Man U, Club America set for faceoff
Manchester United won’t be at full strength as they open their United States preseason tour with a friendly against Club America on Thursday night.
But, despite not boasting its usual star-studded lineups, the club should bring a plethora of soccer fans to University of Phoenix Stadium.
The Red Devils will be without regulars Alexis Sanchez, Paul Pogba, Romelu Lukaku, Marouane Fellaini, Marcus Rashford, Jesse Lingard, Marcos Rojo, Victor Lindelof, Ashley Young,
David de Gea, Nemanja
Jones and Fred.
Many of those listed are still on break after deep runs in the World Cup but Sanchez’s absence, in particular, has irritated manager Jose Mourinho. The striker’s U.S. visa was denied because he accepted a suspended sentence for tax fraud in Spain earlier this year, according to reports.
“It is really bad, really sad, not good for him, for me, the team,” Mourinho told the “There is no one to blame; the club is making the effort. I have to respect the U.S. authorities in their process of visas. But hopefully he joins us later because it could be important to work with (Anthony) Martial, Alexis and (Juan) Mata – the players we have in attack for (the) start of the season.”
The matchup with Manchester United will also shine the light on Club America, which comes into the match with wins in their past two preseason contests. This matchup, however, will be more scrutinized than any game Club America have played so far this season.
Club America manager Miguel Herrera considers Manchester United one of the five best teams in the world and said he is excited about the spotlight.
As one of the premier global soccer brands in the world, the Red Devils have a solid group of supporters in the Valley.
Manchester United were evaluated as the second-most valuable sports franchise in the world, worth $4.123 billion.
Michael Vanderplas, a member of the Phoenix Red Devils fan club, bought his tickets for Thursday’s match as soon as they became available.
“This will be an opportunity to show that we support other types of soccer,” he said, noting that the Gold Cup always draws huge crowds if Mexico Matic, Phil or the U.S. is involved.
This will be the third time Vanderplas has seen the club in person during their annual preseason U.S. tour in the past few years. He plans to tailgate the match at Salt Tacos and Tequila next door to the stadium with 200 or so of his closest Manchester supporters.
There will be at least another 40 diehard supporters of the club in attendance thanks to David Wimberley, the owner of George and Dragon, a British pub in Phoenix.
“I’ve been a supporter of Manchester since I was 10 years old,” Wimberley said last week, listing off players who had worn the United’s bright red kit and inspired him as a child to fall in love with the club.
Wimberley has followed every move the club made since 1968 and – despite living in the U.S. for the past 38 years – still tries to go back to Manchester to watch at least one match every year.
Wimberley moved to the States with the intention of opening up an English pub, just like the one he owned back in England, he said. After working as a blackjack dealer in Las Vegas for the first few years, he moved to Phoenix and opened up George and Dragon in 1995.
This upcoming season he has plans to attend the fixture against Wolverhampton. But until then, he has organized a bus that will take the first 39 patrons who buy a beer from his pub and himself to the University of Phoenix stadium to watch their beloved team play.
There is no shortage of expatriates from across the pond who will venture out to Glendale to support Manchester but there is hope that having a European powerhouse play in the Valley will also draw in casual fans.
“There is a massive soccer community in Phoenix,” said Adam Thelwell, the owner of Small Goal Soccer, which organizes weekly soccer matches for amateurs around the Valley. “I think it’s slept on.”
The excitement shared by Vanderplas, Wimberley and Thelwell is a good sign for parties that are interested in growing and cultivating the Valley’s soccer fan base.