VIEWS FROM THE PRESSBOX
A Manchester United side containing five teenagers began their three-game
United States tour with a creditable penalty shoot-out defeat against Bayern
Munich in Chicago yesterday. A combination of injuries and unavailability has left Sir Alex Ferguson with a depleted squad and the first half here, which produced only one shot on goal, left some in the near-capacity 58,121 crowd wondering what the fuss was about.
The enthusiasm of the supporters wearing the red of Manchester and Munich
was further diminished in the second half, with some fans booing the absence of goals.
was further diminished in the second half, with some fans booing the absence of goals.
Yet, given that Roy Keane was the only player in the United starting line-up to
have played more than 35 games for the club, Ferguson will be satisfied with the display. His 33-year-old captain encouraged and directed his younger colleagues from his position in the centre of United's defence against a Bayern side featuring eight internationals.
have played more than 35 games for the club, Ferguson will be satisfied with the display. His 33-year-old captain encouraged and directed his younger colleagues from his position in the centre of United's defence against a Bayern side featuring eight internationals.
United awarded debuts to three players: the striker Alan Smith and young
defenders Jonathan Spector and Paul McShane. Without the likes of Cristiano
Ronaldo and Ruud van Nistelrooy, who have both been given time off after Euro 2004, it was Spector's name which received the loudest cheer before the game.
defenders Jonathan Spector and Paul McShane. Without the likes of Cristiano
Ronaldo and Ruud van Nistelrooy, who have both been given time off after Euro 2004, it was Spector's name which received the loudest cheer before the game.
The Times
Manchester United's first match in the ChampionsWorld Series last night was
watched by members of the Glazer family, who are contemplating a bid to take
over the club, and it is certain that they were more impressed by what they saw off the pitch than on it.
There were some jeers at the final whistle, after a goalless draw between a
makeshift United team and Bayern Munich that tested the patience of even the
most hardened American soccer enthusiast, but the sight of a near-capacity
crowd at the 63,000-seat Soldier Field stadium cannot have failed to make an
impression on the Glazers.
It is a confidence in United's ability to flourish in the US market that has led
Malcolm Glazer, owner of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers American football team, to buy a 19.17 per cent stake in the club and his two sons, Joel and Bryan, will have been impressed by the size of the crowd as they sat alongside David Gill,
United's chief executive.
watched by members of the Glazer family, who are contemplating a bid to take
over the club, and it is certain that they were more impressed by what they saw off the pitch than on it.
There were some jeers at the final whistle, after a goalless draw between a
makeshift United team and Bayern Munich that tested the patience of even the
most hardened American soccer enthusiast, but the sight of a near-capacity
crowd at the 63,000-seat Soldier Field stadium cannot have failed to make an
impression on the Glazers.
It is a confidence in United's ability to flourish in the US market that has led
Malcolm Glazer, owner of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers American football team, to buy a 19.17 per cent stake in the club and his two sons, Joel and Bryan, will have been impressed by the size of the crowd as they sat alongside David Gill,
United's chief executive.
Those who had paid up to $100 (about £54) for their tickets would have been
forgiven for feeling somewhat cheated, given the absence of players such as
Paul Scholes, Cristiano Ronaldo and Ruud van Nistelrooy, all awarded an
extended break after their exertions in the European Championship finals.
Only at the final whistle, though, before a penalty shoot-out in which Smith and
John O'Shea both saw weak efforts saved by Oliver Kahn, did the admirable
support of the locals briefly and quite understandably give way to frustration.
Smith, a £7 million recruit from Leeds United, could not even be said to have fed on scraps during a match in which teams struggled in the afternoon sun. Apart from a deflected effort in the second minute, the forward did not get a sight of goal, with most of the action taking place at the other end.
A penalty shoot-out brought the chance for him to make an early impression on the United supporters, but after he and O'Shea were thwarted, Roque Santa
Cruz, the Paraguay forward, secured victory for Bayern.
Cruz, the Paraguay forward, secured victory for Bayern.
The Independent
Sir Alex Ferguson looked to the future by ushering half-a-dozen youngsters on to a big stage - a crowd of 58,121 was in attendance - and using Roy Keane at the back in a 3-5-2 formation in last night's draw against a considerably stronger Bayern Munich side, who then won on penalties.
Keane looked assured in a position he may come to occupy more and more in
his final years at the club. He was the only "name" player in the starting XI at
Soldier Field apart from Alan Smith, playing his first game since leaving Leeds
United. Smith, at home in the all-white strip United used, had a quiet match,
though he was not alone. The afternoon was not quite as fiercely hot as Seattle
for Chelsea's Saturday game, but this one was played at a much more leisurely
pace, with few incidents to detain the American statisticians until the shoot-out
his final years at the club. He was the only "name" player in the starting XI at
Soldier Field apart from Alan Smith, playing his first game since leaving Leeds
United. Smith, at home in the all-white strip United used, had a quiet match,
though he was not alone. The afternoon was not quite as fiercely hot as Seattle
for Chelsea's Saturday game, but this one was played at a much more leisurely
pace, with few incidents to detain the American statisticians until the shoot-out
By half-time there had been only one effort on target, which Bojan Djordic hit at Oliver Kahn in the Bayern goal. The goalkeeper had little else to do later except hold on to a header by Paul McShane, a young Irishman playing alongside his
countryman Keane at the back. In the absence of a crop of attacking players -
Ruud van Nistelrooy, Louis Saha, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, Cristiano Ronaldo,
Diego Forlan and Paul Scholes among them - Smith and David Bellion played
the whole game, without troubling Kahn. But to Ferguson's satisfaction, the
defence stood up well, and Keane's performance will have convinced both men
of the validity of playing him there when required.
In contrast to United, the Germans fielded a first-choice selection for the first half, including Owen Hargreaves as the holding midfield player, before making seven substitutions at the interval. A corner headed over the bar by Sammy Kuffour was their only threat for an hour, until Torsten Frings brought a good save from Roy Carroll.
Manchester United: Carroll; Bardsley, Keane, McShane, Spector; Eagles
(O'Shea 68), Djemba Djemba, Richardson (Chadwick 81), Djordic (Jones 68);
Bellion, Smith.
Booking: Eagles.
Bayern Munich: Kahn; Gorlitz, Kuffour, Rau (Trochowski 45), Linke (Santa Cruz
45); Ballack, Hargreaves (Frings 45), Salihamidzic (Scholl 45), Ze Roberto
(Demichelis 45), Deisler (Kovac 45); Makaay (Hafhemian 45).