Not sure if this has been posted
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20050627/ap_on_sp_so_ne/soc_united_of_manchester Man United Fans Form Rival, Semipro Club
By SARAH LARIMER, For The Associated Press
Mon Jun 27,10:23 AM ET
MANCHESTER, England - Barry Harrison is a 16-year-old defender and all of 5-foot-4, and nothing will stop him from trying to make a soccer team from Manchester called United.
It's not the famous Manchester United, however. It's a fledging semipro club called United of Manchester.
Harrison was one of 200 players hoping to earn a spot with the breakaway club, which was formed by about 3,000 disgruntled fans just weeks after Tampa Bay Buccaneers owner Malcolm Glazer bought Manchester United in May.
In the week after the tryouts were announced, 900 applications flooded the club, according to United spokesman Jules Spencer. And 200 of those were selected for the Sunday tryouts.
Harrison, who started playing soccer when he was 3, said he saw the Glazer buyout and the formation of the new team as an opportunity.
"I think it's given other people a tryout really, like for those people like me," Harrison said.
Other Manchester United fans at the tryout said they saw the takeover as nothing but shattered chances.
Chris Mason, a 48-year-old carpenter, has been attending Manchester United games since he was a boy. Now, for the first time in 40 years, Mason said he probably won't be cheering for his team.
Mason, whose 16-year-old son Andrew was trying out Sunday, said he suspects each new season will bring higher ticket prices for Manchester United.
"Is it worth spending 60 to 70 pounds ($110 to $128) just to see a football match?" Mason asked.
Harrison, however, said he'd wait to pass judgment on Glazer.
"I think United fans should really give him a tryout, see if he can do something good," Harrison said. "And if he don't, we can go against him, can't we?"
Man United fans have had a relatively short time to judge Glazer, but that hasn't slowed action from the fans who founded United of Manchester. In a three-week period, the team had selected manager Karl Marginson, established a steering committee, given the team its colors and set up the open tryouts.
Spencer said players were drawn to the club for two reasons â?? they want a shot at soccer or they support the breakaway team.
Marginson said many of the players probably didn't care about the Manchester United shareholders and the tension between the new club owner and the infant program. They just want the opportunity to play for the squad's inaugural team.
"I think the players are here because they want a chance to play," Marginson said. "We're going to be part of history."