‘Friendly’ rivals a ‘must-see event’
Fans of teams enjoy Houston exhibition match
NRG Stadium was humming Thursday night with the sounds of one of soccer’s most iconic rivalries.
The home of the Texans was teeming with regal red and powder blue as it played host to the Manchester Derby, held outside of England for the first time in its 174-game history.
More than 67,000 Manchester United and Manchester City fans from across the country were in Houston, supporting their favorite English Premier League club in an event they could not pass up.
Adam, who brought his family from Dallas, was one of the most noticeable United fans, donning a bright gold wig and black and red face paint that spelled out, “Go Man U” across his face.
“Anything Manchester United in Texas, we’re there,” he said.
Long trip
But it wasn’t just Texans who came out for the heavyweight showdown.
Lifelong fans Mark, Daryl and Peter, originally from Jamaica, flew in from Florida on Thursday morning to be part of the historic match, which United won 2-0.
Daryl and Peter, United supporters, gave their friend Mark, a City fan, a hard time the entire trip.
“When you have two talented teams from the same city with a long history on one it creates a great rivalry,” Daryl said.
Mark took issue with that statement.
“I mean, I don’t think there’s a rivalry really,” he said with a laugh. “We’ve shown that we’re obviously the superior club. We’ve dominated the past ten years.”
Countered Peter: “Manchester City has been relevant in what, the past three years? OK, three and a half. Where Manchester United, the number one team in England, we’ve been relevant for 60 or 70 years.”
Their friendship exemplified the friendly yet prideful nature of the interactions between fans invested in the Derby. There were plenty of similar conversations going throughout the concourses of NRG Stadium.
United fans argue that their team has been better and more prestigious for longer. Man U 73-50-52 alltime against its inner-city foe.
City fans contend that their club has been better more recently, finishing third in last years’ EPL standings — three spots ahead of United. The Citizens also have won two EPL titles in the last five years.
Although the match was an exhibition, as both sides prepare for the upcoming EPL season, fans still anticipated an extremely high level of play that European soccer always seems to deliver.
“It’s a must-see event,” Mark said. “We joke around back home about the rivalry throughout the season, but to come here to see a Derby match is an unbelievable experience.”
Attack remembered
The match also marked the first meeting between the teams since the explosion at an Ariana Grande concert in Manchester Arena that left 22 dead and 67 injured in May.
Players on both sides donned the symbolic worker bee on their jerseys as a mark of respect for those affected by terror attack.
“At the end of the day, they share a city,” Darryl said. “So it’s nice to see that solidarity, especially between two teams that dislike each other on the pitch.”
While all three predicted a victory for their respective club before the start of the match, it was clear that little would be settled in the end.
“No matter the outcome,” Daryl said. “Man U will still be number one.”