On a very muggy night in the City of Brotherly Love, Manchester United survived a bit of a scare from the Philadelphia Union as they defeated Major League Soccer's newest franchise 1-0.
Gabriel Obertan grabbed the lone goal of the match with just under 15 minutes to play to secure United's second win in as many matches on their Tour 2010.
It was hard-fought, well-earned victory for United, because they were forced to deal with not only the heat & humidity, but also the enthusiasm of the Union players.
Just like he did in the 1-0 win over Celtic F.C., Sir Alex Ferguson opted for a very young starting line-up, but this time youth and inexperienced showed against a very energetic side.
Blown
Soccer comes down to one thing - finishing. That is, without question, the major difference between a good team and an average team, because a team must take their chance when it presents itself or they will be punished.
Shockingly, some of the best chances of the match fell to the feet to the Union following some impressive combination play between their midfielders and forwards, but they were unable to put the ball in the net.
Both Danny Mwanga and Sébastien Le Toux failed to really test Tomasz Kuszczak, because they either shot just wide or directly into the United goalkeeper's chest.
The athleticism and energy of the Union players was there for all to see, but these player's raw talent is not being properly groomed, so they become the finished product.
A lot of Union supporters may say that it was their nerves, but in football, it is about instinctive reaction rather than thought or ability.
Concern
Despite it being just a pre-season warm-up, Sir Alex will have to wonder why some of his budding stars did not produce.
Players that failed to take their chances were Tom Cleverley, Danny Welbeck and the highly-regarded Frederico Macheda.
It was Cleverley's first start for the United first-team, so it was almost expected that he would have a bit of a rough go, but when he is partnered with the legendary Paul Scholes in the midfield, he should have become more settled as the match wore on.
Welbeck had a couple of very good chances to put United ahead, but like the Union frontmen, he lacked the quality that was need in front of goal. To his credit, though, the 19-year old came alive in the second-half as United looked for the break through.
Macheda was impressive with his back to goal, but he was unable to establish a formidable partnership with Welbeck up top.
Each of these players will be looking to break into the first-team squad this coming season, but they will need to put in more accomplished performances if they have a chance of ousting any of the current members.
Matchball
When a team is on the back foot and clearly not clicking they are sometimes forced to rely on the composure of one of their defenders, and Jonny Evans provided just that.
The young central defender put in a good performance against the Union and at times it looked as they he was the only one paying attention.
On numerous occasions, Evans came to the rescue of his fellow defenders with either timely interceptions or blocks, and that ultimately preserved the shutout for the Reds.
Visit One United USA's official Tour 2010 site - unitedinthestates.blogspot.com - for the latest updates and information about the training sessions for the United States part of the tour.
The Tour 2010 is primarily about getting the players fit for a long, grueling season, but if Manchester United lost yesterday it would have dented their chances at capturing America's affection.
Ratings
T. Kuszczak - 7; J. O'Shea -6 (R. De Laet - 5), W. Brown - 5 (C. Smalling - 6), J. Evans - 8, Fabio - 5 (Rafael - 6); G. Obertan - 6, P. Scholes - 6 (C. Evans - 7), T. Cleverley - 4 (D. Fletcher - 6), R. Giggs - 6; D. Welbeck - 6, F. Macheda - 5 (D. Berbatov - 7)
Goals
G. Obertan
Bookings
P. Scholes
Contributed by David Hammons / United View From Abroad
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