Manchester United Keeps Hope of 5 Trophies Alive

Apparently, there are some 1,312 Subway sandwich shops ("shoppes"?) in England. The reason I bring this up is to ponder whether the Brits are privy to the company's current "$5 Footlong" campaign (yes, it would be pounds over there.)

Because, as it turns out, "5" is the key number hovering around super-club Manchester United these days.

United defeated Tottenham in the Carling Cup final Sunday in penalty kicks, which keeps the club on pace for winning five trophies this term -- the Carling Cup, the FA Cup, the Premier Leauge, the Champions League and the FIFA Club World Cup. Perhaps it's a good thing they hand out winner's medals, as opposed to rings, because the players would run out of room on their hands.

With the Carling Cup safely secured in United's massive trophy case, let's look to see how their chances stack up in the other four competitions:

-- FA Cup: United plays at Fulham this weekend in the tournament's sixth round. The Cottagers have been Sir Alex Ferguson's whipping boys lately. The other big teams left are Chelsea, Everton and possibly Arsenal.

-- Premier League: With Liverpool's shock 2-0 loss to Middlesbrough over the weekend, United opened up a seven-point gap over Liverpool and Chelsea with a game in hand and 12 games left to play.

-- Champions League: United just finished the first leg of their Round of 16 matchup with Inter Milan with a 0-0 draw at the San Siro. The second leg is at Old Trafford next week.

-- Club World Cup: United would have to win the Champions League to make the competition.

At the moment, the Premier League looks a lock since Ferguson's teams tend to cause opposing sides to have meltdowns, not the other way around. The FA Cup could be tricky, but you'd guess Manchester United would at least make it to the final.

The biggest hurdle is the Champions League. United could just as easily go out to Inter next week or win the entire thing.

Should Manchester United bring home four or five trophies, would it supplant the magical treble-winning season of 1999 in the hearts of its supporters? Only time (and titles) will tell.