Empty seats, win welcome Manchester United in Canada
TORONTO: At least 10,000 empty seats bade welcome to Manchester United on Saturday as they started their North American tour with a resounding 3-1 victory against their Scottish opponents Celtic.
Manchester United start their North American tour with a win. Courtesy: Reuters
Emply stands are an unfamiliar sight for the Red Devils, who find packed stadiums wherever they go in the world, but lack of pre-match marketing and an expensive price for the match tickets ranging between $75 to $165.
This was United’s first visit to Canada since 1982 and the appearance of 39,139 fans in the crowd was outdone by the 10,000 empty seats there but there was no dearth of enthusiasm in the stands as the Canadian fans found good worth for their money with Red Devils showcasing their trademark game.
The three goals for United came from Dimitar Berbatov, Danny Welbeck and Tom Cleverley while Georgios Samaras replied with the only goal from a penalty spot.
Danny Welbeck celebrates his goal with teammate Dimitar Berbatov. Courtesy: Reuters
Sir Alex Ferguson found the atmosphere quite positive as he sounded quite enthusiastic the post-match press conference. “I thought the atmosphere was very good. The first game is one you always want to get over because fitness comes into it.
“The surface was quite firm and it is a pitch I would not have taken a risk on with certain players to play 90 minutes.”
Putting on their new uniforms, Red Devils looked a lot synchronised on a hard pitch in Canada where Manager refrained from exposing his main players to the not so great conditions, however it was a perfect start for the English soccer club that is due to play four matches to get it prepared for the next season of the English Premier League.
United continue their tour with games against Major League Soccer’s Philadelphia Union on July 21 and the Kansas City Wizards on July 25 before taking on the MLS All-Stars in Houston on July 28.
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