Report: Red Bulls To Face Olympique Lyonnais In Summer Friendly

Looks like RBNY to host Olympique Lyon in a friendly at RBA on July 16.

— JackBell (@JackBell) June 5, 2013

As MLS teams are wont to do, the Red Bulls were set to have another summer friendly against a big name European team. Last year it was Tottenham Hotspur. The year before, well, Thierry Henry & Co. walked out of Emirates Stadium with the prestige-laden, tradition-covered Emirates Cup.

Lyon's trip to Red Bull Arena will be their second. Last year, they won the Trophee des Champions in front of 15,000-ish fans against Montpellier. It'll also be a chance for Juninho to line up against his former squad.

It's an interesting move. Lyon, and Ligue 1 in general, isn't a big draw over here and friendlies are usually attempts to get fans into Red Bull Arena who normally are "too good" for MLS or are physically incapable of taking a 20 minute train into New Jersey. Tottenham was a pretty good pick in that regard. The EPL is popular and Tottenham is a pretty well-supported team. Even a pick for Serie A would be more alluring than Lyon, but here we are.

The friendly also happens to be the same day as the US-Costa Rica Gold Cup game in Hartford...