Cheers! United stars land in Boston to find that, yes, everybody knows their names..

By David McDonnell

Published 17:46 13/07/11

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How fitting Manchester United kicked off their US tour in Boston, home of the iconic TV show Cheers, with its familiar theme tune: 'Where Everybody Knows Your Name'.

That's because everybody knows Manchester United's name, although you wouldn't have guessed it from the modest group of fans who had assembled outside the Four Seasons Hotel in Boston for the squad's arrival.

A crowd of no more than 50 fans had gathered to greet the squad, a far cry from the frenzied scenes in the Far East, where thousands of supporters welcome the players with a fervour bordering on hysteria.

But only half a dozen cameramen were present for United's arrival in Boston, most notable for the bizarre sight of Rio Ferdinand, last off the coach, diligently filming the fans on his phone, like an awestruck fan.

United have been named by Forbes magazine as the most valuable sports team in the world, worth an estimated $1.86billion, ahead of the Dallas Cowboys, New York Yankees and Real Madrid, the next football team on the list after them, fifth with an estimated value of £1.45bn.

But United's loy-key arrival from Logan International Airport was not befitting that of a team ranked the most lucrative on the planet, a reminder that for all their domestic and European success, as well as global fan base of 333million, America remains a tough market to crack.

United came to the States in 2003 and 2004, then flitted between the Far East and South Africa before returning here for pre-season in 2010 after an absence of six years.

It was a different story at United's first training session, at the Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, where thousands of fans turned out to watch them train under the guidance of Sir Alex Ferguson and his staff.

United's players showed their class by engaging in a marathon autograph session for those who turned out to watch them, a measure of their commitment to their fan-base on this side of the Atlantic and understanding of their obligation to them.

The US is, without question, the preferred choice of the players for pre-season tours, not least for the relative anonymity they are afforded, which enables them to walk around the various cities without being mobbed by hordes of fans.

"I like it here in Boston," said Dimitar Berbatov. "It's a nice, quiet town. That's what I see.

"It's my first time here and it's very warm. Finally, some sun for us. In Manchester it's a bit rainy, so it's a good thing that we're here.

"Football is always the same wherever you are. You go, you train, you play, you meet people and that's it. Nothing too different. 

"But we're back here [in the US] because last year was great for everybody. We were talking between ourselves about how nice it was, which is why we're back."

United skipper Nemanja Vidic echoed Berbatov. "We have the peace of walking in the park [in Boston] and we enjoy it," said Vidic.

"I'm looking forward to New York. We have one day off there. I can see certain things and I have some friends there, so maybe I can have time to see them.

"We are looking to prepare ourselves as best we can for the new season and all the expectation. We get to know each other, we socialise [on these tours] and we need to build a good atmosphere, which is very important for a team in sport.

"We had some success last season, winning the Premier League trophy, so hopefully we'll have a good pre-season, win the trophy again and be successful again."

In the first week of a pre-season tour, the players are in upbeat mood, the excitement of a new season and being back with their team-mates, some new, creating an infectious sense of camaraderie.

By week two, as my 10 years of pre-season tours with United have confirmed, the novelty factor has worn off for many players, coaching staff, officials and journalists, who start to miss their families and the familiarity of home.

By week three, everyone is desperate to get home and back to some kind of normality, the early enthusiasm and ebullience replaced by an outbreak of cabin fever.

One player who will not miss the three-week trek of the US is Paul Scholes, notorious for his hatred of being away from his family for long periods,

Now retired, Scholes admitted last week that he could think of few things worse than a lengthy stint in the States. "Three weeks in America?" said Scholes. "I don't know about that."

Scholes laughed when he was reminded of the time on United's pre-season tour of the Far East in 2007, when he flew home early from Macau with an injury that seemed to be caused more by homesickness than any physical affliction.

"Ankle?" recalled Scholes. "It was my knee, wasn't it? Macau, yeah, that was one flight too many."

Still, the long-haul pre-season tour is now a necessary part of a club like United's calendar year, with its lucrative financial and commercial benefits, as well as the chance to train in a warm climate more conducive to getting players in perfect physical shape for the new season.

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