Bayern Munich midfielder Xabi Alonso told ESPN FC he is looking forward to participating in the International Champions Cup and helping soccer to continue developing in the United States.
Alonso, 34, will travel with the German champions to face AC Milan in Chicago; Inter Milan in Charlotte, North Carolina; and his former side Real Madrid in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
The former Spain international is used to preseason games in the U.S. and likes the idea of opening up football to a new audience.
"I've been in the States for so many years playing with Real Madrid," he said in an interview with Rafa Honigstein. "It's going to be the first time with Bayern and we are playing against big teams, Milan, Inter, Real Madrid in big cities.
"That's what you want. To bring football, soccer, closer to the American fans because it will be great news if it's bigger and bigger in the States. And it's always good to be in great cities, Chicago, Charlotte and New York. For me it's a very nice tour we will do."
However, Alonso played down the importance of the games and how much can be read into the results and performances.
He said: "Not really that much because they are preparation games and many times you are training a lot, so it's not an official game where you are fully focused getting ready for the game.
"In these friendly games, you expect to try new things, you expect many changes, young players coming through to get some minutes. It's a good test, but the analysis can't be very serious."
Alonso also likes the idea of exploring American cities in downtime away from training or playing matches.
"It depends on the tour," he said. "I don't know how it will be this year. But if we have some time in Chicago or New York, for sure, it's one of those cities that you can enjoy."