STANFORD, Calif. – Stanford is heading to England later this week for a trip that includes culture and competition, three matches and stops in two cities.
The Cardinal will leave campus on Thursday, March 22 and return to Stanford on Sunday, April 1. The journey, which programs are able to take once every four years, will have Stanford traveling to London (March 23-27) and Manchester (March 27-April 1). Stanford last took a foreign tour to Costa Rica in 2012.
"A foreign tour is a special experience for everyone involved in the program," Knowles Family Director of Men's Soccer Jeremy Gunn said. "With a young group and many roles to fill this will be a perfect time for our players to mature and grow together as we mold the group that will lead us in 2018. The team will get to experience top-flight Premier League matches and compete against some of the brightest young prospects from English clubs. They will also have an opportunity to work with young boys in local communities and visit other world-class academic institutions."
The Cardinal will play against the U-19's from Manchester United Friday, March 30 and will have two other matches against the U-23 sides of Fulham (March 24) and Queens Park Rangers (March 27). Additionally, Stanford will attend the Charlton and Plymouth Argyle match on Saturday, March 24, a friendly between England and Italy at Wembley Stadium on Tuesday, March 27 and the Manchester United and Swansea City match at Old Trafford on Saturday, March 31.
Stanford cemented its dynasty in December when it beat Indiana 1-0 in the College Cup final to become just the second school to win three consecutive NCAA championships. The Cardinal, 52-7-10 during its three-year championship run, did not allow a goal throughout the entire tournament for the second straight year and upped its NCAA-record postseason shutout streak to 12 - a stretch of 1,214 minutes and 20 seconds.
Stanford will have a number of holes to fill next season, including replacing its six senior starters from 2017. Foster Langsdorf (Portland Timbers) and Corey Baird (Real Salt Lake) signed Homegrown deals, Tomas Hilliard-Arce was taken by the LA Galaxy with the second overall pick in the MLS SuperDraft, Nico Corti signed with Rio Grande Valley FC and Drew Skundrich, who was also taken by the Galaxy in the draft, recently signed with Bethlehem Steel FC.