July 22-28, 2004

mixpicks

Heady Games

by Juliet Fletcher

After years where the greatest thrill in sports matches was the tantalizing possibility of a giant-killing, promoters have decided to flip the script: Why not pair two mammoth teams against each other, both sooo undefeated that the ultimate display of technique will ensue, and then — best of all! — one of them gets slain. Everyone leaves happy.

This has proven to be a particularly successful setup for soccer, where regular games are notable for their low scores, at least compared to football or baseball. In the recent European Championship, for example, even the tensest, most action-packed games could finish with a score of just 2-1.

While national soccer teams compete in that tournament, the big names in the sport are well-established city teams that trade players and compete year-round. In this week's exhibition match at Lincoln Financial Field, Manchester United meets Celtic from Glasgow, the perennial leaders of the English and Scottish Premierships respectively. English fans, fresh from their team's Euro thrashing last month by Croatia, will be glad that David Beckham (recent Vanity Fair cover star whose missed penalty shot lost that game for 'em) will be absent since he was traded from Man U. to Real Madrid two years ago; his old team, still routinely compared to the Yankees in terms of financial resources and generally boring unbeatability, retains star players like Rio Ferdinand and Ryan Giggs (pictured). Celtic (pictured in green and white stripes), meanwhile has a tougher rep on- and off-pitch, and certainly some fairly, er, vocal fans. Not that I'm suggesting the real match is supporter vs. supporter in the parking lot afterwards, or anything …

Manchester United vs. Glasgow Celtic, Wed., July 28, 8 p.m., $35-$135, Lincoln Financial Field, Pattison Ave. and 11th St., 215-336-2000.