On Manchester United: How good their 3-0 victory was today.

It took about 20 minutes, but by the time Manchester had settled in against what proved to be the lesser United (Newcastle), it was easy pickings at Old Trafford. There was a lot to see and take in today for the Red Devils, but here are my main impressions.

1. Old dogs still have plenty of tricks.

Paul Scholes (pictured above) and Ryan Giggs are the old wise men of United at this point. And they proved today that they are still a formidable force in the Premier League and that they will continue to be leaders of the team.

Scholes dictated the entire game. His long balls over the top of the hapless Magpie defense found Nani, Valencia, Berbatov, and so on. Scholes had to be man of the match today just because of his sheer ability to read and influence the flow of play. He was involved in each of United's goals with his vital running off the ball, and, of course, his work with the ball at his feet.

Ryan Giggs entered play at the 70th minute to record his 19th consecutive season in the Premier League. The 37 year old is still clearly in top form though, as it took him a short fifteen minutes to score. A beautiful Scholes ball across the 18 found Giggs at the edge of the area on the left hand side. Then, in one masterful moment, Giggs one-timed it with his left foot. The finish was top class and glided into the side netting, with Newcastle Harper completely off-guard.

Giggs wasn't done though, and continued to display his mastery of the game with incredible one touch play and great field vision.

These two grizzled warriors are well into their twilight years, but that hasn't stopped them delivering at the highest level in a big way for United.

2. Strikers: questions answered, still more raised.

A major concern for Man U this year is who is going to be the top goal scorer. With Rooney still without a goal since May, and Berbatov still trying to prove himself, it's an important question.

Berbatov helped eliminate some doubt by scoring the opening goal for United. The finish was superb, as Berbatov glided it in his trademark fashion across the face of the goal and into it's cheek, so to speak. But he would struggle from here, but sometimes it was good struggling. A number of times, Berbatov was clearly attempting to set up his strike partner, whether it was Rooney or Javier Hernandez. But when it was the wrong kind of struggling, it was ugly. Berbatov's problem, for me, has been his continued obsession with being an artist. Berb always complicated finishes, often going for the ultimate finesse, the ball that just barely squeeks into the goal. It's beautiful, but, as we saw today, it can be embarassing when you look less beautiful and more like a jackass. But I am still a big Berb supporter and I think things can only get better for him from here, as long as he gets at least 20 goals.

Wayne Rooney. The revered best striker in England. Power, speed, aggression, intensity. These are the things that we have heard about the Red Devils' number 10. But what else do we see? We see inconsistency, a lack of ability to perform at the international level. So what does his performance today tell us? I think it's all positive. Roo has remained completely selfless, setting up workhorse Darren Fletcher for a rare goal, and setting up others on numerous occassions. His finishing today, it's true, was a little less than adequate. But he wants so badly to succeed, and he's still brimming with desire and that competetitive fire. Hopefully Rooney will be back in scoring form within the next couple of weeks, and today's performance was a good start. The next step will be getting his confidence back.

Javier "Chicharito" Hernandez makes debut, does well. Despite slipping and falling in the box, and mishandling a back heel pass, the Mexican looked good on his debut. Though he didn't have a good shot on frame, Chicharito looked great in the build-up play in the final third, and was barely caught offside on a breakaway chance. I expect very bright things from "The Little Pea" in the future.

3. Out wide: the strength of the United attack.

On the receiving end of those Scholes' balls, Luis Valencia, Nani, Patrice Evra, and John O'shea looked great for United out wide. Valencia was the weak link among them, but he made up for it with great hustle and good build-up play. His problem was getting the final ball into Rooney. Nani, however, looked absolutely magical. His cross led to the Fletcher goal, and quite a few were just barely off. Both of the wingers had a great work rate and overall looked great. From the fullback position, Evra and O'Shea did a great job pushing forward and getting involved in play. When these two are up, watch for the goals to rain in.

4. Defending like mad dogs.

The way to tell if a team has got what it takes to finish in top three in the Premier League is if they can complete more than five passes in the final third in Old Trafford against United. The defense, led by Nemanja Vidic, did a great job getting the ball back and distribution was top class as well.

The only question mark for me was Johnny Evans. He's an ambitious fellow, but his clearances had me scratching my head occassionally. He didn't seem to mark as well, particularly in the air. All I'm saying is, it'll be nice to have Ferdinand back when he's fit.

