Chapter 166: Pre-Season Friendly Matches

The International Champions Cup is an important commercial tournament, formerly known as the Guinness International Champions Cup, divided into regional divisions including North America and Europe, China, Australia, and Singapore. Much like the Emirates Cup and the Telekom Cup, it serves as one of the mainstream pre-season warm-up competitions. Its predecessor was the World Football Challenge, which began in 2009.

For the 2017 International Champions Cup, in addition to the existing three regional divisions of North America and Europe, Australia, and China, a new Singapore division was added.

The participating teams in the North America and Europe division included Paris Saint-Germain, Roma, Juventus, Manchester City, Manchester Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur, Real Madrid, and Barcelona. The host cities included Santa Clara, New Jersey, New York, Los Angeles, Nashville, Norfolk, Miami, and Orlando.

Among these fixtures, Manchester United and Manchester City were set to play their first-ever derby match outside of the British mainland, while Real Madrid and Barcelona would square off in an El Clásico at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami.

For this match, Manchester United and Manchester City wore jerseys emblazoned with a worker bee motif. After the game, the players' match-worn jerseys were put up for public auction, with all proceeds raised donated to the We Love Manchester Emergency Fund.

That summer, Pep Guardiola initiated his ruthless squad overhaul. After parting ways with 13 players, including Joe Hart, Nolito, and Gaël Clichy, Guardiola's clear-out was only just beginning.

Multiple British media outlets reported that Eliaquim Mangala, Samir Nasri, Wilfried Bony, Fabian Delph, Fernando, and Kelechi Iheanacho had all been informed by Guardiola that they were not part of his plans.

During the summer transfer window, Manchester City had already spent 150 million euros to sign four players: Bernardo Silva (50 million euros), Kyle Walker (51 million euros), Ederson (40 million euros), and Douglas Luiz (12 million euros).

Furthermore, Guardiola confirmed that he would bring in another three to four players, with Danilo and Benjamin Mendy among the primary transfer targets.

The entire Manchester United squad had arrived in the United States as early as July 10 and had already played two warm-up matches against Major League Soccer teams, whereas Manchester City did not arrive in Houston, United States, until July 18 local time, with no prior warm-up matches scheduled.

Additionally, several key players, including Nicolás Otamendi, had only returned to training in the preceding days, leaving questions as to whether their physical fitness and match sharpness met the required standards.

Speaking at the pre-match press conference ahead of the clash against Manchester City, José Mourinho remarked: "This is a competitive training session, and in training sessions, you play to win. We've already played a few matches against MLS teams, and now it's time to raise the level and intensity of the game. We are about to face three of the best teams in Europe. I don't know how they view these matches, but I know what I want. I will give my players time to improve and allow the new signings to better familiarize themselves with their teammates. This is all part of our preparation."

Manchester United defensive stalwart Matteo Darmian told MUTV in an interview: "We want to win every single game, especially since this is a derby. This is not a friendly, and everyone is well aware of that, so we are going all out for the victory."

Vincent Kompany stated at the press conference regarding the upcoming Manchester derby: "We are about to face Manchester United, and although this is a friendly, for me, I can never view this as just a friendly. Being a derby, I am certain the match will be full of intensity and fierce competition."

Pitting themselves against their cross-town rivals, Manchester United deployed a 4-2-3-1 formation. Dai Zhiwei once again spearheaded the attack as the lone striker, with Marcus Rashford, Henrikh Mkhitaryan, and Jesse Lingard lurking just behind him in midfield, while Paul Pogba and Ander Herrera formed the double pivot. In the defensive line, Victor Lindelöf and Chris Smalling partnered as central defenders, flanked by Daley Blind on the left and Antonio Valencia on the right, with David de Gea guarding the goal.

Manchester City lined up in a potent 4-3-3 formation, spearheaded by Sergio Agüero in attack, supported by Raheem Sterling and Phil Foden. The midfield trio consisted of Kevin De Bruyne, Yaya Touré, and Patrick Roberts. In defense, Tosin Adarabioyo and Vincent Kompany paired up centrally, with Fernandinho and Kyle Walker occupying the left and right back positions respectively, and new signing Ederson starting in goal.

Although both sides had expressed in the build-up how much they valued this derby warm-up, the intensity from both teams remained relatively low once the whistle blew, allowing Dai Zhiwei a comfortable run of play.

In the 37th minute, Paul Pogba launched a long-range pass from his own half to create a breakthrough opportunity. Dai Zhiwei made a sharp, darting run forward, rounded the rushing goalkeeper Ederson, and calmly slotted the ball into an empty net from a tight angle, giving Manchester United a 1-0 lead over Manchester City.

Following his two hat-tricks across two legs in the UEFA Champions League the previous season, Dai Zhiwei had dealt yet another blow to Manchester City.

Two minutes later, Marcus Rashford intercepted the ball in midfield, and Henrikh Mkhitaryan drove through the center before laying it off. Rashford surged down the right flank and drilled a low, precise shot into the bottom left corner, doubling Manchester United's advantage to 2-0.

