Manchester United

AreliusII · 05-23-2005, 12:29 PM

Manchester United could soon enter a team in the United States' MLS competition.

The Independent says the Glazer family may follow the lead of Mexico's largest football team, Chivas Rayadas del Guadalajara, which already have Chivas USA competing in MLS.

Glazer's team could play at one of the three Major League stadiums dedicated to football in the United States, with three more to come. With more airtime and more games actually being played, the Glazers should be able to sell fans more shirts and other merchandise. The US Soccer Federation think United could ride a wave.

"Some 15 years ago we hadn't competed in a World Cup for 40 years, there was no professional league and hardly any games were on the TV. Now there is a professional league and we are getting 15,000 people a game," a spokesperson said.

Despite the club touring twice in the past two years, the number of United fans in North and South America is fewer than five million. Malcolm Glazer hopes to change that.

Robert Leffler, president of the Leffler Agency, a sports adverting specialist, said: "If you've been exposed to NFL-style marketing and sales of spin-offs, you recognise that great international teams such as Manchester United, Real Madrid or Santos really could do a tremendous amount of international marketing."

http://www.tribalfootball.com/may/englinews1220505.html

Deuce · 05-23-2005, 12:32 PM

That is good news as far as I am concerned... Tampa Bay United or Red Devils? maybe?

clarette · 05-23-2005, 12:35 PM

If they call it Manchester United USA, I'll hurl. 🙄

Then again, the source is from Tribal Football, so I don't know how much stock I should put in it. 😉

Aero · 05-23-2005, 12:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by clarette

If they call it Manchester United USA, I'll hurl. 🙄

You and me both.

SoccerPrime · 05-23-2005, 01:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by clarette

If they call it Manchester United USA, I'll hurl. 🙄

Then again, the source is from Tribal Football, so I don't know how much stock I should put in it. 😉

Agreed. This and the Independent are the biggest sources for "aged EPL/Euro star XYZ wants to go to the MLS" rumors. Which have all proved untrue.

EnglishJared · 06-14-2005, 10:27 AM

The thing is, a club like Manchester United don't need a big backer. A few years ago they became the 1st sports team in the world ever to be worth a billion GB£'s. Chelsea were in severe threat of going bust in 2003 when Abramovitch took over. They aren't even the biggest team in London, Arsenal are. Man Utd are the biggest team in England, apprantly 1 in 10 of the population of GB (so that's about 6 million people) are Man Utd supporters. Studying in Manchester i can tell how much the club means to people here. Fans in England are sick of the greed of the premiership. Last season Man Utd fans had to pay £49 (roughly $95) to see the team play away at Birmingham City. Glazer plans to increase prices for home games to roughly the same level. Certain supporter groups are doing what the fans of Wimbledon did when their team was moved 70 miles away from South London, forming their own team.

BTW Eric Cantona was one of my favorite players as a kid, i remember his goal in the 1996 FA Cup final against Liverpoor. When he kicked the racist hooligan, it was a brilliant moment. I hate Crystal Palace.

Stucki · 06-14-2005, 10:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by EnglishJared

The thing is, a club like Manchester United don't need a big backer. A few years ago they became the 1st sports team in the world ever to be worth a billion GB£'s. Chelsea were in severe threat of going bust in 2003 when Abramovitch took over. They aren't even the biggest team in London, Arsenal are. Man Utd are the biggest team in England, apprantly 1 in 10 of the population of GB (so that's about 6 million people) are Man Utd supporters. Studying in Manchester i can tell how much the club means to people here. Fans in England are sick of the greed of the premiership. Last season Man Utd fans had to pay £49 (roughly $95) to see the team play away at Birmingham City. Glazer plans to increase prices for home games to roughly the same level. Certain supporter groups are doing what the fans of Wimbledon did when their team was moved 70 miles away from South London, forming their own team.

BTW Eric Cantona was one of my favorite players as a kid, i remember his goal in the 1996 FA Cup final against Liverpoor. When he kicked the racist hooligan, it was a brilliant moment. I hate Crystal Palace.

Of course Wimbledon got moved, so it isn't quite the same thing. Why don't the directors who took the club public in the first place get any of the blame for the current situation? Is the leprachaun just that easy of a target?

EnglishJared · 06-14-2005, 10:38 AM

Martin Edwards has never been that popular amongst Man Utd fans. In 1989 he tried to sell the club to Micheal Knighton. It was a lucky escape for the reds since Knighton then bought lower-league Carlise and ran them into the ground, and they ended-up in the non-league conference last season. Also when Rupert Murdoch's BSKYB tried to take over, many fans saw the board as the enemy as it were. However it's only been since the sad events at Wimbledon that 'Fan power' has had any notice taken of it. Many United fans probably feel 125 years of history may be thrown away by the actions of Glazer, and that the people of Manchester (which isn't that wealthy a place really) may be priced out of tickets for middle-class prawn sandwich eaters.

Stucki · 06-14-2005, 11:51 AM

Glazer is at it again. Check out this story on soccernet.

SoccerPrime · 06-14-2005, 12:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mrstucki

Glazer is at it again. Check out this story on soccernet.

What exactly is he "at" again?
I think its safe to assume he won't stop until he has all the stock.

You know, all the massively devoted ManU fans could stop him if they would all just stop selling out. Kind of how these things happen.