Van Der Sar was perfect today, as usual. Great distribution, makes saves look easy, still one of the best keepers in the Premier League.

These are my major notes from the game today. What did you think?

Other news: Mark Shwarzer looks to be on his way to Arsenal, Scott Parker likely to sign 5 year deal for West Ham, Middlesborough keeper Brad Jones on move to Anfield, AC Milan show interest in Pompey's Kevin-Prince Boateng, in demand defender David Luis gets 40 million price tag at Benfica, questions raised over legality of Chelsea's approach of Brazilian starlet Neymar.

On Nemanja Vidic: Why he can't go to Real Madrid

Since the end of last season, Vidic has been strongly linked with a move to Real Madrid with new manager Jose Mourinho claiming he was extremely interested in the player, and had reportedly made him one of his priorities.

Vidic was quick to come out and say that he had no intention of leaving United, as long as a new contract was in the works. This was an intentional "wink-wink" at United manager Sir Alex Ferguson to draft a new, perhaps better contract for the Serbian central defender.

So, United fans and Vidic waited and waited and waited, but no new contract came. And the issue sort of died away, but then new speculation arose when a reporter asked Sir Alex after Man U's friendly against the Philadelphia Union what the history of Vidic was. Fergie sort of murmured that he couldn't confirm.

However, today, the news came out that a new contract has been penned for Vidic for 90k a week, an upgrade from his 70k a week contract that would expire in two years' time.

Now, there was no indication of an actual offer from Real Madrid, but perhaps this was a situation where the two clubs were staring each other down, waiting for the other to tip their hand. And it may be that headlines which read "Vidic open for sale, Fergie says" after Sir Alex's comment on Thursday tipped Man U's hand.

The issue with penning a new contract for Vidic is that the American Glazer family who owns the team has a strict policy about waiting until the final year of a player's contract to renew it. However, it seems they have made an exception in the case of Vidic. And with good reason.

Vidic could be the single most important player to this United team next year. The other desired first team center defender Rio Ferdinand, has once again shown how injury prone he is and could be unavailable for large portions of the season at a time. Vidic should be the rock of a back four that, other than Frenchman Patrice Evra on the left side, is very much in question. Back-ups Chris Smalling and Johnny Evans have shown that they are relatively capable of a starting position, but having an experienced leader like Vidic who is quite capable of both clearing his lines and making a stand in the final third would go an extremely long way. It will be important for a United team, that could have trouble scoring this season with Rooney out of form and Berbatov's ability to score still in question, to keep a clean sheet.

The battle of wallets between Sir Alex and Mourinho must be won for the good of Manchester United's well being in the Premier League and in international tournaments. Hopefully Vidic will stay at Old Trafford next season.

On German Youngsters: Loyal, or just naive?

Germany fielded it's youngest team ever for the World Cup this year and featured some extremely impressive young talent that blossomed wonderfully throughout the tournament. All of that flare and ingenuity amongst these new players got a lot of people wondering if any of these guys were going to make big moves during the transfer season. Here's a breakdown of what's happened so far:

1. Mesut Ozil (pictured above, playing his air turntables): Staying at Werder Bremen. I really love Werder Bremen. They've got the German keeper Wiese, German legendary center back Per Mertesacker, and now they have recent standout Mesut Ozil. Ozil (whom I have given the nickname: The Turkish Ninja, because of his ability to open up into space in the blink of an eye and strike when you least expect it) had been linked with a move to Real Madrid since the World Cup was over.

But Ozil was quick to come out and say he was interested, and then quickly say he wasn't a day later. Maybe he had a think, maybe his agent was in his ear, but whatever it was, Ozil has been adamant about his decision to stay at Bremen and has stayed away from the media. So that, as they say, is that.

2. Sami Khedira: Staying at Stuttgart. Khedira was another young standout in the World Cup who was playing for Germany (though he was also born in Turkey). Khedira made heads turn for his solid defensive work, his field vision, and his uncanny ability to string together the perfect combination of passes on the way to the goal. He's like a giant, slower, less good version of Xavi. But he can also shoot, so that's an advantage on Xavi. But here I am comparing Xavi and Khedira and forgetting what I'm talking about. Oh yeah! Real Madrid also wanted Khedira, but this move was linked before the World Cup even started.

