From L.A. News:
Manchester United, the world's most famous soccer team, slipped into Los Angeles with little notice Saturday, unless you were one of the about 4,000 lucky enough to obtain a VIP ticket to attend the team's practice at the Coliseum.
Whether the Red Devils, as they are affectionately known, generate more attention today is debatable when they play Club America of Mexico at 4 p.m. at the Coliseum.
About 55,000 tickets have been sold, and unless there is a big walk-up sale today, the crowd will fall short of the 67,000 who attended United's 4-0 victory over Scottish club Celtic in Seattle on Tuesday.
It might be hard to believe in England, or Europe or anywhere in the Far East, that Manchester United is not a guaranteed sellout, but today's game is missing some luster for the casual fan, namely the absence of soccer star David Beckham, arguably the most famous athlete in the world.
United sold Beckham to Spanish club Real Madrid this summer, taking some of the sizzle out of its U.S. tour.
Beckham's still a sore subject for Sir Alex Ferguson, the prickly United coach. Asked in Seattle whether he had any words for disappointed soccer fans who had hoped to see Beckham, Ferguson said, "No words at all."
"It is clear from his response to that question in Seattle earlier this week that just a mention of (Beckham's) name is still enough to send his blood pressure rocketing through the roof," wrote Paul Hince in the Manchester Evening News.
Ferguson was cheerier Saturday, perhaps because no one asked about Beckham.
Instead, he raved about spending the week training at Nike headquarters in Beaverton, Ore.
"That's been real first-class, and I couldn't be happier with the camp," Ferguson said. "From that point of view, it's been great coming to the States. So far, everything is going well for us."
That could change this afternoon if Beckham's name comes up after the match.
After playing Celtic, Ferguson didn't even pretend to be as well-acquainted with Club America, which features former Galaxy striker Luis Hernandez.
"We don't know a lot about the Mexican side," he said. "But I think it will be quite competitive."
For the soccer die-hards who attend today's game, there are still plenty of stars to help make up for Beckham's departure. Striker Ruud van Nistelrooy, midfielders Juan Veron, Roy Keane and Ryan Giggs along with defender Rio Ferdinand were among the big names who practiced Saturday. Whether Ferguson plays all of them remains to be seen.
"I'm going to make some changes (from Tuesday)," he said.
Two of Manchester United's stalwarts, forward Paul Scholes and defender Gary Neville, will not play today to nurse strained muscles. American goalkeeper Tim Howard, a new addition from Major League Soccer's New York/New Jersey MetroStars, will not make his debut until Thursday's game against Italy's Juventus in New Jersey, Ferguson said.