MANCHESTER, England _ I've been a fan of the Liverpool Football Club since college, so I didn't expect to be excited as I walked through the players' tunnel at Old Trafford, holy ground for fans of rival Manchester United.
As the electric-green grass of the pitch came into focus, I realized I had goosebumps. This is where George Best, Bobby Charlton, David Beckham and many other soccer greats played.
Don't tell my fellow Liverpool fans, but I bought a souvenir at the gift shop.
If you grew up playing soccer in the United States and have followed the Premier League, the most prestigious British men's soccer league, Manchester may be a winning destination.
The city, in central England, has thrived, successfully rebuilding its center destroyed in 1996 by a bomb detonated by the Irish Republican Army. It is also where you'll find the stadiums of two storied football teams (the other is Manchester City) and the National Football Museum.
I put together a three-day football fan geek-out last summer that included a 45-minute train ride to Liverpool to have my own religious experience at Anfield stadium.
