Manchester United 4, Celtic 0

Manchester United 4, Celtic 0
AP Photos
By TIM KORTE
AP Sports Writer
SEATTLE (AP) -- Manchester United was as mighty as advertised on the first stop of the English superteam's four-game United States tour.
In its first contest without superstar David Beckham, Manchester United beat Glasgow Celtic 4-0 on Tuesday night behind goals by Ruud van Nistelrooy, Ryan Giggs, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and David Bellion.
The Red Devils are hoping to boost their marketing brand in the United States, and their decisive victory got them going in style.
"I'm not sure 'conquer' is the right word," Manchester United coach Alex Ferguson said. "I think we'd like to explore the country, and make people more aware about Manchester United."
The club is immensely popular in Europe and Asia, widely loved by an estimated 53 million fans. America presents the team's next frontier.
"You're up against quite a tradition here with American football, baseball and basketball. It's not easy to overcome that, but there's no reason why soccer can't be a part of American sports," Ferguson said.
Judging from the boisterous 66,722 fans who established a record crowd at the year-old Seahawks Stadium, it appears the Red Devils already have connected.
Fans savored the spectacle, roaring when the teams came onto the field and again for each goal. They turned the 67,000-capacity stadium into a giant bowl of twinkling flashbulbs every time a player fired a free kick.
"I was surprised by the support," said van Nistelrooy, who assisted on Giggs' goal. "You don't expect that in America. It was a great atmosphere."
Celtic was represented by numerous fans wearing the green and white stripes of the Scottish League team. They clearly were outnumbered, however, by the red jerseys of Manchester United.
"I was surprised at the number of red shirts," Ferguson said.
Organizers said it was the second-largest crowd for a soccer game in the United States since the conclusion of the Women's World Cup in 1999. And fans left no doubt which team they favored.
"The crowd really lifted us in a big way," Manchester defender Philip Neville added.
The Red Devils play three more games, the next Sunday in Los Angeles against Club America of Mexico.
Organizers hope the seven-game tour, which features other well-known clubs like Juventus, Barcelona and AC Milan, will boost the profile of European soccer in the United States.
Beckham, sent last month to Real Madrid for $39.4 million, is arguably the world's most famous athlete but Manchester United didn't miss him. A talent gap between the teams became apparent even before Manchester led 3-0 at halftime.
"We were well-beaten by a very, very good side," Celtic coach Martin O'Neill said. "My view is that they are vying with Real Madrid to be the best team in Europe."
The rout began in the seventh minute, when van Nistelrooy took a centering pass from Solskjaer, fought off defender Stanislav Varga and put the ball into the right corner off the hands of Celtic goalkeeper Magnus Hedman.
Celtic's Alan Thompson missed a penalty kick in the 18th minute, with his ball sailing over the goal and to the left.
It was a decisive turning point because Van Nistelrooy struck again in the 28th minute. He drew three defenders while sprinting in from the right and centered to the trailing Giggs, who scored easily for a 2-0 lead.
In the 39th minute, Solskjaer took a pass from Gary Neville and placed the ball into the middle of the goal to make it 3-0.
Bellion, in his first game with Manchester since signing in the offseason, scored in the 72nd minute. Paul Scholes tapped a pass to him in the box and Bellion beat reserve goalkeeper Robert Douglas on a neat play.
Celtic finished second in the Scottish League last year, losing the title on goal difference to cross-town rival Rangers on the last day of the season.
Manchester opens its Premier League title defense Aug. 16.