Barcelona 1 United 2

No Messi, no problem. Two months after Champions League final heartache, United fans finally had something to celebrate against Barcelona, as the Reds beat the European Champions 2-1 at FedEx Field in Washington DC.

Without their Argentinian playmaker (or Xavi, Dani Alves, Javier Mascherano, Gerard Pique and Carles Puyol), Barcelona lacked much of the creativity and movement that tore the Reds apart in May's Champions League final.

Of course, this game didn't matter quite so much, despite local media billing the game as a Wembley rematch and a chance for United, apparently, to “exact revenge” for May's painful defeat.

In reality, though, this was merely a pre-season run-out for Sir Alex's men, albeit a vital one with the Community Shield clash against Manchester City just eight days away.

United, at the end of a three-week stint in the States, started brightly and Rooney should perhaps have opened the scoring on 10 minutes when Nani whipped a dangerous ball across the box from the right. Rooney edged in front of his marker at the near post but blasted his low shot wide of the post.

Barcelona – shorn of their South American stars, including Lionel Messi - enjoyed a spell of short dominance after Rooney's miss, although failed to test Reds goalkeeper David De Gea. One deep cross from the right did force Fabio, on as a substitute for his injured brother (knee) on 17 minutes, to head behind for a corner, however.

With the Catalan side committed forward, the Reds cleared the set-piece and broke quickly down the pitch. Danny Welbeck slipped a pass between two Barcelona defenders for Nani to chase and when the Portuguese wide-man collected the ball he kept his cool to steer home United's opener via the gap between Victor Valdes' legs.

It was classic counter-attacking football from the Reds, the sort of which United fans saw far too infrequently in the last two Champions League finals. Instead, those games will always be remembered for Barcelona's staggering possession play.

Here in DC, there was less of that on display, although admittedly the Catalans were missing keep-ball kings Xavi and Messi. The less savoury side to Barcelona's game remained, though. Ashley Young and Jonny Evans were caught by wild tackles in the first half, while Sergio Busquets and David Villa both made the most of tame challenges.

Sir Alex made three changes at the break (an interval that featured basketball superstar Kobe Bryant taking penalties on the pitch) but it was Nani, United's liveliest player in the first 45 minutes, who continued to pose problems for the Barcelona defence whenever the Reds pushed forward.

At the other end, David De Gea's first save came just after the restart when he smothered Pedro's angled shot. Otherwise, the former Atletico Madrid stopper had precious little to do until the 70th minute when Thiago rifled a swerving shot into the top corner from 20 yards. There was no stopping that thunderbolt and the goal gave Barca a noticeable shot of confidence.

Six minutes later, though, United were back in front when Cleverley intercepted a stray pass and fed Michael Owen through the middle. The former Real Madrid forward – Barcelona fans won't have forgotten that fact – is usually lethal in one-on-one situations, and he made no mistake here, dinking the ball over Valdes to restore the Reds' lead.

United's win doesn't erase the memories of May's Champions League final or even strike a significant psychological blow in the battle for European football supremacy. It did, however, ensure Sir Alex's men remained undefeated in all five US Tour fixtures (scoring 20, conceding three), and provide a high-intensity finish to pre-season preparations.

Next up: the Community Shield. Bring on the Blues!

United: De Gea; Rafael (Fabio 17), Vidic (Jones 76), Evans, Evra (Smalling 46); Nani, Cleverley, Anderson (Giggs 46), Young (Obertan 62); Rooney (Owen 46), Welbeck (76)
Subs not used: Amos, Berbatov, Ferdinand, Carrick, Park, Macheda

MLS All-Stars 0 United 4

MLS All-Stars 0 United 4

The MLS All-Stars may be the best soccer players in America, but they were no match for Sir Alex's Manchester United as the Reds made it four wins from four on this year's US Tour.

In a compact and cacophonous Red Bull Arena, goals from Anderson, Ji-sung Park, Dimitar Berbatov handed United victory against an MLS side featuring former Premier League stars David Beckham and Thierry Henry.

Few would have believed it a year ago, but Javier Hernandez's star now shines almost as brightly as Beckham's or Henry's in the United States. Hernandez-mania is in full effect: his name adorns more United shirts than any other player's and even non-football fans recognise his boyish, smiling face.

And although he was never likely to play on tour after competing in the Gold Cup for Mexico in June, supporters at Red Bull Arena were left disappointed after a concussion suffered during training on Tuesday night forced him to spend a night in hospital and watch the game from the comfort of the team's New Jersey hotel.

