Manchester United's new manager Louis van Gaal
made a winning start as Wayne Rooney scored
twice in a 7-0 defeat of LA Galaxy in front of a
crowd of 86,432 at the Rose Bowl in California.
Winger Ashley Young and debutant defender
Reece James, 20, also scored two goals each
after striker Danny Welbeck had opened the
scoring.
Van Gaal, who succeeded David Moyes, made
United's longest-serving player, midfielder Darren
Fletcher, captain for the pre-season friendly, the
first of four games on the club's US tour.
The Dutchman, who led the Netherlands to the
semi-finals of the 2014 Fifa World Cup, saw
another debutant, Ander Herrera, dictate
proceedings in midfield with a good range of short
and long passes delivered crisply and accurately.
Van Gaal marked his arrival at the Pasadena Rose
Bowl with some almost magisterial waving to
United supporters as the team coach approached
the stadium which hosted the 1994 World Cup
final.
England striker Danny Welbeck
opened the scoring for Manchester
United
It was nothing like the tentative manner with which
Moyes had approached the same task 12 months
earlier.
The change could be seen in Van Gaal's first
starting line-up. Only two players survived from
the team Moyes saw beaten 1-0 by Singha All
Stars in Thailand a year ago - defender Jonny
Evans and Welbeck.
There was also a new 3-4-1-2 formation, with
debutant Luke Shaw - a £27m buy from
Southampton this summer - and Antonio Valencia
operating as wing-backs either side of a three-
man central defence and Juan Mata in an
advanced midfield role.
Van Gaal used the same tactic to steer Netherlands
to third place in Brazil.
There were few signs of emotion from the 62-
year-old when striker Welbeck put his side in
front with a first-time finish from 20 yards.
Welbeck had been one of the players he had been
urging to "look at the ball" during shooting
practice in Tuesday's training session.
But even after the England man had drilled home
the loose ball once Mata had been fouled, Van
Gaal restricted himself to a raised right fist as he
rose to acknowledge the first goal of his reign.
Overlooked for the captaincy after Fletcher was
handed the armband, Rooney doubled the visitors'
lead from the penalty spot three minutes before the
break.
By the time he strode purposefully down the
tunnel at half-time, Van Gaal had seen his team
score again, Rooney profiting from Tommy
Meyer's abysmal defending, and he had also been
in animated discussion with the fourth official over
an incident that had evidently angered him.
Bacup-born left-back James, who was on loan at
Carlisle last season, reacted joyously to both his
goals and, as Galaxy's defence fell apart,
Young
scored twice in as many minutes at the end.
In changing his entire team during the interval,
apart from midfielders Fletcher and Herrera, Van
Gaal made good his promise to look at everyone
before deciding who needs to be kept and who will
be released.
United's next friendly will be against Roma in
Denver on Saturday.
LA Galaxy (4-1-3-2) Penedo; Gargan, Meyer,
Leonardo, DLG; Ishizaki, Sarvas, Juninho,
Husidic; R Keane, Zardes
Manchester United (3-4-1-2) De Gea; Smalling,
Jones, Evans; Valencia, Fletcher, Herrera, Shaw;
Mata; Rooney, Welbeck.
Second-half - (5-3-2) Lindegaard; Rafael, M
Keane, Fletcher, Blackett, James; Herrera,
Cleverley, Kagawa; Young, Nani.
made a winning start as Wayne Rooney scored
twice in a 7-0 defeat of LA Galaxy in front of a
crowd of 86,432 at the Rose Bowl in California.
Winger Ashley Young and debutant defender
Reece James, 20, also scored two goals each
after striker Danny Welbeck had opened the
scoring.
Van Gaal, who succeeded David Moyes, made
United's longest-serving player, midfielder Darren
Fletcher, captain for the pre-season friendly, the
first of four games on the club's US tour.
The Dutchman, who led the Netherlands to the
semi-finals of the 2014 Fifa World Cup, saw
another debutant, Ander Herrera, dictate
proceedings in midfield with a good range of short
and long passes delivered crisply and accurately.
Van Gaal marked his arrival at the Pasadena Rose
Bowl with some almost magisterial waving to
United supporters as the team coach approached
the stadium which hosted the 1994 World Cup
final.
England striker Danny Welbeck
opened the scoring for Manchester
United
It was nothing like the tentative manner with which
Moyes had approached the same task 12 months
earlier.
The change could be seen in Van Gaal's first
starting line-up. Only two players survived from
the team Moyes saw beaten 1-0 by Singha All
Stars in Thailand a year ago - defender Jonny
Evans and Welbeck.
There was also a new 3-4-1-2 formation, with
debutant Luke Shaw - a £27m buy from
Southampton this summer - and Antonio Valencia
operating as wing-backs either side of a three-
man central defence and Juan Mata in an
advanced midfield role.
Van Gaal used the same tactic to steer Netherlands
to third place in Brazil.
There were few signs of emotion from the 62-
year-old when striker Welbeck put his side in
front with a first-time finish from 20 yards.
Welbeck had been one of the players he had been
urging to "look at the ball" during shooting
practice in Tuesday's training session.
But even after the England man had drilled home
the loose ball once Mata had been fouled, Van
Gaal restricted himself to a raised right fist as he
rose to acknowledge the first goal of his reign.
Overlooked for the captaincy after Fletcher was
handed the armband, Rooney doubled the visitors'
lead from the penalty spot three minutes before the
break.
By the time he strode purposefully down the
tunnel at half-time, Van Gaal had seen his team
score again, Rooney profiting from Tommy
Meyer's abysmal defending, and he had also been
in animated discussion with the fourth official over
an incident that had evidently angered him.
Bacup-born left-back James, who was on loan at
Carlisle last season, reacted joyously to both his
goals and, as Galaxy's defence fell apart,
Young
scored twice in as many minutes at the end.
In changing his entire team during the interval,
apart from midfielders Fletcher and Herrera, Van
Gaal made good his promise to look at everyone
before deciding who needs to be kept and who will
be released.
United's next friendly will be against Roma in
Denver on Saturday.
LA Galaxy (4-1-3-2) Penedo; Gargan, Meyer,
Leonardo, DLG; Ishizaki, Sarvas, Juninho,
Husidic; R Keane, Zardes
Manchester United (3-4-1-2) De Gea; Smalling,
Jones, Evans; Valencia, Fletcher, Herrera, Shaw;
Mata; Rooney, Welbeck.
Second-half - (5-3-2) Lindegaard; Rafael, M
Keane, Fletcher, Blackett, James; Herrera,
Cleverley, Kagawa; Young, Nani.
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