Fabulous friendly

When Seattle Sounders FC executives started lining up an opponent for a friendly this season, they set their sights high, hoping to get what general manager Adrian Hanauer called a top-five club. In Manchester United, Seattle’s opponent for tonight’s friendly at CenturyLink Field, Sounders FC got a top-five club. Depending on what measure you use, Seattle got the biggest club in the world. Manchester United, the reigning English Premier League champion, was recently ranked the most valuable franchise in sports by Forbes, with a value of $1.86 billion. “I think there’s a general understanding throughout the world that it’s got that magnetism about it,” Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson (pictured right) said. – Everett Herald