The contest Chicharito saw unfold on Wednesday evening was entertaining and often end-to-end. Indeed, despite the final score, the All-Stars created chances of their own, including the first chance of the game when Henry dispossessed Rio Ferdinand near the halfway line before squaring to Omar Bravo in the centre. Bravo advanced towards goal and laid the ball back to Beckham, whose shot spun wide of Anders Lindegaard's right-hand upright.

The former Reds midfielder sat deep for the All-Stars, pinging long passes and dictating the early play from just in front of the back four. But as the home team's influence waned, so did Beckham's and in the second half he was moved to right-back.

It took Sir Alex's men 18 minutes to test All-Stars goalkeeper Faryd Mondragon. Rooney advanced into the penalty area and slid a low ball across the six-yard box, which Mondragon plucked from the toes of Berbatov.

Both Rooney and Berbatov were heavily involved two minutes later when United took the lead. The pair exchanged three neat passes on the edge of the box to pull the All-Stars defence out of position before Rooney squared for Anderson to side-foot home from 16 yards.

Beckham almost equalised immediately with a curling effort from 30 yards on the counter-attack, which Lindegaard acrobatically tipped over the bar. The Dane then repeated the feat just before the half-hour mark when Brad Davis let fly from similar range, before Rooney drew a smart save from Mondragon when he drove the ball towards the top corner 10 minutes later.

The first-half entertainment wasn't over. With just four seconds left on the clock, Ji-sung Park snaked past two defenders in the penalty area before lashing left-footed past Mondragon into the far corner. It was his second sublime individual goal of the US Tour and drew a wide grin from the South Korean.

Seven minutes after the interval, the Reds were 3-0 up. This time it was Berbatov's turn to showcase his talent, as he dinked the ball over advancing substitute goalkeeper Tally Hall before reacting quickly to control the ball with his chest and volley home when it cannoned back off the crossbar.

Sir Alex made a raft of substitutions on 61 minutes to add to the goalkeeper change he made at half-time (Amos for Lindegaard), replacing five of his front six and bringing on Chris Smalling for Rio Ferdinand.

That had the potential to stunt the game's flow, but Danny Welbeck ensured there was no such lull in action and netted with one of his first touches, rifling home from just outside the penalty area, albeit via the aid of a sizeable deflection off Geoff Cameron.

Goalmouth action did dry up somewhat in the final 20 minutes, although both Beckham and Evra hit the side-netting in the final minutes. By then, though, the crowd had already had their fill. Certainly, after witnessing four goals, many more chances and an array of world football superstars, few went home with any complaints.

United: Lindegaard (Amos 46); Jones, Ferdinand (Smalling 61), Vidic (Diouf 73), Evra; Park (Nani 61), Carrick (Cleverley 61), Anderson (Fabio 73), Young (Welbeck 61); Rooney (Macheda 61), Berbatov (Owen 61)

Chicago Fire 1 United 3

On a sweltering day in Illinois, Manchester United eventually proved too hot for Chicago Fire at Soldier Field.

A Cory Gibbs goal against the run of play gave the home team the lead on 13 minutes before second-half strikes from Wayne Rooney, Rafael and Nani handed Sir Alex's men a hard-fought victory.

Indeed, Chicago were the better team for long periods and but for some wasteful finishing would have won this content. But again, as in Seattle three days earlier, the Reds proved clinical in front of goal and reaped the rewards.

Played in baking heat, in front of the largest ever crowd at Soldier Field for a game of club football, United were given a stern test by a Chicago side lying third from bottom in the MLS Eastern Conference.

Sir Alex handed first pre-season starts to the five players who joined the tour in Seattle, including summer signings David de Gea and Phil Jones. They were part of a young back five, with only Patrice Evra and Fabio old enough to legally drink in the US.

The Reds started well and carved out the game's first chance after five minutes. Danny Welbeck produced a sublime piece of skill to outfox three defenders on the halfway line before slipping a pass through the Fire defence for Dimitar Berbatov. The Bulgarian took his shot first time but Chicago stopper Sean Johnson did well to get down to his right and beat the ball away.

Given United's bright start, it was a surprise when the home side took the lead. Fire defender Gibbs outjumped Jones to reach a long Marco Pappa free-kick and head inside de Gea's right-hand post. There was little the Spanish goalkeeper could do to prevent the goal, Gibbs' first in a Fire shirt for more than a year.

The relentless heat didn't help the Reds, although Obertan and Fabio both blasted over from distance in the space of two minutes as Sir Alex's men upped the ante. Welbeck was perhaps the pick of United's players in the first period - he showed good close control, made clever runs in behind the Fire defence and linked well with Berbatov and Diouf.

