Stars und Sternchen! » but the pitch was deemed unplayable

Manchester Uniteds tour of China took another turn for the worse as their International Champions Cup clash with Manchester City was called off due to concerns over the state of the pitch in Beijing. Jose Mourinho and Pep Guardiolas sides were due to play at the Birds Nest Stadium at 12.30pm, but the pitch was deemed unplayable after rain overnight.It was the latest stroke of bad luck for United. From their heavy defeat to Borussia Dortmund to the abandoned Manchester derby, we look at whats gone wrong... Dortmund defeat United were beaten 4-1 by Borussia Dortmund in Shanghai Uniteds tour started with a 4-1 thrashing by Borussia Dortmund in Shanghai on Friday. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Ousmane Dembele and Gonzalo Castro were on target for the Bundesliga outfit, with Uniteds consolation goal coming from their new signing Henrikh Mkhitaryan.The scoreline was far from ideal for their first major friendly under Mourinho, but the new manager put it down to differences in preparation. Dortmund had already played four summer friendlies, while Uniteds only match action had come with a 2-0 win over Wigan Athletic.I know that in pre-season the team that is in the advanced stage of preparation looks far better than the other team, he said. If we did not know, I think after 10 minutes we know that one team started training 10 days ago and played one match and the other team started one month ago and already played four matches.Emergency landing The first Manchester derby outside of England has been called off United chartered two flights from Shanghai to Beijing for the second leg of their tour on Saturday, but their plans were disrupted when one of the planes was forced to make an emergency landing due to adverse weather conditions around Beijing.The events were described in a video posted by Memphis Depay on Facebook. Were lost somewhere, he said. We had to make a quick landing. We tried to fly to Beijing but the weather is a little bit bad so we had to land somewhere else. Now were waiting until the weather gets a little bit easier so we can land.While the first group landed on schedule to have their evening meal in the hotel, Mourinho later revealed the second group did not arrive until 1am on Sunday.Venue change Mourinho was forced to conduct a chaotic pitchside press conference in Beijing United were scheduled to train at the Birds Nest Stadium on their first day in Beijing, but in order to protect the playing surface they were hastily moved to the Olympic Sports Centre some four miles away.This caused further complications, with Mourinho forced to hold his pre-match press briefing on the side of the stadium pitch due to stifling heat inside the overcrowded conference room where journalists were waiting to hear from the United manager.Mourinho then voiced his concerns over the Birds Nest pitch. I think Beijing is unlucky because the pitch is very bad, he said. My only objective is to take the players home safe and without injury. These are no conditions to play a good game of football.He also admitted he couldnt wait to return to Manchester and begin training with his full squad.Game called off After more torrential rain, the decision was taken to call off the game on Monday morning, with United confirming the news on their website. Due to recent weather events, tournament organisers and participating clubs have made the decision to cancel the International Champions Cup fixture to be played in Beijing tonight, 25 July, it read.United executive vice chairman Ed Woodward added: Its extremely disappointing not to be able to play the game in this amazing stadium but the recent torrential rain would have caused problems anywhere in the world and has left the pitch unplayable.We know our fans in China will, like the players and staff, be saddened by the cancellation of the match but I am sure they appreciate that the player safety has to be the top priority. I am sure we will return to the Birds Nest in the future to give them the chance to see the team in action.United will fly back to Manchester on Sunday evening having only played one game in China. Their next fixture is a friendly against Galatasaray in the Swedish city of Gothenburg on Saturday, with Wayne Rooneys testimonial against Everton on August 3 their only other game before the Community Shield against Leicester on August 7 and the Premier League kick-off against Bournemouth on Sunday, August 14. Win Sky Q Ultra HD with Sky Sports 43 LG TV plus a Sky Q Ultra HD package including Sky Sports to be won EVERY DAY - enter now! Also See: