NY Cosmos PR machine continues - a game again MU in August

The world's most famous football club with no senior team - the New York Cosmos - will play a friendly against Manchester United at Old Trafford on 5 August as a testimonial for former player Paul Scholes.

The Cosmos' team will be personally selected by Honorary President Pelé and Director of Soccer Eric Cantona and will include "highly notable international players and a handful of elite Cosmos Academy and Cosmos U23 players."

In March this year, a "New York Cosmos' Tour of Asia" was represented by Pele and Cantona making a few day's promotional stop-over in the mini-states of Singapore and Hong Kong.

However, as the beacon for the North American Soccer League in the 1970s, the NY Cosmos attracted big crowds when they visited Asia.

In 2005, Bayern Munich FC president, Franz Beckenbauer, recalled his regret for not having played in India's 1977 IFA Shield tournament with the Cosmos: "Shortly before I joined Cosmos New York, this team of stars had also made a stopover in Calcutta. Pele and my other colleagues often told me of this experience afterwards, especially about the inspiring reception they received in India.

"They had never thought that the people here would be so football crazy."