Aston Villa to face 3 MLS teams in exhibitions

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) -- English Premier League side Aston Villa will visit Major League Soccer clubs in Philadelphia, Chicago and Portland, Ore., for exhibition games in preparation for the 2012-13 season.

Aston Villa, based in Birmingham, has won 19 domestic championships since it was founded in 1874, including seven first-division championships, seven FA Cup titles and three European trophies.

The team will visit the Union on July 18 at PPL Stadium, then head to Chicago to play the Fire on July 21 and conclude the trip on July 24 at Jeld-Wen Field for a game against the Timbers.

Villa played last summer in the Barclay Asia Trophy in Hong Kong.

"The competition will be good and the facilities top-class, so this will be great preparation when the time comes for the season ahead," Villa manager Alex McLeish said in a statement.

Villas has played in the United State three times previously, most recently in 2007 when they played in Columbus, Ohio. That trip included a match in Toronto.

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