Khedira, though, went a step further than Ozil and is reportedly "laughing off" these claims. Oh, to be young and laugh off a move to Real Madrid.

3. Lukas Podolski: Staying at Cologne. Podolski is still another player that came out of the woodwork to play for Germany (born in Poland). His pace, ability to deliver the ball in from the final third, ability to cut in from out wide, and his scoring ability made him a target for a number of major clubs, reportedly.

But Podolski has also come out and firmly stated that he is not leaving his Italian club Cologne.

These guys from Germany are aged 21, 23, and 25 respectively. They are some of the hottest players in football and are recieving offers from some of the biggest clubs in the world. Quite frankly, I hope they all stay. I do respect Madrid for trying to at least acquire two players with some chemistry together, but come on, you've got Kaka and Ronaldo, just deal.

And yet still, the speculation continues about their departure from their beloved clubs. It's being said now that Ozil could even be bound for Manchester United. Which I wouldn't necessarily mind either, we're kind of running thin on the midfield. No shot at Fletcher, Scholes, or Carrick. But they're all getting up there, we could use Ozil.

So when the dust settles, I guess we'll have to see where these youngsters end up. But for right now, whether it's belligerent teen angst left over from days not so far gone by, or an agent telling them to hold out, the kids are alright right where they are.

On Eastern Europe: The top five best attacking players

So for some reason I decided to rank my top five attacking players from Eastern Europe. There are quite a few great ones though, so this list should be interesting.

5. Dimitar Berbatov. Current club: Manchester United. Home country: Bulgaria.

If he was in better scoring form, Berbatov could top this list. But with just 12 goals last season, it's difficult to place him higher. But with that being said, Berbatov is still one of the most skilled strikers in the world. He's got an immaculate talent for finishing and a great amount of skill with the ball at his feet.

Maybe Sir Alex Ferguson has finally devised a way that Berbatov can be used to his full potential, and if he has, Man U will be hard to stop in the Premier League.

4. Andriy Schevchenko. Current club: Dynamo Kyiv. Home country: Ukraine.

Schevchenko is a legend in the truest sense of the word. If you watch any great ball skills video on youtube, he's bound to be there somewhere. He invented like four moves. He's had a career at Chelsea, AC Milan, and has decided to round out his career playing at the best club in Ukraine, the Dynamo Kyiv.

He's also been the captain of Ukraine something like six years in a row and is the current captain of the Dynamo.

3. Ivica Olic. Current club: Bayern Munich. Home country: Croatia.

Olic deserves this spot because of his hat trick in the Champions League semi-final against Lyon. But other than that, Olic has proven to be an extremely compatible strike partner to Gomez, Mueller, or Klose at Bayern. He's a great compliment to any player because of his selfless play, his top-class finishing, and his passing ability.

2. Andrei Ashravin (pictured above). Current club: Arsenal. Home country: Russia.

Ashravin is currently, in my book, the best player on Arsenal's squad. He's just the complete player. He's got everything: ball skills, shot power, pace, field vision, creativity, defensive tenacity.

He's also without question the best player on Russia's squad and could be the best player to come out of that country ever. I watch Arsenal games for Andrei first and Fabregas second, that's all I'm saying.

1. Edin Dzeko. Current club: VFL Wolfsburg. Home country: Bosnia & Herzegovinia

Dzeko was tied for the most goals last year in the Bundesliga with Kiesling. That's a massive achievement in the top scoring league in the world where over 30 players get at least 10 goals a season. Dzeko is an absolutely ruthless striker with an extremely powerful accurate shot and a real gift for finishing in the final third.

He's also been the source of a great deal of transfer buzz, garnering the attention of big name clubs like Real Madrid and reportedly Chelsea and Manchester City. But the faithful Bosniaherzegovinian was quick to shut down any speculation.

This is my list of the top five best Eastern European attacking players. Do you care at all? Comment!

On Manchester United: What we learned from their 3-1 win over Celtic

So it's been a while since I wrote anything on my favorite club, so it's time to check back in with the Red Devils. They played their season opener in a friendly against Celtic yesterday and won 3-1. Let's take a look at what I saw in this friendly match, good and bad:

1. Dimitar Berbatov: He's really freaking good. Man U fans have taken to using Berbatov as a scapegoat for any and every misfortune of the club. He does have a sort of poor scoring record (29 goals in 86 appearences) but Man U fans have to face the fact that sometimes goals don't dictate how valuable a striker is to the team.

