliber in exhibition play — that was when they brought Real Madrid to Rice Eccles Stadium in 2006. The closest in magnitude in recent history was certainly Inter Milan last summer. It also marks the third year in four featuring a summer friendly for RSL, with 2014 seeing the club face Xolos de Tijuana as well.

Earlier in its history — before the vaunted “Trophies not friendlies” period — Real Salt Lake hosted Real Madrid, Everton FC and Boca Juniors.

We’ll update this story with the latest from the press conference taking place shortly.