United did really get burned in that first half at the Soldier Field Stadium, needing a significant injection of talent and flair in Nani and Rooney before eventually dispatching off Chicago Fire in soaring temperatures in Illinois.
The best part about the game was that Phil Jones and David De Gea finally got their debuts and Ge Gea in particular did pull a couple of saves that showed one or two things about him that the fans wanted to see.
Wayne Rooney came off the bench to get the leveller, Rafael exhibited some Brazilian full-back attacking to put us ahead and Nani added the cherry on the cake late on. Once again it was our endurance for the '90 minutes that won us the match compared to our opponents who seemed to tire from the hour mark. If anything, the win kept the vultures in the sky as United couldn't simply afford to let the early goal and temperatures cost them victory. Defeat for us will make all sorts of headlines whilst the media will overlook the fact that Hull City thrashed Liverpool 3-0 earlier in the day.
The manager was pleased with the fact that the team managed to ovecome some sort of adversity for the first time in the tour and it puts us in good stead going into the toughest of the four MLS games; the All Stars game on Wednesday in New Jersey; Sir Alex will also have Chicharito available for the first time since Wembley on that day. We're gradually building up strength as we head into the Barcelona game and the Manchester City clash at Wembley.
It's also nice to note that we have such a big squad of players and that can prove to be invaluable in a league campaign as we have found out over the last few years.
Labels: PRE-SEASON
