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On paper, this is perhaps the most lopsided matchup in the entire International Champions Cup. The friendly tournament is populated by a number of high-end European teams, and the North American section of the competition has some of the best MLS and Liga MX sides as well -- and then there's the San Jose Earthquakes, who have been one of the worst sides in MLS this season, and are getting set to play Manchester United, one of the best teams England has to offer.
Given that San Jose already faced a massive talent gulf and that they're also missing key attackers Chris Wondolowski and Cordell Cato on Gold Cup duty, this one looks like it could get pretty out of hand. Manchester United are still working on adapting new signings Bastian Schweinsteiger, Morgan Schneiderlin, and Memphis Depay into a side that already boasts Wayne Rooney and Juan Mata, but even once their reserves are all in the match, the talent level will still be pretty lopsided. That's not saying anything bad about San Jose, they're just playing an elite team at a time when they're struggling for form and have some of their best players unavailable.
So far, the highest-scoring ICC match saw five goals scored between Paris Saint-Germain and Benfica. There's a decent chance we'll see this game at least come close to that mark tonight.
How close to a first team do Manchester United have?
Pretty close, actually! A handful of players like Victor Valdes and Rafael da Silva aren't part of the tour because they're heading out on transfers, but otherwise, Manchester are very close to being able to field a full-strength side if they so choose. In fact, we'll probably see them roll out something close to what Louis Van Gaal sees as his "ideal" starting XI, if only for the first half. The only other notable absence is Angel di Maria, who's still resting after the Copa America like the rest of his Argentina teammates and most of the rest of the guys who played in the knockout rounds.
What are the chances the San Jose Earthquakes get trounced?
Really, really high. The Quakes are on a five-match all-competitions losing skid and haven't won since June, and are just one point clear from the bottom of the MLS Western Conference table. Even without that, though, they're facing a Manchester United side that regularly thrashes very good MLS sides when they come over to the US, so this doesn't look good for San Jose.
Fun Manchester United fringe player to watch: Jesse Lingard
Lingard has long been on the outside looking in at Manchester, but this year the young striker may finally have a chance to make a first team impact. He's had two dominant loan spells in the Championship and is still just 22, so there's plenty of time for him to translate that success to the Premier League. He's got a ton of talent, and it's now just a matter of putting it together while wearing the Manchester United shirt. Lingard played a full half against Club America, and should do the same again in this match, so there's going to be plenty of time to watch and assess the talented striker.
Compared to other friendlies, is this worth my time?
With Manchester working in several new, high-level players, it definitely should be a very entertaining match to watch. Unless you're a San Jose fan, that is. Then you might not have fun.
Match date/time: Tuesday, 11 p.m. ET, 8 p.m. local
Venue: California Memorial Stadium, Berkeley, California
TV: FOX Sports 2 (U.S. - English), FOX Deportes, (U.S. - Spanish)
Online: FOX Sports Go, FOX Soccer 2 Go (U.S.)