Playing The Field

Another summer, another Asian fundraising tour by Europe's top soccer clubs. Cashing in on the game's popularity in the region, Real Madrid and Manchester United between them last week kicked their way through Hong Kong, Bangkok, Tokyo and Beijing, racking up multimillion-dollar appearance fees along the way.

Lesser teams, too, are parading before Asian fans. Rotterdam's Feyenoord went to work in Nanjing late last month, and even Sheffield United, from England's second division of clubs, rounded off its own three-game tour of China last week. The team's big attraction? Veteran Chinese star Hao Haidong. "We're looking at [China]...