Let me tell you right now, the players love Berbatov. Darren Fletcher came out before the match and was talking up Berbatov, stating that he was a key leader on the team. Berbatov is also the perfect antithesis to Rooney. Rooney is all hot-headed desperation and power, Berbatov is all modesty, grace, and finesse.

Fans don't like him because they claim he doesn't look like he's trying. What I saw yesterday was not a man who was not expending effort, what I saw was a man who was so skilled that he just didn't need to expend that much effort. One of the commentators said that Berbatov looked like he had "hands on his feet" his ball control was so expertly handled, and it's shocking how true that statement is. His play is so subtle, his position so well timed, that he just looks like he's barely trying. But if you could read his mind, you'd know of his genius.

And we saw just how valuable Berbatov can be in yesterday's game. They scored 3 goals right? Berbatov assited two and scored the other one. One assist was a back heel, the other was a perfectly weighted, selfless pass across the goal box to a budding Danny Welbeck. His goal was an absolutely flawless one. He deadend a bouncing ball with the heel of his foot, then in his second touch, pinwheeled his entire body and swung his leg straight through the ball, sending it careening unflichingly into the side-netting.

Berbatov is an important part of this team. Because let's face it, Rooney can't play in every goddamn game. They tried it last season and he got hurt. Ferguson needs to warm up to the idea of resting Rooney and letting Berbatov take matches that won't be as challenging, the Hull City, the West Ham, the Wigan Athletic.

Berbatov showed just how valuable he is to this organization, and hopefully Sir Alex Ferguson, and the Man U fans, have loosened the noose around his neck.

2. Youngsters. This is a Manchester United team with a lot of budding young star power. Danny Welbeck, Chris Smalling, Gabriel Obertan, the Brazilian twin full backs Fabio and Rafael, Federico Macheda, Tom Cleverly, the list goes on. Let's go through some of the key younger guys from that list and talk about how they looked yesterday.

Danny Welbeck. Welbeck is an important part of this team for a number of reasons. He's a speedster, which is something that every team needs for a 75 minute substitution when a game is tied up and you know that their back line is exhausted. He's an English national, and that always helps with the fan base at home. And he's just a really hyped up player. Yesterday, Welbeck scored, which is awesome. And he looked hungry for the goal which is also awesome. I still think Ferguson is going to want some more looks at little Danny before he decides if this will be his go to guy for a shot in the arm in the second half when they just can't get the breakthrough against Arsenal.

Chris Smalling. This guy is really important. Rio Ferdinand was injured again in the World Cup and has proved that he is probably not going to be a consistant starter and may not even be a 90 minute player anymore. So knowing that Smalling will be there to pick up the slack will be key for United. Yesterday, I was impressed with Smalling's football IQ, he seemed to know what to do at all times and seemed to have a lot of confidence. However, he did commit a terrible foul in the 18 yard box that led to Celtic's only goal off a penalty, so Fergie is probably still a little wary on him and could be looking at the other young central defender Johnny Evans, who had a great game.

Gabriel Obertan. This was the young player of the game for United, in my eyes. Obertan was brought in as attempt to smooth the creases after Ronaldo was transfered to Real Madrid two seasons ago. And in this game, Obertan showed that he could be just as creative and explosive as Ronaldo. Obertan was was giving it his all on every play, possessed an extremely creative flare, and also seemed to have a cutting edge for finishing. Fergie could be considering Obertan as a starter in place of Nani, another player brought in to try and replace Ronaldo.

Federico Macheda. The 19 year old Italian came into the match in the 75th minute and did what he does best, he created chances. He didn't score one, but he definitely was in around the goal when he needed ot be there and didn't look like he had his head up his ass like some fans have claimed that he does when comes into a game. He will be a real option late in the game for United if they need a breakthrough.

These are the things I took from Man U's opening game against Celtic. Did you see something you wanted to bring up? Comment!

