Premier League clubs' pre-season tours have reached something of an identity crisis.
Money-spinning friendlies in North America or the Far East offer a rare opportunity for some of a club's more far-flung fans to watch their favourite players.
But at the same time, with games often coming within a fortnight of the big Premier League kick-off, clubs need to be economical when it comes to interrupting first-teamers' training programmes.
Too few minutes and they won't be match-fit for the weekend of August 13; too few and they can risk injuries that keep them out of action when the opening game rolls around.
https://twitter.com/aarron_williams/status/629320341433806849
Arsenal have a balance to strike for their meeting with the MLS All Star XI in San Jose.
The opponents are in the middle of their domestic season and boast
big names such as Kaka and David Villa, while the Gunners are just setting up for the new campaign.
They've left out the likes of Olivier Giroud, Mesut Özil and Aaron Ramsey after their Euro 2016 exploits, while Alexis Sanchez won't be rushed back after winning the Copa America Centenario with Chile.
But they've found a way to ensure the fans in California get what they want. No, not new signings Granit Xhaka and Rob Holding (although they'll both be there too) - we're talking about American prodigy Gedion Zelalem.
https://twitter.com/Arsenal/status/757563253996265473
If we know anything about American fans, it's that they'll get hugely excited when one of their own breaks through at a European club.
It happened with
Christian Pulisic at Borussia Dortmund and Julian Green at Bayern Munich (okay, that one hasn't worked out so well yet), so it's no wonder Zelalem's presence has been met with fevered anticipation.
https://twitter.com/1CAvsfann/status/756612256142503936
https://twitter.com/Megachannel/status/756913323535245313
https://twitter.com/isaacisaginger/status/757564751778119680
https://twitter.com/ussoccerfeed/status/756577925839790080
The German born teenager might have only made two first-team appearances for the Gunners, but a good showing on July 28 is likely to increase calls for Jürgen Klinsmann to give the former Rangers loanee his full international debut.
Luckily, Arsenal fans aren't the type to invest too much into pre-season goings-on, right?
Right?
Want to win a free TV or iPad? Enter the draw to win one by taking part in this quick survey.
