By CALEB SONNELAND
In the second match of its preseason tour of the States, Manchester United made its dominance on the world soccer scene known with a demolition of the hosting Seattle Sounders ending at 7-0 in front of 67,052 attendees.
Despite only being on the field for 45 minutes, Wayne Rooney showed just why he is considered one of the premier strikers in the world, notching a hat trick and giving the Sounders back line a torrid night.
Rooney came on at the halftime break and it only took him six minutes to get off the mark. The Red Devil was found 10 yards out by Nani before taking a touch and smashing the ball into the roof of the net. He fizzed a left-footed shot into the far post 18 minutes later, before wrapping up the hat trick in the 72nd to put an exclamation point on his 45-minute shift.
"It was nice to score. It was a good workout, so I liked the result," said Rooney. "It's always a big thing to get your preseason under your belt, so that's the main thing."
Sounders head coach Sigi Schmid started a near identical lineup to the Starting XI that topped Colorado the week prior, a side which stood toe-to-toe with United up to halftime, earning a 0-1 difference. However, at the break, Schmid altered his squad almost completely, putting in fringe players to contest with the likes of Rooney and Park Ji-Sung. The difference between the two Sounders lineups was starkly clear as United cruised to a 6-0 second-half performance.
"You ever heard the cliché 'a game of two halves'? Hopefully, it's a learning experience, because we put some young guys out on the field in the second half.
"Everybody thinks they can play in the Premier League. They think that if they got the break, or if this had worked out or if that had worked out, I could have made it. Actually, no, you can't. You need to learn to figure it out."
The Premier League champions opened scoring early in the 15th minute when Michael nodded home an Ashley Young cross for his second goal of the preseason. Young was thrown a heavy shoulder from James Riley inside the area but the winger got his cross off, and Owen was left unmarked at the back post for a free header to make it 1-0.
Owen's replacement, Mame Biram Diouf, made it 2-0 shortly after the break after a beautiful through ball from Nani allowed the striker in behind the Sounders back line. Diouf controlled, rounded Terry Boss and cooly converted into the far side-netting in the 49th minute.
Other halftime substitutes Mame Biram Diouf, Park Ji-Sung and Gabriel Obertan registered goals in the steam rolling, with Nani and Obertan each notching two assists on the night.
"They're one of the best counter-attacking teams in the world, and we gave them all the space they needed to do what they're best at," said Keller after the game.
It wasn't all bad for Seattle, as it was able to welcome back long-time absentee O'Brian White back to action late in the game. The striker came on late but got a few touches on the ball having been out since April with a serious blood clot injury.
Lamar Neagle, James Riley, Pat Noonann and trialist Mrisho Alfani Ngassa all had good efforts on goal, but none were able to convert as Seattle was condemned to a thumping at home.
Keller has been at the center of some controversy in the build up to the MLS All Star game on July 27th. After initially getting voted onto the Starting XI, Keller then found out he was omitted from the 22-man squad by the league. However, everything has been settled and you can expect to see the shot stopper accounted for at the match.
""I'll be there," said Keller. "It worked out in the end, let's just put it that way."
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What did you make of the game? Who was your Man of the Match? Is 7-0 an accurate reflection of the game?
Share your thoughts below.
Actually agree with this. I’d like to see no reserves as these matches. I’m curious to see how we really stack up against these Euro teams. Full strength, both sides for 90
I read a stat that the entire Sounders second half roster’s salary combined was less than the least paid Man U player out there haha
Glad Seattle was taught a lesson on humility. Thanks ManU.
By the 70th minute you had guys who had not played one minute of any competitive matches this year on the pitch for the Sounders.
To quote the late, great, Rip Torn: It’s like watching a bunch of retards trying to hump a doorknob out there
For some reason Zach Scott, a RB, was playing LB. Sure, let’s try him out there, why not against Man U? That’s a good barometer.
Then let’s put Estrada, who’s a forward, at RIGHT BACK. That’s a natural transition!
And yes, let’s play the entire roster, because pride is for losers.
Dude. The Sounders pulled the first team at half, when the match was 1-0. The Sounders first team actually put up a fight.
It was the third team by the 70th, and Rooney, Nani, Ji-Sung are going to eat those guys up. I’m not complaining, it was still entertaining. Just take it with a grain of salt given those circumstances
It still reads 7-0 around the world.
+1
just means your B and C teams are a bit better.