On Cristiano Ronaldo: Profiling the biggest football celebrity since Beckham

^That is Cristiano Ronaldo. In 2003, when his first club Sporting FC of Portugal played Manchester United in a friendly match, United manager Sir Alex Ferguson had a revelation. By halftime, he decided: "I have to sign this boy. He is sensational." Two years later, Ronaldo would be recognized consistently as one of the three best players in the world and was absolutely tearing apart the competition alongside Wayne Rooney. He set a record that was tied this year by Lionel Messi of 43 goals across all competitions when he was at United. His performance inspired this video, and quite a few like it, that became a youtube phenomenon and sky rocketted his international celebrity.

United won three Premier League titles in a row, due in most part in most minds to Ronaldo's efforts.

However, Ronaldo's antics on and off the field soon won him a "love 'em or hate 'em" following. Those who hate him, think he is the scourge of football and represents all that is wrong with the sport. Those who love him, think he is the greatest player to ever walk the field. Much of your clout as a football enthusiast depends on what you think of Ronaldo, and that's saying a lot for any player.

He became one of the most recognizable faces in the world and was highly exposed in the media. This would only intensify the hatred of those who hate him, and would lead to massive increases in the sales of whatever sports drink or atheletic company he was representing for those who loved him.

Ronaldo was also quite vocal about his desire to go play for his childhood favorite team, Real Madrid. Soon enough, in 2009, because of the crippling debt saddled on the United Red Devils by new owners the Glazer family, Ronaldo was sold off to play for Real.

This is where my opinion of Ronaldo comes in, because this has been my first experience with him. Frankly, he's still a goal scorer, but other than a windmill of step-overs every once in a while, he doesn't flaunt all of the "wrap around crosses" and other patented moves that made him such a stupendous phenom to watch at United. Some people say that this is because he has matured as a player, and that may be so, but I have a different theory. I think he's achieved every thing he wants. It's almost like his stint as United was just him showing off to Real, which in itself is pretty impressive. Also, from watching him play, I don't detect his attitude anymore. He puts in a cross, and if his teammate can't convert it, he puts his hand in the air and says he'll do better next time, even if the cross was perfect.

I'm not sure I like the new Ronaldo though. I think I prefer him when he was screaming at refs for not calling fouls after he did 80 stepovers in a row and was cut low by a defender. I prefer when he nails a free kick from 43 yards away at an extreme angle and just puts his hands up in the air and smirks like it's not big deal. He had fire back then, attitude, personality. That was what ignited him on the field.

Now, he barely celebrates when he scores, doesn't say a word to refs, and does underwear modelling on his days off. He seems...well...bored. But this is where the World Cup comes in.

Quieroz, the Portuguese coach, has been laying the pressure on his team from day one, and continually tells his players that he expects them to win it all. Ronaldo has been the most vocal about how much pressure this puts on the players. And being in a brutal group with Brazil, Ivory Coast (now weakened with the absence of Drogba), and North Korea (who prove to be more of a fearless force week in and week out) Ronaldo and the rest of the squad are going to have to be in top form.

But Ronaldo is capable of anything, and he can take his country all the way. All he has to do is ignore all of the hype about him, ignore all of the Nike ads, ignore all of the bloodthirsty defenders who will be hacking away at him, and just shrug it off, smirk, and realize it's no big deal.

And maybe a few of those incredible juggling runs, knock-on nutmegs, spins, and fearless shots from 33 feet out will help, please.

On Manchester City: How Peter Crouch's forehead ruined the hopes and dreams of a franchise

Late in the second half of the Manchester City vs. Tottenham game, Peter Crouch bumbled into a cross and headed it into the net of City, 1-0. City was unable to respond, and secured their fifth place spot in the Premier League. Tottenham's three points from the victory secured fourth place for them and a berth into the Champions League next season. But there are two big implications for City losing this game other than not making the Champions League. Let's take a look:

1. Keeping foreign players here. Coming into this season, City were criticized as a team of stars with no real team element. Their front three clearly shows this. Carlos Tevez (pictured above), Robinho, and Emmanuel Adebayour. These guys all came to City with promises of a couple of things: a Premiership within two years, a Champions League berth this season, and a lot of playing time. It seems that those first two are going to be a little out of reach. That has made these guys pretty antsy. Particularly Robinho. The Brazilian on loan came out yesterday pleading to return to Brazil to play for a club like Sao Paulo, so he's probably gone. Manchester United and even Real Madrid have also shown a vested interest in Tevez, and he knows if he goes there he'll get what he wants. But Tevez is a great guy, he scored 23 goals in League play this year and by all accounts is extremely happy at City. But will he be able to resist the temptation? Only time will tell. But as the World Cup gets closer and closer, it seems that a lot of clubs are waiting to see how the Argentinian will perform. Adebayour is talent that will be particularly hard to hold on to. His ball skills are already turning heads, despite an underwhelming goal tally. The loss of these players, particularly Tevez, is a major threat to City's chances next season.