Utd v City in China called off Carrick: All eyes on Manchester Cheap Shoes Australia . Murakami gracefully executed a double triple toe jump and a triple flip jump that put her at the top of a tightly contested race with 64.73 points, just ahead of Li Zijun of China on 62. Nike Zoom Australia Sale . LOUIS -- David Ross never expected to be on a World Series podium. http://www.cheapnikezoomaustralia.com/.28 mph. Logano will start on the front row next to Penske Ford teammate Brad Keselowski, who came in second Friday at 193.099. The Penske drivers swept the top two spots for the second straight race, reversing their qualifying finish in Phoenix a week ago. Nike Zoom Wholesale . Hes recovered from a scary injury and cleared to play. Mingo, who was hospitalized with a bruised lung he sustained in an Aug. Nike Zoom Womens Australia . The mixed zone is not a place to make friends.CHICAGO -- Gio Gonzalez delivered another dominant performance, providing more evidence he is finally healthy again. It looks as if the shoulder problem that sidelined him for a month bothered the left-hander about as much as the opposing hitters. Gonzalez pitched two-hit ball over seven innings, and the Washington Nationals beat the Chicago Cubs 3-0 Saturday in the first game of a day-night doubleheader. Gonzalez had his way with one of the weakest lineups in the majors in his third start back from the disabled list, outperforming Dallas Beeler in the rightys major league debut. "Obviously coming (off) the DL and trying to work your way back is going to be a process," Gonzalez said. "Its not going to happen overnight. Its good to see little by little using fastball and changeup at the same time. Its good to know when you need them theyll be there." Anthony Rendon had three hits, including a two-out double against Beeler in the sixth before scoring the games first run on a wild pitch. He added an RBI triple off Justin Grimm and came home on a sacrifice fly by Adam LaRoche against Wesley Wright in a two-run eighth. Denard Span chipped in with two hits and scored a run. He also made a leaping catch in front of the centre-field wall after getting turned around on a drive by Justin Ruggiano in the fourth, and the Nationals snapped a three-game losing streak. Gonzalez (5-4) had little trouble against a team that came in with the majors second-worst batting average. He struck out seven and walked two while improving 2-0 in three starts after missing a month because of inflammation in his pitching shoulder. He shut down Chicago after throwing six effective innings in a 3-0 win at Milwaukee on Monday. Tyler Clippard worked the eighth and Rafael Soriano finished for his 19th save in 21 chances. As for Beeler, he was about as good as Gonzalez. Called up from Triple-A Iowa as thhe 26th man, he pitched four-hit ball while allowing an unearned run in six innings.dddddddddddd "I was a lot calmer than what I thought Id be," he said. "I walked out there, took a deep breath, threw my warmup pitches, kind of looked around again, exhaled and I was like, All right, same game Ive been playing for the last 20 years." Beeler also singled in his first at-bat when he lined the first pitch he saw up the middle in the third, drawing big cheers from the crowd. Neither team got an extra-base hit until Rendon doubled to left in the sixth. He moved up on a passed ball by John Baker before Ryan Zimmerman walked, and he scored the games first run when Beeler bounced a changeup to LaRoche. Otherwise, it was quite a debut for the rookie. "He was commanding his pitches," Rendon said. "Sinker and cutter and a pretty good curveball out there." NOTES: The Nationals remain optimistic that OF Bryce Harper will return from a torn ligament in his left thumb early in the week, if not Monday. The 2012 NL Rookie of the Year, who was injured sliding head first into third in a game against San Diego in April, has been rehabbing in the minors. "Hes progressing really well," manager Matt Williams said. "I feel good at some point this coming week (he will return), Monday is a possibility." ... Washington recalled Game 2 starter Blake Treinen and reliever Xavier Cedeno from Triple-A Syracuse while optioning RHP Taylor Hill to the minor league club. ... Chicago OF Junior Lake was back in the lineup for Game 1 after sitting out Friday. He slid hard into a metal door in the outfield wall and left Thursdays game. ... The Cubs have their first scheduled Sunday off in 82 years because of the annual Pride Parade in Chicago. The last one was on June 19, 1932. Chicago played the Giants in New York on a Saturday and then visited Philadelphia on a Monday. ' ' '