The two teams switched sides for the second half. For Dai Zhiwei, this marked his first time playing a second half since joining Manchester United, and he made an immediate impact right from the restart.

In the 47th minute, he suddenly unleashed a lobbed shot from the right flank, which was awkwardly parried away by Ederson.

Shortly afterward, Marcus Rashford delivered an inswinging corner from the left, and Dai Zhiwei's subsequent header drifted just wide of the post.

Two minutes later, a lapse in Manchester City's defense gifted Dai Zhiwei an opportunity. He unleashed a powerful, thunderous strike, but unfortunately, it crashed against the goalpost and bounced out.

Manchester City failed to mount a fierce response or show any real urgency to equalize as the match progressed, prompting Mourinho to substitute Dai Zhiwei and signal the end of the onslaught.

In the end, Manchester United comfortably defeated Manchester City 2-0.

Following their opening victory over Manchester City in the International Champions Cup, Manchester United were set to face Champions League holders Real Madrid in Santa Clara on Sunday.

Dai Zhiwei, who started against the Sky Blues, might not feature in the starting lineup against Real Madrid, as Mourinho planned to rotate his squad to help all players regain their match fitness as quickly as possible.

Paul Pogba pointed out that the Manchester United players stepping onto the pitch against Real Madrid would give everything to deliver a stellar performance. In an exclusive interview with MUTV, he first reflected on the match against Manchester City: "I am happy with the fruits of our labor; we have been working extremely hard. José wants us to execute his tactical system, and our performance on the pitch was good. I hope we can keep this going. Our passing was decent and our movement was alright, but right now it's still largely instinctive. It feels great to play in a derby, and securing the victory is what matters most."

Dai Zhiwei expressed his eager anticipation for the match against Real Madrid: "Just as José said, this will be a great test for us, an important training session to see if we have made progress and fully grasped his tactics. They will be a very tough opponent to crack, but we are working hard to regain our fitness as quickly as possible. As the start of the season draws closer, our condition will only get better."

He also emphasized: "Of course we want to play against top-tier teams—that's what you strive for. A top club like Manchester United always wants to face the absolute best teams, and moreover, to win against them. We have been training really hard, and we will strive to maintain this momentum; that is our ultimate goal."

When asked whether Manchester United's tactics laid greater emphasis on attack, Dai Zhiwei admitted: "We are capable of doing that, and José is helping us along the way. We are truly hungry for success and are doing everything in our power to recover our optimal form. We are doing the right things, and hopefully, we will elevate our condition and carry this momentum straight into the new season."

The fixture against Manchester United marked Real Madrid's first match of the new season. In the players' tunnel before kickoff, Mourinho warmly shook hands and embraced his former players.

Cristiano Ronaldo, along with Real Madrid's new signing Dani Ceballos and others, were absent. Zinedine Zidane deployed Gareth Bale alongside Karim Benzema to spearhead the attack, with Isco, Toni Kroos, and Luka Modrić marshalling the midfield. On the Manchester United side, Dai Zhiwei was left out of the starting lineup for the first time due to rotation, with Marcus Rashford partnering Anthony Martial up front, while Michael Carrick and Marouane Fellaini anchored the midfield.

Because Real Madrid were the reigning Champions League winners and Manchester United were the reigning Europa League champions, the fixture could well be viewed as an early preview of the UEFA Super Cup.

Luka Modrić stepped onto the pitch wearing the number 10 jersey. Both teams focused their efforts on a gritty midfield battle, leaving goalscoring opportunities scarce. Quick, consecutive passing sequences between Isco, Benzema, and Bale were repeatedly snuffed out by Manchester United's diligent and energetic defenders.

It wasn't until the 45th minute that the deadlock was finally broken. Anthony Martial dribbled down the left wing, brilliantly slalomed past three defenders to break into the penalty area, and delivered a low cross across the face of goal. Jesse Lingard easily tapped the ball into an empty net from close range to open the scoring.

At the half-time whistle, Manchester United held a one-goal lead.

Zidane and Mourinho made sweeping substitutions after the interval, sending both teams' new signings into the fray. Theo Hernández was handed his debut, while Dai Zhiwei and Victor Lindelöf also entered the match.

Currently, the player within the Manchester United squad who shared the best telepathic understanding with Dai Zhiwei was the Spanish contingent. Unfortunately, shortly after coming on as a substitute, Ander Herrera was clattered into by Real Madrid youngster Óscar Rodríguez, sustaining an injury that forced him off the pitch, leaving a furious Mourinho to fiercely protest to the referee.

In the 68th minute, Theo Hernández poked the ball away down the left side of the box, and Victor Lindelöf brought down the former Atlético Madrid player with a trailing leg. The referee pointed to the penalty spot. Casemiro stepped up and unleashed a powerful penalty into the top corner, making it 1-1.

The Brazilian international scored Real Madrid's first goal of the new season, following in the footsteps of previous players who scored the team's first goal over the preceding four years: Cristiano Ronaldo, Gareth Benle, Karim Benzema, and Marcelo.