Cristian Nazarit almost put the Fire 2-0 up when he blasted low and narrowly wide after half-an-hour, while Pappa also tried his luck from distance. United, it must be said, failed to exert much influence on the first-half contest after the Fire's goal and were lucky to go into the break just one goal down. Indeed, it took a stunning reflex save from de Gea - his first major contribution in a Reds shirt - in the 45th minute to keep out Patrick Nyarko's close-range effort.

The heat necessitated a raft of substitutions at the interval, with the Chicago crowd especially happy to welcome Wayne Rooney and Ryan Giggs into the game. The introduction of Jonny Evans for Fabio shifted Chris Smalling to right back, while Anderson and Giggs came into the centre of midfield. Smalling had the ball in the net within two minutes of the restart but the goal was correctly ruled out for offside.

De Gea then made a routine save from a Pappa free-kick before Baggio Husidic spurned a golden chance to double the Fire's advantage. It was easier to score than miss and yet Baggio scuffed his shot from five yards with the goal gaping.

More substitutions were made on 56 minutes, although for a bizarre 60 seconds the Reds played with 12 men after confusion on the touchline meant three United players came on and only two left the pitch.

Rooney then stung the palms of substitute goalkeeper Jon Conway before Pappa hit the side-netting and Orr Barouch the post, courtesy of a smart finger-tip save from de Gea down to his right.

The Reds levelled on 66 minutes when Rooney latched onto a pinpoint long ball from Rio Ferdinand and lifted the ball over the onrushing Conway. It was Wayne's fourth strike on the US Tour and further evidence that the recent summer break robbed the forward of none of his predatory instinct in front of goal.

Ten minutes later, United were in front after Rafael and Nani combined down the right flank and the young Brazilian shimmied along the by-line and coolly squeezed the ball through Conway's legs. Nani then added further gloss to the scoreline with eight minutes remaining when he profited from some generous defending and cheekily dinked the ball into the net. It was perhaps harsh on the Fire who, until they began to ring the changes midway through the second period, looked likely winners in this contest that will live long in the memory of Chicago soccer fans.

United: de Gea; Fabio (Evans 46), Smalling (Rafael 75), Jones (Vidic 75), Evra (Ferdinand 56); Obertan (Nani 56), Carrick (Anderson 46), Cleverley (Giggs 46), Diouf (Park 46); Welbeck (Macheda 56), Berbatov (Rooney 46)
Subs not used: Lindegaard, Amos, Owen, Young

Seattle Sounders 0 United 7

None of Sir Alex’s men will be sleepless in Seattle this evening, as United were forced to work hard on an energy-sapping pitch to procure a 7-0 victory in the Reds’ second US Tour clash.

The scoreline suggests a stroll in the park, but for the first 45 minutes the sides were evenly matched for long periods. Then, an explosion of second-half goals – including three in four minutes – put the game way out of sight.

Fitness is always the main aim during pre-season, although Sir Alex will certainly be pleased with the Reds’ performance and composure in front of goal during an entertaining game played before a packed and passionate CenturyLink Field.

Streamers cascaded down from the stands as the referee signalled for the game to begin and it was the home side who almost provided the fireworks in the opening minutes as fans’ favourite Freddy Montero twice attempted to chip Anders Lindegaard.

Unusually for a United game in pre-season, the crowd wanted the opposition to win; Seattle is the biggest “soccer city” in America and the Sounders the best supported side.

So they were disappointed when United took the lead, 15 minutes into the match. Ashley Young fed Patrice Evra on the overlap down the left and the defender whipped in a pinpoint cross for Michael Owen to nod home from close range. It was the striker’s second goal in as many tour games.

That signalled the start of a period of Reds dominance: Young forced a fine save from veteran goalkeeper Kasey Keller, Owen had an effort cleared off the line and Macheda, who looked particularly sharp up front, saw a header fly just past the right-hand upright.

Before half-time Montero and right-back James Riley both tested Lindegaard in the space of a few seconds but the Danish goalkeeper made two smart stops to preserve the Reds’ advantage.

Owen should have doubled the lead on 43 minutes when he went one-on-one with Keller but shot into the stopper’s legs – Michael then had the misfortune of inadvertently clearing Nani’s effort off the Sounders’ line from the resulting corner.

Sir Alex made four changes at the break and within six minutes of the restart two of those were on the scoresheet. First, Mame Biram Diouf latched onto Nani’s chipped ball before rounding substitute goalkeeper Terry Boss and firing home from a tight angle.

