SUNDERLAND will travel to the USA and Canada this summer for three pre-season friendlies, including one against Jermain Defoe’s former club Toronto.

They will be based near San Francisco for a week-long training camp, taking in two games in Northern California. The first is on July 14 against Sacramento Republic FC at Bonney Field stadium and three days later Sunderland will face Mexican Primera side Club de Fútbol Pachuca.

Sunderland complete their trip with a visit to Toronto to take on Canadian MLS side Toronto FC.

Sporting director Lee Congerton said: “The trip will afford us the opportunity to face quality opposition as we prepare for the season ahead. The facilities for training are great and the games step up over the tour in terms of intensity and this will help us build our fitness and sharpness levels, which is the main aim of pre-season.”

Sunderland AFC’s commercial director, Gary Hutchinson added: “There is a growing interest in football throughout North America. The Barclays Premier League in particular is increasing significantly in popularity, with every game shown live on TV throughout the season. This tour will afford us a fantastic opportunity to introduce Sunderland to an important overseas audience and connect with our existing supporter groups in the territory, which is a key growth area for our club.”

Fans wishing to attend the games will be able to purchase tickets online from the three clubs, further details of which will be confirmed shortly.

Supporters planning to attend the games can email safcontour@safc.com to receive information regarding the games.