2. Getting new players. City is among Chelsea as one of the first clubs to make an offer to Fernando Torres. They are offering the same amount (perhaps even more) and another laundry list of players for Liverpool to choose from. But Torres probably won't go there. The Spanish phenom wants to go to the Champions League, and Crouch's forehead ruled that out for City. They also made a big offer to Aston Villa attacking midfielder Milner yesterday, but he hasn't made a statement about that yet. One can't help but wonder if Milner would want to leave a club where he is the established star to go to a team with no chemistry and have to prove himself all over again, without even having a crack at the Champions League. Oh how the dominoes fall.

But things aren't all bad for City. They've got some experience under their belt, and this means that they'll only work harder next season. They also made the Europa League with fifth place, which isn't bad at all. At least they have something to take how to their fans, and they'll certainly be one of the strongest clubs in the tournament next year.

So perhaps my title was a little harsh, there maybe hope yet for City.

On Manchester United: Why they are my favorite club and why they are great.

Explaining the title: I just said "great" because personally, it really pisses me off when people always say "THE GREATEST TEAM/BAND/PLAY/MOVIE/POTATO CHIP EVER." Even if it is true, it's obnoxious and dumb. Except for football, as it actually is the best sport. As I will explain later. Anyway, I think it would be pretty hard to argue that Manchester United (who have won 18 Premierships, 11 FA Cups, 3 UEFA Championships, one Super Cup, and a Fifa World Cup) or really any club in the Barclays Premier League, isn't great. This is the top level of football (followed closely by Spain's La Liga, in my book)

Explaining why they are my favorite: We'll just get this out of the way, as I'm sure most of you aren't interested in my personal stake in this team.

I've only been a fan of this club for about 8 months, but you can't really blame me because I'm from the US. I started being a fan of the club after I bought Fifa 10. A video game. But, in my defense, it's considered to be quite great (Metacritic). I liked using them because I could score with them quite a lot, and I liked all of their players. Easy enough. Looking into my history, I found that a major part of my heritage actually comes from Manchester. So, that makes me legit. I guess. Alright, moving on.

Why they are great:

Reason 1: Wayne Rooney.

Rooney is Manchester United right now, straight up. He's the player everyone associates with them, and they very well should. With 26 goals in 32 appearences in League play in 34 goals across all competitions, Rooney is the top scorer for Man U and probably would have been in the Premier League if not for an injury that kept him out of four games at the end of the season, letting Chelsea's goal eater Didier Drogba (29 goals in League play) pass him.

But Rooney means more than just Man U. Going into South Africa, Rooney is really the only solid forward England has got. With Jermaine Defoe woefully out of form, and an aging Peter Crouch, there's really nobody left up top at England. Gerrard plays like a forward, so that will help, but they still need Rooney up there. Rooney is also simply the most fun English forward to watch right now, for the following reasons.

Defoe: Defoe is simply out of form. He's also basically just a speed forward. He doesn't have too much of a shot, and he's got some solid skill, but nothing terribly special.

Crouch: Crouch is just an ugly player in my opinion. He's pretty good at taking chances, but his goals are never really like, "Wow! That guy is special!" He just sort of has a knack for being in the right place at the right time, and he's maybe good for a goal every two games.

Heskey: Heskey is a pretty solid player, but that's it. He's just good. He's definitely not great. And in the World Cup, you have to be nothing short of miraculous. Or at least good at kicking penalties.

In short, Rooney is the life blood of Man U, and of England in a lot of ways.

Reason 2: A history of greatness.

I already mentioned this up top, but Man U has got a lot of established precedent of being great. They are one of only four teams to ever win the Premiership, and they've won it the most of anyone. This is reason enough for a band wagon, which Man U definitely has, but there's still more.

(Pictured above is George Best, considered by most to be the best player in Man U's history.

Reason 3: They get them first.

