Report: Kansas City Wizards v Manchester United

Kansas City Wizards fans may have just experienced the best 90 minutes of the season this past weekend at Arrowhead Stadium. The match had plenty to offer and the 53,000 fans in attendance didn’t leave disappointed. Although it wasn’t a “must win game” for either side, the fact that both teams played attacking football and showed plenty of energy made it an entertaining game.

Manchester United fans have been quick to remind people that the likes of Wayne Rooney, Rio Ferdinand and Michael Carrick weren’t a part of the action but Alex Ferdinand certainly didn’t pick a reserve team for the game. With the level of talent on the field, simply put, Manchester United should have won the game. Although the North American tour is essentially a warm-up, loosing to a mid-table MLS team isn’t ideal preparation for the upcoming season.

In the opening minutes, it became clear that the Wizards were full of confidence and weren’t going to allow United to dictate the pace of the game. The starting midfield of Giggs, Scholes, Gibson and Nani shared more experience between them than the entire Wizards squad but they were never allowed to fully control the flow of the game.

Sitting deep in midfield, Paul Scholes aimed to control Manchester United’s play but along with others he was careless in possession and the attack was broken up by the resilient Wizards. The controversial penalty and second Kansas City goal provided plenty of talking points for the record-breaking crowd. The majority cheered for both teams whenever they produced something out of the ordinary; providing a really positive atmosphere.

The second half saw the 10-man Wizards side sit back and soak up some of the Manchester United pressure. An equalizer seemed inevitable but despite the fresh legs of Obertan, Fabio and Wellbeck it never came. The crowd were well aware that Manchester United have a habit of leaving it late so few dared to try and beat the traffic by slipping out a few minutes early.

By the end of the game, the Kansas City Wizards had definitely captured the adulation of soccer fans that had yet to get behind their home town team; fans that the club owners will be hoping help fill their new stadium in 2011. Despite not getting the result, Alex Ferguson will be able to take a lot from the game. Question marks will be raised over some players. Ritchie De Laet did little to convince fans he’s worthy of the Manchester United jersey and Rafael struggled to keep the impressive Ryan Smith at bay.

Furthermore, Arrowhead Stadium proved that it’s a real contender for World Cup soccer; the exceptional playing surface and recent renovations combined to provide the perfect setting for the match. Overall the game will go down as a historic day for soccer in the Mid West and the Kansas City Wizards. Luckily for them, Manchester United will soon be able to forget about it.

Written by Olly: He watched the game wearing the new Manchester United Jersey from SoccerPro.com