THE REDS ARE COMING!
MANCHESTER UNITED TO PLAY FOUR GAMES DURING 2003 USA TOUR;
TOP EUROPEAN AND MEXICAN OPPOSITION TO FACE THE FAMOUS "RED DEVILS"
SITES INCLUDE SEATTLE, LOS ANGELES, NEW YORK AND PHILADELPHIA
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CHAMPIONSWORLD TO MANAGE AND STAGE SOCCER'S SUMMER OF DREAMS
Manchester United, the world's most popular soccer club, will bring its stars and its style to the United States next summer with a four-game, four-city tour that will see them challenged by world-renowned clubs from Europe and Mexico.
The tour, which will run from July 22 through August 3, has been arranged by the New Jersey-based ChampionsWorld, which will also manage and stage all elements of the games.
Under the leadership of legendary head coach Sir Alex Ferguson, Manchester United will face a lineup of champion teams that includes Glasgow Celtic (Scotland), Club América (Mexico), Juventus (Italy) and FC Barcelona (Spain).
The tour opens July 22 in Seattle, where Man Utd will tangle with Celtic at Seahawks Stadium at 8 pm Pacific Time. It continues on the West Coast with a 2 pm July 27 game against Club América at the Los Angeles Coliseum.
The excitement will switch to the Eastern USA July 31, when Manchester United and Juventus meet at Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ at 8 pm. The tour winds up August 3 at Philadelphia's Lincoln Financial Field, where Reds will meet FC Barcelona at 8 pm. The match will not only pair two great clubs but will also be the inaugural event at Philadelphia's new showcase stadium.
Peter Kenyon, chief executive of Manchester United, said: "Everyone at the club is looking forward to the tour immensely. We'll be bringing over all our star players, and the quality of the opposition at each venue means that fans across the US will get the chance to watch world-class soccer in some of the country's greatest stadiums. We know that soccer has a large and passionate following in the States, especially among young people, and we hope our tour generates even more excitement about the beautiful game."
Charlie Stillitano, chairman and founder of ChampionsWorld, said: "Without question, United States soccer fans are in for their biggest treat in years. It will be a soccer summer of dreams that is unparalleled in this country since the World Cup of 1994. More than four dozen superstar players and coaches of World Cup pedigree will make this the most dramatic series of games here in years and will create memories for their United States faithful."
The series of games will be televised by Fox Sports, which has joined ChampionsWorld as a broadcasting partner. David Sternberg, General Manager of Fox Sports World and Fox Sports en Español, said: "We are pleased to join ChampionsWorld as the U.S. broadcast partner for this series of matches featuring Manchester United. Our viewers have long enjoyed watching the "Red Devils" in our exclusive coverage of the Barclaycard Premiership, and these matches will give them an additional off season opportunity to watch the team play on American soil."
Manchester United is one of the greatest teams in the history of soccer, having won 14 English championships and ten 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 are 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 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>
MANCHESTER UNITED USA TOUR 2003
Managed and staged by ChampionsWorld
Date Opponent Site Kickoff Time*
July 22 Glasgow Celtic (Scotland) Seahawks Stadium, Seattle 8 pm
July 27 Club América (Mexico) Coliseum, Los Angeles 2 pm
July 31 Juventus (Italy) Giants Stadium, E. Rutherford, NJ 8 pm
August 3 FC Barcelona (Spain) Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia 8 pm
*Local Time
Tickets will go on sale March 15, 2003 via Ticketmaster. Full details will be announced in due course.
For further information: Jim Trecker, ChampionsWorld, 201/262-5561
Patrick Harverson, Manchester United, +44 161 868 8216
8F120902
TEAM THUMBNAILS
MANCHESTER UNITED
Established in 1878, Manchester, England
14 English championships (7 Premiership titles, including 3 of the last 4, 7 First Division titles)(also two 2nd Division titles)
1 English League Cup
2 European Cups (including the 1999 UEFA Champions League trophy)
1 Cup Winners' Cup
1 European Super Cup
1 Toyota Intercontinental Cup
Manager: Sir Alex Ferguson
Players with World Cup pedigree:
David Beckham (England), Nicky Butt (England), Rio Ferdinand (England), Paul Scholes (England), Gary Neville (England), Phil Neville (England), Wes Brown (England), Roy Keane (Ireland), John O'Shea (Ireland), Fabien Barthez (France), Laurent Blanc (France), Mikael Silvestre (France), Quinton Fortune (South Africa), Ryan Giggs (Wales), Paul Scholes (England), Juan Sebastian Veron (Argentina), Ruud van Nistelrooy (Holland), Ole Gunnar Solskjaer (Norway), Diego Forlan (Uruguay).
CELTIC
Established 1888, Glasgow, Scotland
38 Scottish championships (9 in the Scottish Premiership, including the last two)
31 Scottish Cups
12 Scottish League Cups
1 European Cup
Twice a semifinalist in the Cup Winners' Cup
56 matches played in the UEFA Cup
Manager: Martin O'Neill
Players with World Cup pedigree:
Tommy Boyd (Scotland), Jon Gould (Scotland), Magnus Hedman (Sweden), Paul Lambert (Scotland), Henrik Larsson (Sweden), Jackie McNamara (Scotland), Johan Mjallby (Sweden)
JUVENTUS
Established 1897, Turin, Italy
26 Italian Championships (including 2001-02)
9 Italian Cups
2 European Cups (including the 1996 Champions League trophy)
1 Cup Winners' Cup
3 UEFA Cups
2 Toyota Cups
2 European Super Cups
Manager: Marcello Lippi
Players with World Cup pedigree:
Gianluigi Buffon (Italy), Edgar Davids (Netherlands), Alessandro Del Piero (Italy), Mark Iuliano (Italy), Gianluca Pessotto (Italy), Marcelo Salas (Chile), Lilian Thuram (France), David Trezeguet (France), Gianluca Zambrotta (Italy).
CLUB AMĖRICA
Established 1916, Mexico City
8 Mexican League championships
5 Mexican Professional Cups (no longer contested)
5 Mexican Super Cups (no longer contested)
4 CONCACAF Cups
1 Giants Cup
Manager: Manuel Lapuente
Players with World Cup pedigree:
Duilio Davino (Mexico), Braulio Luna (Mexico), Luis Hernandez (Mexico), Pavel Pardo (Mexico), Adolfo Rios (Mexico), German Villa (Mexico), Ivan Zamorano (Chile)
FC BARCELONA
Established 1899, Barcelona, Spain
16 Spanish championships
24 Spanish Cup championships (Copa del Rey)
5 Spanish Super Cups
2 Spanish League Cups
1 European Cup
4 Cup Winners' Cups
3 UEFA Cups
2 European Super Cups
Manager: Louis van Gaal
Players with World Cup pedigree:
Roberto Bonano (Argentina), Frank De Boer (Holland), Patrik Andersson (Sweden), Philippe Christanval (France), Phillip Cocu (Holland), Geovanni (Brazil), Patrick Kluivert (Holland), Luis Enrique (Spain), Gaizka Mendieta (Spain), Marc Overmars (Holland), Carles Puyol (Spain), Michael Reiziger (Holland), Xavi (Spain).