Although he hadn't engaged in serious training over the holiday, Dai Zhiwei was actually being drilled nightly by Tsubasa Ozora within the mental confines of the "Captain Tsubasa System." Heading into the new season's pre-season friendlies, no one's physical condition and form surpassed his.

In the 83rd minute, Red Devils youngster Scott McTominay delivered a cross from the right flank. The Real Madrid defense lost track of their marker, allowing the supremely sharp Dai Zhiwei to execute a stunning volley from near the penalty spot, piercing Keylor Navas's defenses!

Although Real Madrid mounted a ferocious counter-attack in the dying moments of the match, the defensive line forged by Mourinho was not so easily breached. In the end, Manchester United relied on Dai Zhiwei's late winner to narrowly edge past Real Madrid, setting up their next encounter against the equally formidable Barcelona.

"Now this is what I call a club of giants!" Dai Zhiwei exclaimed in amazement as he looked over their pre-season fixture list.

Manchester United's pre-season opponents featured virtually no pushovers: Manchester City, Real Madrid, Barcelona...

Such a gauntlet of formidable opponents was fully capable of sharpening Manchester United to peak condition well before the official season commenced. By contrast, Villarreal's pre-season opponents the previous summer had been nothing short of easy fixtures.

Barcelona entered their opening match of the season having just defeated Juventus. For this fixture, Luis Suárez was named in the starting lineup alongside Lionel Messi and Neymar, reuniting the famed MSN trio, while Sergio Busquets and new signing Nélson Semedo also took to the pitch.

In the Manchester United lineup, Dai Zhiwei partnered Marcus Rashford in attack, Victor Lindelöf anchored the defense, and Paul Pogba paired up with Henrikh Mkhitaryan in midfield.

Standing in the player tunnel and catching a quiet glance at Neymar, Dai Zhiwei wore an expression filled with emotion. He knew that, according to historical momentum, this would likely be the last time he ever saw Neymar wearing the Barcelona jersey.

At the exact same juncture in his previous life, Neymar would transfer to Paris Saint-Germain for a staggering 222 million euros just a week later, rendering Dai Zhiwei's newly minted record transfer fee of 110 million euros a thing of the past.

Yet, he didn't really care much about his own record, knowing full well that in the future, whether it was Kylian Mbappé's 180-million-euro move to Paris Saint-Germain, Philippe Coutinho's transfer to Barcelona for 120 million euros plus 40 million euros in add-ons, or even 33-year-old Cristiano Ronaldo commanding a 117-million-euro transfer fee to Juventus, all of them would surpass his own 110-million-euro mark.

Despite being weighed down by transfer speculation, Neymar displayed a fairly decent level of competitive form. In the 31st minute, Lionel Messi played a precise through ball from outside the box. Antonio Valencia failed to properly control the ball after an interception inside the area, allowing Neymar to dispossess him from behind, turn sharply, and sweep a low shot past the keeper to make it 1-0.

Barcelona's first three goals of the new season had all been scored by Neymar—one could only wonder if he was using these stellar performances to audition and entice Paris Saint-Germain.

By the end of the first half, Barcelona had registered 12 shots, every single one of them generated by the MSN trio: Messi with 6, while Neymar and Suárez contributed 3 each.

After the half-time break, Barcelona substituted all 11 players, while Mourinho made six changes, leaving Dai Zhiwei as one of the few who remained on the pitch.

And he quickly repaid Mourinho's trust with his performance. Just as the second half got underway, Marcus Rashford cut the ball across the penalty area, and Dai Zhiwei surged right to the edge of the box before curling a precise right-footed shot into the far corner, equalizing for the team and maintaining his record of scoring in every single match since the start of the new season.

In the 90th minute, a controversial refereeing decision occurred when Anthony Martial's cross from inside the box struck Denis Suárez'est arm, prompting the referee to award a penalty, though slow-motion replays clearly showed Denis Suárez's arm was tucked in.

By this time, Dai Zhiwei—whom Mourinho had designated as the primary penalty taker—had already been substituted off earlier for Martial. Martial, who won the spot-kick, stepped up and clinically converted it, sealing the victory!

Having secured successive victories over Manchester City, Real Madrid, and Barcelona, Manchester United concluded their U.S. tour and returned to Europe for the final two pre-season friendlies ahead of the campaign.

First, at the Ullevaal Stadion in Norway, they cruised to a dominant 3-0 victory over Vålerenga. Dai Zhiwei netted the team's second goal in the 47th minute: Andreas Pereira swung in a corner kick, and Dai Zhiwei outjumped two defenders at the near post near the edge of the six-yard box to power a header into the near corner.

Subsequently, Manchester United traveled to the Aviva Stadium in Dublin, Ireland, defeating Sampdoria 2-1 to notch their seventh consecutive pre-season win, with Dai Zhiwei and Juan Mata each getting on the scoresheet.

On August 8, as the reigning Europa League champions, Manchester United were set to lock horns with Champions League holders Real Madrid at the Philip II National Arena in Skopje, Macedonia, in battle for the UEFA Super Cup.