So you enjoyed the 2014 World Cup. So did I.
And now you find yourself asking yourself or others, “How do I get more
of this thing called soccer? I don’t
want to wait 4 more years until the next World Cup.” Well I have great news for you, you don’t
have to wait. Soccer is available on
your TV right now. You can start
enjoying some great MLS action immediately.
But what if you want to follow some of the big names that you watched in
this summer’s World Cup, how can you follow those players? Well lucky you, the world’s most popular and
exciting leagues are all about to start in just a few weeks, with the English
Premier League kicking off in just 2 weeks (August 16).
Now the EPL does not contain some of the big names that you
fell in love with during the World Cup, players like Messi, James (Ha-mez,
don’t call him James) Rodriguez, Neymar, and just about the entire German squad
(they pretty much all play for the same team, Bayern Munich). But the EPL does have one thing that the
other European leagues don’t have… a major TV deal in the US. If you wanna watch La Liga, you can only
watch one or two games a week on Bein Sport.
If you’re interested in following many of the World Cup champs, you have
to try and watch Bayern and the other Budesliga teams on GOL TV. But if you want to watch the EPL, you can
watch every single match, either on TV or streaming online with NBC Sports
Network.
So let’s talk about the EPL.
For many Americans, thanks to the success of the World Cup, this may be
the first season they watch England’s top league. Being a first time viewer, you have two
options, you can either enjoy the games and watch them without any rooting
interest or you can pick a team and follow them during the 9 month roller
coaster that is the world’s most exciting sports league. I personally think that all sports are much
more exciting when you have a horse in the race. I love March Madness and will watch every
single game, but those games lose a lot of their allure once my team has been
defeated. The same applies for all other
sports I follow.
So now that I’ve convinced you to pick a favorite EPL team,
the questions comes, how do you decide?
The great thing about becoming a fan of any of the European soccer
leagues is that you can pick which team you want to support. It’s like reading a choose-your-own-adventure
novel. You are not held down by any
restrictions like home-town loyalty or family traditions. So now that you can control your own destiny,
let me help you pick which team you should cheer for by asking you a few simple
questions. Answer them honestly and by
the end, you should be ready to select your newly beloved English Premier
League team.
1)
Have any of your favorite American sports teams
won a title in the past 5 years?
If you answer yes to this question, you are banned from
selecting any of the big 4 clubs, Manchester United, Manchester City, Chelsea
or Arsenal. If you know what it feels
like to win a championship, you need to know what it feels like to cheer for a
team that is not winning or at least contending each year.
The opposite of this applies to those of you who have not
experienced a championship recently. If
you don’t remember what it feels like to win a title, maybe you should go for
one of these teams.
2)
Do you like an underdog story, but you also like
winning more than you like losing?
Many people say they like to cheer for an underdog, but when
it comes down to it, they at least want to be competitive in every game they
play and don’t want to be cheering for a losing team. If you are one of these people, then you
should consider Tottenham Hotspurs or Everton.
3)
Do you like the way the NFL is set up where your
team only plays once a week, or do you prefer the other leagues (NBA, MLB and
NHL) where teams play more than once?
If you like watching your team more than once a week, then
you probably want to pick a team that is either playing in the Champions League
(City, Liverpool, Chelsea and Arsenal) or the Europa League (Spurs and
Everton). Most of these teams also have
a good chance of making it far in the domestic cups (Capital One Cup and FA
Cup). I’ll also add United into this
group of teams because even though they will not be in any of the European
tournaments this season, they’ll be back soon.
But if you like the NFL model and
only wanna watch one match a week, then pick one of the other teams.
4)
Do you hate the Red Sox and/or the Yankees?
If you do, then you don’t wanna cheer for Liverpool (owned
by the Red Sox ownership group) or Manchester City (business partners with the
Yankees).
5)
Did you fall in love with Argentina’s stripe
jerseys at the World Cup or did you like the classic solid color jersey?
Argentina was the only team sporting a striped shirt and it
truly made them stand out. If you found
yourself cheering for the one team with a striped kit, then you should think
about supporting one of the striped EPL teams.
You have a few more choices in the EPL including Stoke City,
Southampton, Sunderland, Hull City (aka Hull Tigers), Crystal Palace, West Bromich Albion, Newcastle United, and Queens Park Rangers (horizontal stripes). So if you like the stripes, now you just need
to pick which color combination you like best, if you don’t like strips, then
pick one of the many solid color kits.
6)
Are you a true American at heart and want to
cheer for an American player in England?
Sadly, at the current moment, you don’t have a lot of US players
to choose from in the EPL, but you do have a few. Center-back Geoff Cameron (yeah the one who
gave up the opening goal against Portugal) plays for Stoke City. Goal keeper extraordinaire Tim Howard (who
you fell in love with in the Belguim match) plays for Everton. Current second string US goal keeper (and
likely the starter in the 2018 World Cup), Brad Guzan plays for AstonVilla. Striker Jozy Altidore (the one
who played 20 minutes against Ghana before pulling his hamstring) plays for
Sunderland. And I can’t fail to mention
Brad Friedel, the grandpa of the group, is one of the backup keepers for
Tottenham. Additionally, Captain
America, Clint Dempsey, played for Fullham (no longer in the top division) and
Tottenham before making his move to Seattle.
And finally, Landon Donovan had two loan spells with Everton during his
time with the LA Galaxy.
7)
Do you legitimately want to cheer for an
underdog, even at the risk of watching your team get relegated to the lower
division?
If you are brave enough to sit through a season that may end
with your team dropping out of the Premier League and playing in the Championship
next season, then you should pick one of the cellar dwellers of the
league. Now I must say that some years
the relegation battle at the bottom of the table is much more interesting than
the title race at the top. Some seasons
one team will run away with the title with several weeks remaining, but there
may still be a fight to keep your head above water and not be drowned out of
the bottom of the league. So if you’re
man enough to endure a season of mostly losses and draws, maybe one of these
teams is right for you: West Bromich Albion, Hull City, Aston Villa,
Sunderland, West Ham United, Swansea City, Queens Park Rangers, Leicester City,
Burnley and Crystal Palace.
8)
Do you like bubbles?
Well, then this one’s easy, pick West Ham United.
9)
Do you drive a Chevy?
If you do, or if you are a supporter of American automobiles,
then you might consider picking Manchester United, who now sports an oversized Chevy logo on their kits.
10)
Are you an accountant and/or do your
personal finances using Quick Books?
What goes better together than Accounting and Soccer? West Brom is the team for you.
11)
Do you like to hang motivational phrases on the
walls of your home?
If your walls are covered with phrases like “Home is where
the heart is” or “Families are Forever” then maybe it’s time you add one more inspirational
phrase to your walls, “You’ll Never Walk Alone” – the team slogan of
Liverpool.
12)
Do you have some sort of connection to Wales
instead of England?
The EPL does include teams from the country of Wales as well
as England, but this season, there is only one team from Wales in the league,
Swansea City.
13)
My final question… Do you know how to use the
internet and can you read?
If you are reading this article online, which I can only
assume you are, then you both know how to use the internet and how to
read. My final suggestion to you, go and
research some of the clubs you’re considering.
Learn a little bit about their history and see if you can find a team
that connects to you. Hopefully your
experience of choosing an EPL club is similar to the sorting hat of Harry
Potter, you will not pick the team, but the team will pick you.
So choose wisely, because like one of greatest supporters of
Soccer in America, Roger Bennett has said, “You can change your partner, you
can change your underwear, but you can never, ever change your football team.”
So enjoy the 2014 - 2015 EPL and best of luck to you and your new favorite club.
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