Even if you don’t actively follow the beautiful game, you’ve probably heard about F.C. Barcelona. Yeah, they’re really good. (Just watch the highlights of the 8-0 thumping they laid on poor Almeria in November to your right  – that should give you a pretty good idea of their quality.) You’ve also probably heard of Manchester United, who are also pretty good, although they might be known as much for being the most valuable sports entity on the planet as they are for their footballing legacy. It wouldn’t be a stretch to assert that Barcelona and Manchester United are the two most important soccer clubs in the world — so it’s with some excitement that we found out that the two will be playing a friendly here in Washington next summer.

The Associated Press reports that the two will square off on July 30 at an unnamed venue in Washington (one assumes FedEx Field will be the preferred location), as part of Barcelona’s preseason tour of the United States, which will also hit Miami and Dallas. It’ll be the third time in three years that Barca has toured the U.S., but the first time they’ll play in Washington since a 2003 game against A.C. Milan at RFK Stadium. Now, before you get too excited, remember that these matches usually feature a heavy dose of the B-team; we were pleased when we got 45 minutes out of Real Madrid’s big names when they played against D.C. United on an oppressively hot summer day in 2009.

But still: Lionel Messi and Wayne Rooney, putting their skills on display against one another right up the road? Now that’s one tasty prospect for us soccer fanatics.