We've made no bones about our general distaste of mid-season friendlies. Of course, that doesn't mean we can still find playing Manchester United, no matter the circumstances, pretty cool.

Neither Dave nor I, nor almost any of the other Sounder at Heart writers, will be at the match, but that doesn't mean we won't be watching. If money were no object, I'd be there. As it is, I'll be at home watching the game with a bunch of friends. I'm not going to pretend that I don't care at all about this match.

Played on a neutral field with both teams in equal form, there's no question United is the far superior team. Their reserves are almost certainly good enough to star in MLS.

But this game will not be played on even terms. I fully expect most of the 66,000-plus in attendance to be supporting the Sounders, a team that is playing as well as it ever has in its history. The Sounders should not be expected to win, but there's no reason we can't hope that they keep it competitive, especially in the first half when most of our starters will be playing.

Enjoy.