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Rebel soccer club on the rise in Manchester (The Associated Press)

MANCHESTER, England (AP) -- It's 90 minutes before kickoff and the stadium's concourse is filling up with excited United fans clutching their match tickets and wearing red-and-white scarves and jerseys.

Inside the ground, a full repertoire of United songs is belted out in the bar and the main stand.

Anticipation is building - a huge European game is weeks away and this sunny afternoon in Manchester is a significant milestone for the club.

This isn't Old Trafford, though.

Fifteen miles to the east of Manchester United's ''Theatre of Dreams,'' a club with a special link to England's biggest soccer team is hosting a first match in its new 5,000-capacity stadium.