Manchester United 4, Celtic 0
By TIM KORTE, AP Sports Writer
July 23, 2003
SEATTLE (AP) -- The world's most famous sports team put on a delightful exhibition to open a four-game United States tour.
In its first game without superstar David Beckham, Manchester United beat Glasgow Celtic 4-0 on Tuesday night behind goals by Ruud van Nistelrooy, Ryan Giggs, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and David Bellion.
``Our forward play, especially in the first half, caused them a lot of problems,'' Manchester United defender Philip Neville said. ``And the crowd really lifted us in a big way.''
The eight-time Premier League champions decisively handled their Scottish League rivals, and the effort was sure to keep Manchester United's legion of 53 million worldwide fans as happy as the team's big-money American sponsors.
Organizers hope the seven-game tour, which features other well-known clubs like Juventus, Barcelona and AC Milan, will boost the profile of European soccer in the United States.
``I'm not sure conquer is the right word,'' Manchester coach Alex Ferguson said. ``I think we'd like to explore the country, and make people more aware about Manchester United.''
The Red Devils play three more games, the next one Sunday in Los Angeles against Club America of Mexico.
``You're up against quite a tradition here with American football, baseball and basketball,'' Ferguson said. ``It's not easy to overcome that, but there's no reason why soccer can't be a part of American sports.''
While American fans are less familiar with other Manchester stars like van Nistelrooy, the Red Devils didn't miss Beckham, who was sent last month to Real Madrid for $39.4 million.
The talent gap between the teams became apparent before halftime, when Manchester led 3-0.
``We were well-beaten by a very, very good side,'' Celtic coach Martin O'Neill said. ``My view is that they are vying with Real Madrid to be the best team in Europe.''
The rout began in the seventh minute, when van Nistelrooy took a centering pass from Solskjaer, fought off defender Stanislav Varga and put the ball into the right corner off the hands of Celtic goalkeeper Magnus Hedman.
Celtic's Alan Thompson missed a penalty kick in the 18th minute, with his ball sailing over the goal and to the left.
It was a decisive turning point, because Van Nistelrooy struck again in the 28th minute. He drew three defenders and Hedman as he sprinted in from the right, then centered to Giggs, who was trailing and kicked it in easily for a 2-0 lead.
In the 39th minute, Solskjaer took a pass from Gary Neville and kicked the ball into the middle of the goal to make it 3-0.
Bellion, in his first game with Manchester since signing in the offseason, scored in the 72nd minute, when Paul Scholes tapped a pass to him in the box and Bellion beat reserve goal keeper Robert Douglas on a neat play that brought the near-capacity crowd of 66,722 fans to its feet.
The attendance was a record for one-year-old Seahawks Stadium, with only a few end zone sections noticeably sparse.
Fans savored the spectacle, roaring when the teams came onto the field and again for each goal. They turned the stadium into a giant bowl of twinkling flashbulbs every time a player fired a free kick.
``I was surprised by the support,'' van Nistelrooy said. ``You don't expect that in America. It was a great atmosphere.''
Late in the game, a fan ran onto the field and stripped off his shirt before being corralled by security officials.
Celtic finished second in the Scottish League last year, losing the title on goal difference to cross-town rival Rangers on the last day of the season.
Manchester opens its Premier League title defense Aug. 16.
), Rugby Union (or just Union which is not unique to us alone) AFL (Australian Rules Football - unique to us) and then what we have to call soccer due to the numerous other 'football' games we have, which is football.
isn't the Celtic/Man U game tonight?
exactly right. I somehow even like rugby better than american football. 
