ManUtd.com spoke to Chicago-based David Herman, marketing officer for One United USA, to get his thoughts on the Reds' league success and chances of European glory…
We know fans in the US were already looking forward to Tour 2011, but is there extra fervour now that United are English champions again?
Yes, I think United winning a dramatic title race and reaching the Champions League final means there's an even bigger buzz about the tour this summer. Other English and European clubs are touring here too, and consequently there will be thousands of soccer fans traversing our vast country. But United are the biggest club of all, of course, and to have them returning for a second consecutive summer is very exciting. I think the fact the full squad is coming – with Wayne Rooney, Rio Ferdinand, Nemanja Vidic and the other World Cup stars who missed out in 2010 – is also valuable to American fans, probably as valuable as United being champions this time.
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| Javier Hernandez Chicharito |
One United USA members were at Old Trafford when the Reds virtually won the title, at home to Chelsea. How was the trip?
It couldn’t have been better! We booked it a long way in advance, so it was fantastic to have the Schalke semi-final fall in the same week. Twenty members came over and for the majority, it was their first time at Old Trafford after years of getting up early to watch United on TV. I think the magnitude of the two games humbled us because there is no correlative experience in the Stateside. A few tears - of joy – were shed!
Do American fans have a special affinity with the first scorer against Chelsea, Javier Hernandez?
Yes, we do. He scored on his debut in the States of course, but nobody could foresee the impact he was going to make. I think he’s bridged the gap between the American fans who are familiar with the history and appreciate the longevity of Scholes and Giggs, and those who’ve been caught up in a new wave of exposure that might not have been there without this exciting and talented Mexican. It remains to be seen how much of a part he can play on the tour because he’s representing his country in June but if he comes to the States again, I’m sure we can expect more Chicharito fever.
Where were you when United won the title at Blackburn?
I’d love to embellish this one, but because I’d just returned from our trip to Old Trafford and then a business trip, I watched it on the couch with my son who I named after Ryan Giggs! I had to be online and post content on our website too. But elsewhere, there were big gatherings of United fans – for example, MUSC Chicago had one hundred people together in their bar at six o’clock in the morning, the New York Reds had two hundred… this rallying around and the lengths that fans go to and the times they get up at to watch the United games shows a commendable spirit.
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| Javier Hernandez Chicharito And Luois Nani |
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| Javier Hernandez Chicharito |
Are you backing the Reds to make it a double by winning the Champions League?
I feel great about our chances. We’ll have a full squad available, we’re at Wembley – so almost a home crowd - and I think Sir Alex has a lot of points he wants to prove after the final two years ago. If we’re still in the game by the 80th minute I think we’ll win 2-1, the same scoreline I called correctly for the Chelsea game. It won’t be easy against Barcelona but I know we’ll be significantly up for this. It would be good to beat them in Washington DC on Tour 2011 as well but if we have to choose just one victory, it would be at Wembley. Then Barcelona can run all over us Stateside!
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