All eyes turn to England

By MICHELLE KAUFMAN

mkaufman@MiamiHerald.com

No question where this sportswriter hopes to be at 3 p.m. on May 21. Sitting at a British pub with a plate of fish and chips drenched in malt vinegar, watching the first All-English Champions League final between Manchester United and Chelsea, teams that happen to be one-two in the Premier League standings.

It seems a bit silly for two English teams and more than 50,000 of their fans to travel all the way to Moscow to settle this. It would make more sense for them to move the final to Wembley, but that is not happening, so Moscow it is. In order to suit the fans back home, the match will kick off at 10:45 p.m. local time (7:45 p.m. in England).

The game is loaded with stars. United's Cristiano Ronaldo, Wayne Rooney, Carlos Tevez, and Ryan Giggs on one side of the field against familiar Chelsea foes Michael Ballack, Didier Drogba, Frank Lampard, Nicolas Anelka and Andriy Shevchenko.

They played each other last weekend, and Chelsea won 2-1 to move into a first-place tie with United. But Man U beat West Ham won Saturday to take first place.

Although Chelsea has done well in the Premier League the past few seasons, making the Champions League final is a new experience. The club has not shared the rich tradition of United, Liverpool and Arsenal, but Russian billionaire owner Roman Abramovich poured his wealth into the team when he took over four years ago, and his investment paid dividends.

Both clubs are led by foreign coaches.

Sir Alex Ferguson of Scotland has been at the helm of United for 22 years, and he has led the Red Devils to nine Premier League titles, five FA Cups and a Champions League title in 1999.

Chelsea is coached by Avram Grant, an Israeli who was widely criticized when he replaced Jose Mourinho in September. Mourinho is considered one of the best coaches in Europe, but he failed to get Chelsea to the Champions League final three times.

''Since Day 1 there have been so many microscopes on me that I have become shorter,'' Grant joked with reporters. ``I understand in the beginning the criticism, but I needed to prove more than others that my team knows how to play football and handle the difficult days -- and we have created history and we are still fighting for the league championship. To create history in this club in the first year as a manager, with all the difficulties we have had this year, means a lot to me.''

Manchester United is 65-41-11 against Chelsea. The last time they met in a final, Chelsea beat United 1-0 in last season's FA Cup at Wembley.

AROUND THE WORLD

• Who makes what: The Major League Soccer players union released its 2008 salary survey, and it is no surprise that the L.A. Galaxy's David Beckham is the league's highest-paid player, with an annual base salary of $5.5 million. He is one of five players out of 300-plus who make $1 million. The others are Chicago forward Cuauhtemoc Blanco ($2.49 million), N.Y. Red Bulls forward Juan Pablo Angel ($1.5 million), DC United forward Marcelo Gallardo ($1.5 million), and Red Bulls midfielder Claudio Reyna ($1.01 million). The Galaxy's Landon Donovan is close behind at $900,000.

The average MLS salary is $117,299, and more than 75 developmental players make between $12,900 and $17,700.

• Donovan on fire: Beckham is the richest player in MLS, but Donovan is the most prolific this season, with eight goals and two assists through five matches. He had a hat trick and added an assist in a 5-2 victory against crosstown rival Chivas USA last weekend. If he continues at this pace, he will break the MLS scoring record (27 goals) set by Roy Lassiter in 1996, the league's inaugural season.

''As a forward, confidence is really key, and my confidence is at a high right now,'' Donovan said Thursday. ``I'm playing with assertiveness, aggressiveness and taking chances. I'm not going to keep scoring every game, but if I play that way, the chances will come and I'll try to make the most of them.''

• Avery joins Miami FC: Trinidadian fans will notice a familiar face on Miami FC on Sunday when the team takes on the Carolina Railhawks at Tropical Park (6 p.m.).

Defender Avery John, who played for Trinidad and Tobago in the 2006 World Cup, signed with Miami on Thursday. John, 32, spent the past three seasons with New England.

''I've played with a couple of teams in the USL, and I am aware of the level of talent that exists in the league,'' Avery said. ``I'm looking forward to the opportunity to play in Miami and contribute as soon as possible. This is all about winning a championship for me.''

Also joining the team are midfielder Eddie ''Moto'' Gutierrez and backup goalkeeper Sam Reynolds, who played for Toronto FC and Chivas USA.

Tickets for the game are $10-$25 ($5 12-and-under) and available at the box office. A Cinco de Mayo celebration will begins at 5 p.m.