Norwich City will step up their Premier League preparations after arriving in the United States on Monday – and despite being more than 5,000 miles from home, they can expect plenty watching their progress.

Chris Hughton's senior squad will play their first three friendlies of the summer on the USA's west coast, facing Club Dorados de Sinaloa on Thursday, San Jose Earthquakes on Saturday and Portland Timbers the following Wednesday.

The States has seen a major upgrade in Premier League coverage in recent years, and next season it will be NBC offering every top-flight match live. New York's Times Square has even been adorned by a huge Gareth Bale poster to advertise the channel's big plans.

And clearly City's arrival in the US will help win them a few more global admirers. Indeed, last season Fox Sports replayed Chelsea's clash with Manchester United – and it got higher ratings than any regular season basketball or hockey game that year.

'It's weird – it's almost as if the Premier League is becoming the third biggest league over here,' said New York Canaries' James Copland, who along with his family will be trekking another 2,500 miles west to catch Norwich in action. 'We've got about 50 supporters' clubs here in New York now and as the games are more frequently covered, there are lots more American fans attaching themselves to the groups.

'We're going to have a lot of Norwich fans travelling from across the country, from New Mexico, Minnesota and all over the place. So we're arranging a few meet-ups.'

While City's US friendlies will not be televised for fans back in the UK, the club hopes to host match highlights on their website.