Then Wayne Rooney blasted into the roof of the net from eight yards after Nani had done well down the right and pulled the ball back to the waiting striker It wasn’t all one-way traffic, though: Ben Amos, on for Lindegaard, made a flying save to deny Mike Fucito and Pat Noonan clipped the bar with a volley as Seattle continued to push forward in search of goals.

That left space at the back, which Rooney exploited on 69 minutes when he found time to control and fire, left-footed, into the far corner. Park did the same two minutes later, arriving at the back post to slot home unmarked for United’s fifth before Rooney swept home Obertan’s cross to complete a quickfire hat-trick.

The Frenchman then wrapped up the scoring himself when he burst clear and finished neatly past Boss to notch United's seventh unanswered goal. Seattle residents won’t forget this game in a hurry.

United: Lindegaard (Amos 46); Rafael, Ferdinand, Vidic (Evans 56), Evra (Fabio 56); Nani (Obertan 56), Anderson, Giggs (Park 46), Young (Carrick 65); Owen (Diouf 46), Macheda (Rooney 46)

Subs not used: de Gea, Smalling, Jones, Cleverley, Welbeck

11. RYAN GIGGS

Birthdate:	29 Nov 1973
Birthplace:	Cardiff, Wales
Position:	Midfielder
Appearances	876
Goals Scored	159
Joined United:	09 Jul 1990
United Debut:	02 Mar 1991 v Everton (H)
International:	Wales (retired)

The only surprise about Ryan Giggs being named PFA Player's Player of the Year in April 2009 was that it had taken so long for him to win the prestigious award.

After all, he'd previously received countless other individual gongs - including the

PFA Young Player award twice in his early career - not to mention more team honours than any other United player in the club's illustrious history.
Ryan is United's record appearance-maker; he surpassed Sir Bobby Charlton's 758 on the night he helped the Reds secure a third European Cup triumph - his second - in Moscow on 21 May 2008.
He's also the only player to have scored in every Premier League season; he maintained that remarkable record with a volley in United's opening-day win over Newcastle in August 2010.

United's most decorated player might never have graced Old Trafford, however, had it not been for Sir Alex Ferguson’s intervention. Cardiff-born Giggs was attending Manchester City's School of Excellence in his early teens, but Sir Alex made a personal visit to his house on his 14th birthday and Ryan jumped at the chance to sign for his boyhood favourites.
Ryan turned professional at United in November 1990 and made his league debut in the old Division One against Everton at Old Trafford on 2 March 1991 as a substitute for Denis Irwin. His first league start in 1991/92 also proved a memorable occasion, as he also scored his first ever United goal that day (albeit via a huge deflection off Colin Hendry) in a 1-0 win over Manchester City.
Giggs' first senior trophy arrived in November 1991 as United beat Red Star Belgrade in the European Super Cup final - Ryan came on for Lee Martin. He picked up his second winners' medal five months later as the Reds beat Nottingham Forest in the League Cup final. The following season, 1992/93, saw Giggs and United win the inaugural Premier League title.

Ryan was an integral part of two Double-winning sides, in 1993/94 and 1995/96, before going one better in 1998/99 by adding the European Cup to the FA Cup and Premier League trophy. His contributions to the Treble-winning campaign included a superb solo goal to win the FA Cup semi-final replay against Arsenal at Villa Park, commonly regarded as one of United's greatest ever goals.

Ryan celebrated 10 years at Old Trafford with a testimonial match against Celtic in 2001/02. A year later he bagged his 100th career goal in the 2-2 draw with Chelsea at Stamford Bridge and became only the second-ever player to play 700 games for United when he helped the Reds to a dramatic 1-0 win over Liverpool at Anfield in March 2007. Two months later, he became a league title winner for the ninth time, beating the record of eight championship medals held by Liverpool legends Phil Neal and Alan Hansen.

In the interests of prolonging his club career at the highest level, Ryan retired from international football with Wales in June 2007 after 64 games and 12 goals. In October 2007, he extended his United contract to June 2009.

December 2007 brought two landmark feats - Ryan was awarded the OBE (Order of the British Empire) for his services to football and he scored his 100th league career goal in the 4-0 home win over Derby County.

Ryan crowned the epic 2007/08 season, his 18th in United's first team, by scoring the Reds' second goal in the last-day league win at Wigan and slotting home what proved to be the decisive penalty in the Champions League final shoot-out.

