Celtic and Dundee to play Scottish Premier League match in Philadelphia?

Celtic could be coming back to Philadelphia, if reports from STV Sport are accurate. Dundee has had "preliminary discussions with the Scottish Professional Football League" regarding hosting a league-sanctioned match outside of Scotl for the first time ever. The article cites both Philadelphia and Boston as potential sites for the match. It's worth remembering that Celtic was here three times before - once in a friendly at PPL Park against the Philadelphia Union in 2010, once in the World Football Challenge in 2012 against Real Madrid at Lincoln Financial Field, and once back in 2004 against Manchester United at the Linc.

Thanks to twitter user @phillytim813 for telling us about the Celtic - Manchester United match.

The Linc would most likely be the venue if it's held in Philadelphia, as the 19,500 seat PPL Park would likely be too small a venue to host the teams (the match in 2012 drew just shy of 40,000). That being said, playing in a soccer specific stadium in front of what would certainly be a full house might have better television appeal than a half-empty match shoehorned into a football stadium. Should the match be hosted in Boston, the most likely venue would be Gillette Stadium (where the New England Revolution and New England Patriots play) or possibly at Fenway Park.

It's worth noting that MLS Commissioner Don Garber has spoken out as recently as this past week against foreign league matches being played on U.S. soil. In an interview with BBC Sport on November 19, Garber said that these matches "really would cross the line of going into a market and potentially threatening the first division." While Garber was talking more in the context of England's Premier League, it's not a stretch to assume he would take issue with any foreign first division teams looking to play a league match here, be it England, Mexico, or Scotland. That being said, money talks - and it may just be a matter of splitting television revenues or gate receipts that warms Garber up to the idea.