Throughout their history, Man U has had a knack for getting the world's best players right in their prime. It's true that they usually end up losing them, but they still get them while they're hot. We have seen a good amount of this in recent years. Before David Beckham was famous for "bending it," before Cristiano Ronaldo was just "Ronaldo," they were Red Devils. You can see it happening even now. Rooney is now a star (I know, he was at Everton first, but he wasn't a star yet), and they've got 18 year old Italian phenom Federico Macheda waiting in the laurels. A note on Macheda: that kid has come into a game twice now for a total of only about 30 minutes and scored two goals. That's exciting talent right there, and it's budding, as it always has, in Man U.

Reason 4: Diversity.

This is true of most clubs in the big five leagues in Europe (Ligue 1, La Liga, Seria A, Bundesliga, Premier League), but it's especially true of the starters at Man U. Nemanja Vidic (Serbia, pictured above), Patrica Evra (France), Nani (Cape Verde), Dimitar Berbatov (Bulgaria), Edwin Van Der Sar (Holland), Rafael (Brazil), are all not only starters, but some of them (particularly Vidic and Evra) are considered the best in the world at their position. The list goes on as you look at their roster for those that don't start but are still on the active roster: Senegal, Norway, Italy, Belgium, Canada, Poland, South Korea, Yugoslavia. This is a club of the world, and when you realize that it's really incredible when you think about how all of these different people work together so effectively

They also cast a wide net, obviously, as there are players in that list from every continent except Antarctica. And it's only getting wider, as they just signed Javier Hernandez, the club's first ever Mexican player.

Reason 5: Important English national players.

In addition to reason 4, Man U has a great amount of players from England that are key players. We've already talked about Rooney, but they've also got Rio Ferdinand. Ferdinand is important not only because he's a really great center defender, but also because people like him. That goes a long way when you're starting next to John Terry, who's faced a whole slew of scandals throughout his career and is known as a pretty dirty player. Ferdinand is also a really loyal Red Devil. He made a point to come out after there was buzz in the air about Man U not winning the Premiership this year to say he wanted to be one of those guys who "got to Man U and stayed there."

By the way, the "those guys" are also an important part of Man U. These are the extremely experienced (aging, slightly) players that are established legends in England. These are the guys who have been to the World Cup, have been on the teams that have won the Premiership. This is where the leadership aspect of the club comes in. You've got guys like Michael Owen, Ryan Giggs, Owen Hargreaves, and Paul Scholes. Scholes, Giggs and Owen hold countless Premier League records, and Hargreaves was supposed to get a tap for the World Cup this year, but then Capello decided to be an ass and pick Garreth Barry, who will be recovering from an injury and useless.

Reason 6: The Red Army.

Whether England likes it or not, hooliganism is a major part of the Premier League image. It's a pretty big draw. Whenever you mention English football, the first reaction is "Whew, those guys are crazy!" It's what everyone wants to talk about when they go to a match, how crazy the fans are. It's what the media projects as the lifestyle of English football. It's a way of life for these guys.

And if you are interested in hooliganism, you need look no further than Man U's Red Army. Despite having probably the most intimidating name of any other hooligan group, the Red Army is one of the largest and have an established precedent as being insane. While the term has been used to describe Man U fans in general, the memory of all of the vandalism and violence still lives on. They are a large part of why fans are segregated at matches now, with two seperate entrances. They have pet players, like the ever-pugnacious Gary Neville and the stoic impassable mountain that is Nemanja Vidic.

Reason 7: Old Trafford.

This should have been higher up on the list, because it's probably one of the best parts of Man U. Built in 1910, the Theater of Dreams is the premier stadium of the Premier League. After Wembley Stadium, it is has the largest capacity of any stadium in England, seating 75,957. It is the 11th largest in all of Europe. It is also the only stadium along with the Wembley to be given a five star rating by UEFA. It's where dreams are made, it's majestic, and I really want to go.

Reason 8: Sir Alex Ferguson.

Whether you like him or not, the man almost won an unprecedented four Premierships in a row. If he didn't have idiotic owners like the American Glazer family pulling the strings, he'd have a lot more money to throw around and may even still have Ronaldo. He's an old guy with a lot of power and he knows how to use it, plain and simple.

I'm out of reasons. Comment if you like this/have other ideas/think I'm an asshole.