Giggs' career continued with a flourish during 2008/09, when he adopted a more central position in midfield or just off the main striker as the Reds retained the title.

Used primarily in his old wing position during 2009/10, Ryan was one of the Reds' most consistent performers until February when, in a challenge with Aston Villa's Steve Sidwell, he fractured his right arm and missed five weeks of football. The injury forced Giggs out of key European ties, as well as the Carling Cup final but he returned in late March to drive United's relentless (yet ultimately unsuccessful) bid for a fourth consecutive title.

Despite not adding to his medals tally, there was still much to celebrate personally in 2009/10. He was named BBC Sports Personality of the Year - on 30 November, the day after his 36th birthday - and a few weeks later he extended his Reds contract by one year.

Giggs' most recent season brought another landmark, as he surpassed Charlton's United league appearances record by playing his 607th game against Liverpool in March 2011.

He'd already penned another one-year deal and this was no sentimental gesture by Sir Alex: his elder statesman continued to produce some instrumental performances both in the middle and out wide. The 2010/11 title triumph was Giggs' 12th in total: it's a record that almost defies belief.

7. MICHAEL OWEN

7. MICHAEL OWEN

Birthdate:	14 Dec 1979
Birthplace:	Chester, England
Position:	Striker
Appearances	48
Goals Scored	14
Joined United:	03 Jul 2009
United Debut:	09 Aug 2009 v Chelsea (N)
International:	England

His July 2009 arrival at Old Trafford may have raised a few eyebrows, but former Liverpool striker Michael Owen is undoubtedly one of the finest goalscorers in the history of English football.
The Chester-born forward notched up more than 200 goals for Liverpool, Real Madrid and Newcastle United, plus 40 goals in 89 England internationals prior to signing for Sir Alex Ferguson's men.

Owen burst to prominence at his boyhood side, Liverpool, where he scored on his first-team debut aged just 17. His lightning pace, untraceable movement and clinical finishing made him a Premier League revelation, and it wasn’t long before he took the international stage by storm.

The 1998 World Cup in France was Michael’s springboard, as he scored an incredible solo goal in England’s second-round tie with Argentina. While red-carded United midfielder David Beckham became something of a scapegoat for the Three Lions’ penalty shootout exit, Owen was hailed a national hero.

His Liverpool career went from strength to strength, and in 2001 his part in the Merseysiders' triple cup haul of UEFA Cup, FA Cup and League Cup – together with international feats including a hat-trick against Germany – earned him the Ballon d’Or and FWA Player of the Year awards.

Michael left Liverpool after eight years following the arrival of new manager Rafael Benitez, swapping countries with the new man at the Anfield helm as he moved to Real Madrid. Although he was only in La Liga for a season, Owen bagged 14 goals in 22 starts for Real before a surprise £16million move to Newcastle.

A spate of injuries underscored Owen’s career at St James’ Park, and his four seasons with the Magpies yielded only 65 starts, although he did still notch 30 goals in that time. Michael’s contract expired in the summer of 2009, at which point Sir Alex swooped to sign the famed goal-poacher on a free transfer, offering him a two-year deal.

He got his United career off to the perfect start with a winning goal on his non-competitive debut during the 2009 Asia Tour. After coming off the bench in the 61st minute, Owen pounced on a loose ball after Ryan Giggs had been tackled in the area and coolly slotted home to secure a 3-2 win over a Malaysian XI.

The striker's first official goal for the Reds came in the 5-0 away win over Wigan Athletic on 22 August 2009, but his second strike, on 20 September, was the one that instantly catapulted him into Old Trafford folklore. After coming on as a late substitute, he popped up in the 96th minute to collect Giggs' penetrative pass and make it 4-3 to United in a thrilling Manchester derby.

Although two thirds of his appearances were as a sub, Owen's tally of nine goals in all competitions more than justified his acquisition. That’s especially true given the importance of some of those efforts – including a hat-trick away to Wolfsburg in the Champions League and the opening goal in the 2010 Carling Cup final.

It was so unfortunate that Owen's injury curse came back to haunt him shortly after that latter strike, not only curtailing his first season at United but also snuffing out any hopes he might have had of being in England's 2010 World Cup squad. And of course, we'll never know what difference Michael might have made to the title race that United lost by just one point had he been fit in March, April and May.

Wayne Rooney, Dimitar Berbatov and new signing Javier Hernandez kept Owen on the bench for much of 2010/11, but though he started only four games in all competitions, he managed five goals.

His 11 league appearances (10 from the bench) were enough to earn him a first Premier League winners' medal, followed by a one-year contract extension in June.

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