When one thinks of football in Manchester, England, only one team comes to mind: Manchester United.

But did you know there is another team in Manchester that also holds its own? It may not have the trophies and accolades, but it has its own rich tradition. Oh yeah, and they're the defending FA Cup Champions.

They are the Blues of the Manchester City Football Club. And they happen to be the last opponent for Bruce Arena's Los Angeles Galaxy in the 2011 Herbalife World Football Challenge.

Man City and Los Angeles will meet on July 24 at the Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif. Kickoff is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. PT/4:00 p.m. ET.

Roberto Mancini's Blues are a team that making huge investments to land some of the world's best footballers, with Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan as their owner. Last season, Man City finished with a record of 21-8-9 (71 points) and qualified for their first-ever UEFA Champions League appearance.

This match is the third of five preseason contests for Man City, which includes stops in San Francisco (against Club America), Vancouver (against the Vancouver Whitecaps) and Dublin (against a League of Ireland XI and Inter Milan in the Dublin Super Cup).

Carlos Tevez, Yaya Toure and Mario Balotelli are Man City's top three goal-scorers. Last season, Tevez recorded 23 goals, Toure scored 11 and Balotelli recorded 10, each in all competitions.

Man City are coming off a 2-0 victory over Club America on July 16 in San Francisco and a 2-1 victory over the Vancouver Whitecaps at Empire Field in Vancouver.

Look for other players like Ryan McGivern and Shaun Wright-Phillips to contribute for Manchester City on Sunday.

Prediction

Manchester City are a Premier League club that will challenge their opponents left and right this year. I see them prevailing in an entertaining goal festival on Victoria Street.

Manchester City 3, Los Angeles Galaxy 2

INS AND OUTS

Aside from Man City, Columbus Remains the Focus

For the Galaxy, the real task lies in the match with the Columbus Crew on Wednesday night.

“The reality is all along we’ve said that Wednesday is the game that matters this week,” midfielder/team captain Landon Donovan said Monday to LAGalaxy.com's Larry Morgan. “It’s sandwiched between two kind of marquee games that maybe the fans and public think are more important, but the reality is this is the important game.

“We had to reorganize this morning and make sure mentally that we need to be prepared for Wednesday, and I think we’ll do a good job of that.”

Defender Sean Franklin tipped his hat to the Crew, who the Galaxy dominated last season home and away.

“They’ve proven to be one of the better teams in the East over the years,” Franklin said. “We just have to be ready. If we stick to our game plan, we’ll have a chance to win three points on Wednesday.

“We know our regular season comes first. These friendlies are for us and the fans to enjoy. We want to win them, but we also want to win our regular season games. Last weekend we’ve put away. It was fun to play that game [against Real Madrid], but it’s time to focus on the regular season. I think the team is ready to move forward and get this one on Wednesday.”


Franklin Called Up to All-Star Team

Aside from priorities with the Galaxy in league play, there is the All-Star Game with Manchester United that Franklin is excited to take part in.

“I’m looking forward to playing against some of the best players in the world,” Franklin told MLSsoccer.com. “This is just one of the things I get to check off on my list of what I want to accomplish throughout my career.”

Also called on to the list were Donovan and midfielder David Beckham.

“It’s definitely exciting being your first time,” Franklin added. "Those guys have done it numerous times. They’re used to it, but for me, I’m excited.

"Last year there was a lot of demand—and this year also—to get forward and I think last year I was up a lot and not playing as much defense as I should. This year I want to focus on being a defender first and then being an attacker second. My job is to defend first and if I get the opportunity to go forward, take them. I’m just taking it game by game, working on my game and getting better as a player.”

Adam Cristman...the Bailout Package?

In last week's set of sub-par performances against the Seattle Sounders and Real Madrid, Adam Cristman's star shined.

“In a friendly match and against an opponent like that, it’s in a different category,” Cristman said of the Real Madrid friendly to MLSSoccer.com's Luis Bueno. “But it’s definitely one of the better moments in my career for sure.”

Cristman admitted that it was a tough road just to get to the point where the dividends finally paid off.

“I’ve had a couple of tough years with injuries and it’s been a slow climb back in,” the Galaxy forward added. “I’m feeling better and better, getting more confident and feeling stronger, and hopefully it’s one more reason for the coaches to put me out on the field for league games.”

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