Manchester United to tour US again

Femfa · Nov 12, 2003

A small problem would be that both teams claim red as their primary support color.

If Man U. played DC, for example, it would be more clear if half the stadium supported DC, because we could see the black versus the red predominance of the fan's clothing.

And yeah, I'd say we'd have fifty percent - and the more vocal ones as well. The Man U fans in the game here were casual, tourist fans. Very little hard core about them.

voros · Nov 12, 2003

Originally posted by Achtung
Fire fans are indeed the best, and I think Section 8 is as great a place to see a game as any in all of soccer. But you have to consider that while Fire fans would like to see their team play a world-class side, you're still going to have trouble drawing huge numbers of casual MLS fans for what amounts to little more than an exhibition. How many in the soccer mom crowd have even heard of Manchester United? I think it would be hard to say exactly what the numbers would be, but I think that is 65,000 showed up, you'd have about 20,000 cheering for the Fire, and about 45,000, mostly big Euro soccer people, cheering for Man United.
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I think those numbers would be roughly about right, but those 20,000 would almost certainly be louder than the other 45,000. And I don't think the other 45,000 would be cheering for ManUtd. I think a fair number would be there becuase the "circus is in town."

My point is that regardless of the ratio, Man Utd will draw disproportionately to anyone else save possibly Real Madrid with Beckham (and I think Man Utd still is a bigger draw). Man Utd is the drawing card, and their opponent (save for playing a Mexican team in LA) probably doesn't drive the numbers very much. I'd think a Man Utd versus the Fire would draw as well in Chicago as any other opponent Man Utd could line up.

The big attendances on the tour were as much a factor of Man Utd's brand recognition, as it was quality soccer. Juve v. Barca (two teams with as much quality as Man Utd) drew around 31,000 in a doubleheader with MLS in Foxboro, and that number is similar to another one-off event, the opening of NSF for the Fire vs. Columbus.

And everybody's heard of Manchester United. The basic progression of things the average American knows about soccer: Pele, Mia Hamm, Beckham, Chastain Sports Bra, Manchester United, hooligans. Everything else is off the general radar.

RichardL · Nov 12, 2003

Re: Re: Re: Re: Manchester United to tour US again

Originally posted by Achtung
Fire fans are indeed the best, and I think Section 8 is as great a place to see a game as any in all of soccer.
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So you think section 8 really compares with somewhere like St James Park, Newcastle, or the San Siro or derby day? Don't get me wrong, I've been to soldier field and watched the game very close to section 8, and while the fans there were enthusiastic, they didn't really generate much noise, and they weren't remotely intimidating.

As to the tour, Man Utd couldn't play an MLS team as they are there to promote themselves, and they couldn't do that if they lost against MLS opposition. It could happen. They'd be pre-season - very rusty and possibly not fully fit, and taking on a team mid-season who'd really want to beat them. To be frank, it wouldn't be worth the risk. Even if they won 2-0, the unknowedgable fans they are trying to win over would just say "if they only beat an MLS team 2-0 they can't be all that special".