Columbus Crew to Face Wigan Athletic in July Friendly

Championship side Wigan Athletic announced that they will be coming to the U.S. on a preseason tour, including a trip to face the Crew on July 13th at Crew Stadium. Wigan won the F.A. Cup this year, but were also relegated from the English Premier League.

The Crew had been trying to set a high profile friendly with a major international team in Cleveland, Indianapolis, or Cincinnati, but those plans fell through, leaving Columbus to face the "unfashionable" Wigan.

Without any notable stars and facing stiff competition from the likes of Manchester United, Manchester City, Liverpool, and Everton in North West England, Wigan averaged less than 20,000 people per game. The biggest name on the team for American fans is former Buckeye and Sporting Kansas City midfielder Roger Espinoza.

The Crew haven't confirmed the friendly, but it seems likely that the two will face off next month during Wigan's summer tour.

Editors Note: For Wigan fans, I apologize, I know where Wigan is, but reversed my East and West's. Sad, I know. The unfashionable comment was also more of an inside joke for Crew fans from a long ago comment from an English manager about Columbus being "An altogether unfashionable part of the United States".