English soccer's biggest prize could be staying in American hands.
After Malcolm Glazer's Manchester United wrested the Premier League title away from Chelsea's Russian owner Roman Abramovich last season, Liverpool's Tom Hicks and George Gillett Jr. have opened their wallets to bring the trophy down the road to Anfield this season.
Hicks and Gillett, who own baseball and hockey franchises and bought control of Liverpool last season, have given manager Rafa Benitez the funds to make 16 new player signings since the Reds finished third last term and lost to AC Milan in the Champions League final.
Benitez has brought in Spanish star Fernando Torres, Dutch international Ryan Babel and Ukraine's Andriy Voronin to join a strikeforce which already features Dutch star Dirk Kuyt and England's Peter Crouch.
Liverpool, which won the Champions League in 2005, is now more determined than ever to win the English league for the first time since 1990