Manchester United

Tour 2014: Reds Attract Huge Crowds

Home of Denver Broncos was painted United Red on July 26
Over 54,000 fans packed the mile-high stadium
We want to win as many games as possible. (Will Keane)
Fans from another high-altitude country were in the mile-high stands

Manchester United’s pre-season “Tour 2014” in the United States is bringing out tons of fans. Reds earn three consecutive victories on their road to the International Champions Cup final in Miami on August 4.

Not only are the Boys from Old Trafford are enjoying their “Tour 2014” of the new world under new head coach Louis van Gaal, United fans are having a ball, too. What United fan wouldn’t want to see Wayne Rooney score four goals in two matches?

"We only have three weeks before the season starts, so I have to use all my training sessions to implement this system.” (Louis van Gaal)

United’s much-covered, coast-to-coast tour of America is considered a litmus test for the new boss and a squad that struggled in the past season. They’re passing the test with flying colors.

It all started in the City of Angels on July 24 with a convincing 7-0 win over LA Galaxy. After striker Danny Welbeck had opened the scoring Wayne Rooney, Ashley Young and debutante Reece James each scored twice in front of a crowd of 86,432 at famous Rose Bowl Stadium.

Fan favorite Wayne Rooney strikes again!

From the home of Hollywood, the Reds crossed the Rockies to challenge AS Roma in the thin air of mile-high Denver, Colorado. The shortage of oxygen didn’t appear to affect the more than 54,000 fans, who saw an exciting duel in which Rooney netted twice to raise his tour tally to four.

From the country’s highest state capital, United flew over America’s heartland to the red, white & blue capital city of Washington D.C. to face Italy’s Inter Milan. In what van Gaal hailed the “best match so far”, the Reds overcame the Italian side 5-3 on penalties after a goalless 90 minutes. The win keeps them atop the International Championship Cup group with five points. The majority of the crowd of over 61,000 was delighted to watch United remain on course to reach the final in Miami.

"We’ve come over here and we want to win as many games as possible." (Will Keane)

New season, new system
Van Gaal is playing a much-talked-about 3-5-2 system that he intends to deploy as the new campaign begins. And he’s sticking with it throughout the tour in order to be ready for the fast-approaching Premier League season.

"We only have three weeks before the season starts, so I have to use all my training sessions to implement this system,” he said.

The fourth and potentially final match of Tour 2014 pits the boys from Old Trafford against Spanish powerhouse Real Madrid in none other than “The Big House” of Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor on August 2. The game, which sold out in 24 hours, is set to break the record for the largest attendance at a football (soccer!) match. Over 100,000 tickets were sold.

All matches are part of the International Champions Cup and if the team makes the final then United’s pre-season tour will conclude in Miami on Monday August 4.

Read more about the Tour 2014 here or on the DHL InMotion Sports stream.

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