Also means your 2nd GK is better. Ours, Boss, single handedly screwed up 2 goals
you are a complete idiot and need to never feel the need to post on any board on the internet the rest of your entire life.
if you watched the game whatsoever or had any knowledge of the game (which i assume you have neither), you would have seen the sounders STARTING XI do very well and could have been 1-1 at half, and the sounders RESERVES be completely horrible and make the game a mockery
Sounders keep their starters in and its a close match..
Wow im a Galaxy fan and thats embarassing….well at least teh Galaxy only lost 4-1 and we actually scored even if we got over-powered….thats cause the Galaxy is better than the Sounders…oh and Real Madrid and Man U are around the same level. GO GALAXY we play against Man City this weekend….also Philly won again i think it was Everton
Just once I’d like to see an MLS team stick with an A team against an EPL or La Liga giant. This game was 1-0 at the half. NE vs. Man U was 0-0 at the half. And then the MLS puts its B and C team on the field and the Euro giants destroy the MLS minnows. But it’s not a very accurate representation of what a ‘real’ game would look like. Man U is still gonna win most of the time, but it’s a much more respectable game. Why do so many reserves need to play in these games. I don’t give a damn about their ‘life experience.’ That’s what the reserve league is for. Either MLS teams need to start taking these games seriously or the league should stop thrusting them upon us. It actually LOWERS our reputation around the world.
1st half – @soundersfc vs. #MUFC – Possession 48%-52%, Shots 11-8, SOG 4-4, Corners 2-8, Fouls 3-1, Pass Completion 85%-83%, Offsides 0-2. 2ND HALF @soundersfc vs. #MUFC – Possession 51%-48%, Shots 20-19, SOG 6-12, Corners 8-10, Fouls 6-7, Pass Completion 83%-82%, Offsides 0-2. Do those stats that are provided by OPTA sound like a 7-0 game?
Sure. But it’s fair to say the game was torrid, in a German pun sort of way.
LOL EMAIL!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Kansas City beat them 2-1 last year. Just say’n.
I was at the game. Enjoyed the first half quite a lot! Kudos to the Sounders for showing skill and class. It’s certainly clear, though, that the MLS salary cap (the principal of which I support) leads to a precipitous drop off in talent or at least sharpness towards the lower end of the roster (bless those guys, though).
Still, I felt it was a bit unsporting to save Rooney for the second half. Everybody knew the reserves were going to come in. The whistle blew and they eagerly jumped out of the trench to their slaughter…
“and giving the Sounders back line a torrid night”
how do you give someone a torrid night? was it hot in seattle? was god playing? yet another example of anglophile word choice (incorrect at that) on this site making for an unpleasant read. i come here far less than i used to — the writing (and editing, or lack thereof) has really slipped. either use a dictionary or use a word you know.
LOL FLOUNDERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The score and the article are very misleading. Seattle’s starting 11 played very well in the first half, probably better than ManU, even considering the Sounders’ defensive lapse and unfortunate finishing. The 1-0 score at half showed the parity in the game.
Second half was little league “everyone plays” for Seattle, and ManU put in Rooney and Park. While the Sounders had practically zero offensive possession in the second half, they still managed to create a surprising number of chances they didn’t capitalize on. All the Sounders can say they played against one of the best clubs in the world for the rest of their lives, but it obviously allowed the game to become a blowout.
Choopa
Just can’t see… it’s just a friendly
I doubt Seattle will do much in CCL since Monterrey is in that group and all.
More than anything, all these friendlies expose the lack of depth in MLS. MLS teams typically hold their own with the starters in and then fall apart when the reserves come on. No shame in that given the salary cap limitations.
Actually an average MLS team should do better in a one-off against Man. U. than an all-star team. Soccer is a sport that is very dependent on familiarity and chemistry. Take 11 all-stars who have never played together and their combined ability is typically going to be less than the average collection of 11 “decent professionals with 1-2 all stars thrown in” that comprises an MLS starting side. There’s also the fact that some of our “all stars” in any given year are simply popular has-beens/up-and-comers, not truly an MLS best-11.
Bad news for Hanauer that 2 rookies were presumably overmatched, maybe overawed and didn’t measure up against Man Utd? Please tell me which members of the 2011 rookie class would have done a better job in the same circumstances.
Seattle = overrated.
Stop thinking with your asscumsucker.
