Euro powers clash

CHICAGO -- There are more than 100 professional soccer clubs in England, from small sides like Leyton Orient and Boston United to behemoths like Chelsea and the defending Premier League champion Arsenal. However, no club can match the power, the mystique or the popularity of Manchester United.\nBegun in 1892 as Newton Heath and renamed Manchester United in 1902, the club is the richest in Europe, with an estimated worth of more than $1 billion. The club is as much a brand as it is a team, shown by the fact that one can buy all sorts of team merchandise, including the world-famous red jersey, at club-owned "Megastores" around the world (the largest being in Singapore).\nPeople compare Manchester United to the New York Yankees, and there are many similarities. The two teams have tried to expand each other's fan base by entering into an agreement to share their marketing and promotions capabilities. And of course, both expect to win.\n"Every year we expect to win (the league), and I don't see any reason to change that," former English World Cup hero and current member of Manchester United's board of directors Sir Bobby Charlton said.\nDespite all the success (eight Premier League titles, four FA Cups since 1992 and the 1999 European club championship), there is still one market Manchester United has yet to crack: the United States. Despite the fact that most Americans have little to no interest in soccer, European and American marketers cannot help but try to conquer the massive and untapped potential fan base on this side of the Atlantic. In an attempt to expose this audience to the world's game, the past two summers the United States has been treated to the ChampionsWorld Tour, a collection of matches involving some of Europe's best soccer teams.\nHours before the beginning of Sunday's match between Manchester United and German side Bayern Munich at Soldier Field in Chicago, tailgaters occupied the upper level of the Waldon Garage, playing small pick-up games, grilling and enjoying the beautiful afternoon. Many fans turned out just to see Manchester play, traveling from as far away as Pittsburgh, St. Louis and Kitchener, Ontario.\nThe crowd of 58,121 at the newly renovated Soldier Field saw a match that failed to live up to its expectations. Unlike last season, many of Manchester's top players were not in America, as they were resting from playing in the recent European Championship or Copa America. In fact, only three men who could possibly be called first-team players began the match. \nMany teams on the ChampionsWorld Tour brought their full complement of players, but Manchester United took the opportunity to play some of its younger players to give them game experience, including American teenager Jonathan Spector.\n"They're 17, 18 and playing for Manchester United," team captain Roy Keane said. "They should be loving every minute of it."\nThe match lacked the flare and style that has made the game so popular in Europe, as the match ended 0-0 and was won by Bayern Munich in a penalty kick shootout.\nThe highlight for many American fans was the debut of Spector, a teenager in the Manchester United system from the Chicago area. Spector played the full 90 minutes. \n"It was a great feeling," Spector said. "Being able to play with great players like Roy Keane and Eric Djemba-Djemba was fantastic."\nSpector is among a rapidly growing movement of young American players polishing their skills overseas and was lured away by the appeal of United.\n"You can't really turn down Manchester United," Spector said. "It's a great opportunity, and I was so happy to hear the news when they offered me a contract."\nWhile soccer remains an overshadowed sport in America, Spector's development into a first-team player alongside goalkeeper and fellow American Tim Howard on the world's top side could help America embrace the world's game and the world's most popular side. \nAt least that is what Manchester United is counting on.\n-- Contact staff writer Kevin Switaj at kswitaj@indiana.edu.