From the Eagles Website
Manchester United To Open Lincoln Financial Field
December 4, 2002
Manchester United, the world’s most popular soccer club, will bring its stars and its style to Philadelphia next summer to play in the inaugural event August 3 at Lincoln Financial Field.
The famed “Reds” will face a world-renowned opponent (who will be confirmed later) in a clash slated for 8 p.m. (ET).
The game will be one of a four-city, four-opponent tour, which will take Manchester United across the United States and which will be managed and staged by ChampionsWorld, the soccer event company based in New Jersey.
Charlie Stillitano, chairman and founder of ChampionsWorld, said: “Manchester United and our company are honored to be part of Lincoln Financial Field’s inauguration. The stadium is world class in all respects, and what better way to open it than to have a world-class soccer match that will carry the city’s and the stadium’s message and fame all around the world.”
Added Philadelphia Eagles president, Joe Banner, “It’s no secret that we very much look forward to opening Lincoln Financial Field next August. We certainly believe that it will be among the premier sports and entertainment venues in the nation, and to be able to, in our very first major event, host a team of the magnitude of Manchester United makes it that much more special.
"Obviously we feel that a soccer match between Manchester United, perhaps the most heralded of sports franchises in the world, and another international power will be great for soccer fans and, more importantly for the city of Philadelphia and really the entire region.”
Following the official announcement of the event, Philadelphia Charge player, Lorrie Fair, a member of the 1999 Womens U.S. World Cup Soccer Champions, said: "Talk about bringing in the best of the best. People here in the States might compare Manchester United to the Yankees or the 49ers of the 1980s, or even the North Carolina womens soccer dynasty, but their dominance, Man Utd's profile, is international.
"This is going to be awesome. The best from all over the world -- Europe, South America -.... it's just awesome."
Coached by the legendary Sir Alex Ferguson, Manchester United is one of the greatest teams in the history of soccer, having won 14 English championships and 10 Football Association Cups. It has also won the European Cup, the sport’s most prestigious club competition, on two occasions, most recently in 1999 when United completed a historic “treble” of the Premier League title, the FA Cup and the European Cup.
The Reds have won three of the last four Premiership titles in England and are currently fighting their way to the top of the table again. They are also in the second phase of this season’s UEFA Champions League.
Manchester United’s roster reads like a World Cup "who’s who" all by itself. The team boasts nine players who have played in one or both of the last two World Cups, including David Beckham, perhaps the most famous player in the world. Alongside the England captain, some of United’s other international superstars include Paul Scholes, Rio Ferdinand, Nicky Butt and Gary Neville (England), Fabien Barthez, Mikael Silvestre and Laurent Blanc (France), Roy Keane (Ireland), Juan Sebastian Veron (Argentina), Ryan Giggs (Wales), Ruud van Nistelrooy (Holland), Ole Gunnar Solskjaer (Norway) and Quinton Fortune (South Africa).
Tickets will go on sale via TicketMaster outlets and phone lines March 15, 2003. Full details on prices and how to purchase tickets will be forthcoming as soon as possible.
For further information on the tour, fans can contact a toll-free number, 888-806-0805, and can consult the ChampionsWorld website, <a href="http://www.championsworld.com." target="_blank">www.championsworld.com.</a> Fans might also log onto the websites of Manchester United <a href="http://www.manutd.com/," target="_blank">www.manutd.com/,</a> or stay here with PhiladelphiaEagles.com for more details.