Wasn’t the cross on the first goal from Evra? Also… the first half was a good reflection of the skill of our team. Had Man U been full starters… I don’t know that the score would have been all that different as the only goal was a very pin-point accurate shot and Seattle had a lot of good possession. We actually looked like the better team first half and it felt unfortunate we were down a goal. Then the reserves came in… and then the reserves, reserves. If we had half the budget of Man U, we could have had some depth as well.
I thought Seattle’s first team did well against Man U. They created some good chances, and Keller kept them in it. Their finishing was lacking though. They should have went into the half at least 1 to 1. The second half showed that after the 1st team, Seattle’s depth is really lacking. At least to compete against Man U. Man U can easily field 2-3 starting lineups. Regardless of how you analyze this, 7-0 is a terrible result for any professional team. At least some young players got to play against a really good team, I guess…
yea! seriously! rabble rabble! the sounders just ruined the league!
stop breathing out of your mouth moron.
He means most of the guys out there don’t even make the reserve team. They are C team guys.
First XI competed mightily. Unfortunately, the salary cap may have had something to do with the 2nd half.
This just shows everybody what they already know. There is nothing wrong with this truth. The MLS is not as good as the top leagues. Shocker. It is still a fun and growing league.
Shame goes to the other teams that can’t make their own money and force us to deal with this ridiculous salary cap.
Que?
Hopefully this will extinguish some of the flaming man boy love that the writers at this website have been heaping upon Seattle lately. They’re nothing more than an average MLS team that just horribly embarrassed the entire league.
Funny thing is that by late in the second half the Sounders 11 was getting close to a full tier beneath the regular reserve squad.
If you are going to play these friendlies, you better show up to play. Okay, so Seattle went with the entire roster, and it was some no names that gave up all the goals. Nobody else knows that. All anybody sees is 7-0 Man U over one of the best MLS teams in the league. This just shows everybody that the MLS is not very good compared to the other leagues in the world.
Shame on Seattle tonight.
(As Bill Parcells would say) 7-0 is 7-0. Love it!
Sad part is Seattle is undefeated in reserve play. Maybe we should switch to a minor league system.
I REALLY don’t wanna sound like one of those schmucks who make excuses for blowouts-so I wont. Tonight was EMBARRASSING! I’m gonna drink a cocktail and go to bed after I post this.
But please allow me to point out that the first half saw a Sounders starting 11 play pretty damn good against a mostly* starting 11 Man U.
Goodnight all!
1st half Sounders represented the league VERY well.
2nd half … Estrada (a 3rd string attacking midfielder), Scott (a 30+ small back-up & outside back not center back), Graham (a 30+ perpetually injured but never plays anyway), and Tetteh (who has 0 total minutes of professional experience) = a slight liability.
United 7 Sounders 0, and the Sounders owned the first half. One thing that sticks out among many is finishing. Sounders just have poor technique while United has classic finishing. Ianni responsible for first two goals, playing neither man nor ball. For some reason He just drifts into empty space? Sounders first side looked very good, if Hurtado was in for Ianni then top notch. Bad news for GM Hanauer, his first two draft picks stunk up the pitch. Both Tetteh and Carrassco looked terrible, completely lost. No one from the reserves stood out for the boss, except Fucito. If the starting 11 stayed in it would have been a great match.
Good way not to promote the league.
highlights???????????????
Why can’t we play Barca in the ASG it will be very entertaining to see the score of that game.
Sigi played everyone, regardless of skill. Great for the young players but bad for the team ego.
I think…….. they’ll “lose”, yes but it’ll be 4-2 or 3-1 probably.
Considering United spanked MLS all-stars last year what can be expected from the Seattle Sounders? This years all-star squad is going to get abused by slightly less, 5-nil ManU.
Maybe Seattle should keep the turf
OOWNED OWNED OWNED OWNED OWNED OWNED OWNED OWNED OWNED OWNED OWNED OWNED OWNED OWNED OWNED OWNED OWNED
OWNED OWNED OWNED OWNED OWNED OWNED OWNED OWNED OWNED
OWNED OWNED OWNED OWNED OWNED OWNED OWNED OWNED OWNED
…..LIFT THE CAP PLEASE 5 MILLION WILL DO, THANK YOU.
Dear Seatle Sounders,
When playing ManU pay attention to where #10 is(thats Wayne Rooney) he is 1 of the top 10 players in the world.
The B squad is going to Panama