i am having a hard time choosing a team too support that is thousands of miles away. i like liverpool because of their play style but i also, like to support everton because of tim howard and i like fullham because of dempsey and jonhson but those games are often harder to find streams for. i have a hard time forming an attachment over a team that is so far away but mls is also so boring compared to the epl. and soccer is so much more edge of your seat when you have a vested interest in the team so what made you chose the team to follow that you do?
i picked the earthquakes because they were the closest team to my college. i just kept standing with the supporters section and having fun with them. thats probably the quickest way to get emotionally attached. mls will only get better if the local fans support it. If youre going to root for an EPL team, at least make it an interesting one. there are too many Arsenal, Chelsea, Man Utd and Liverpool fans here. pick someone like Burnley, or Hull City. i don't follow aston villa, but i still bought one of their jerseys for fun. why not pick two teams, one in MLS and one far away? just think of it as making a short term investment, and a long term investment. i grew up watching Queretaro, and while they may not be doing so well in the mexican 1st division, there is a lot of promotion/relegation drama with them.
i would suggest you give it time. I think with time a team will begin to jump out at you. eventually you'll want find yourself rooting for one team over another to win important games. Maybe the teams philosophy will move you. maybe a player of the same heritage as you will have an impact. Eventually you'll find a team that you enjoy watching often just because of their style. I'm not a Barca fan but their is a culture that they stand for and a philosphy that they have in the way they play football that moves me. it's how i think the game should be played. things like that may move you over time.
I repeatedly beat my brother's ass in World Cup 2002 (PlayStation2) with Sweden when he repeatedly picked England because Henrik Larsson was the best player in the game. Celtic went on their UEFA Cup run soon after that, and seeing those games, with him playing in them... it was pretty much sealed. 2002-03 solidified the two teams that will always be tied for #1 for making me fall in love for the sport. Celtic and USA, USA and Celtic... they both mean the same to me. In my opinion, to replicate this you should immerse yourself into a team like I did Celtic in 2003... start playing as a team on FIFA and Football Manager, research the team, learn their history, learn their legends, hell even learn about their city and its history, then once you've made your decision and know the history join a fan forum and immerse yourself in it. Know when the games are coming on, know who your team is playing the next weekend, know who is above and below you in the standings and keep an eye on their results as well. It should be a slowish process, though, definitely don't rush into it.
I would watch a lot of games and find a team you enjoy watching for one thing. But players change, coaches change (and thus playstyles change). I mean Arsenal used to play ugly football way back in the 80s and such, but now they have Arsne Wenger and they play beautiful football. If you pick a team because player A plays for them what happens when he is transferred to another club? When you begin to narrow down a few clubs, do some reading on their histories, read their wikipedia pages, see if the history and background of the club resonates with you. For me personally ... I am Italian-American (second generation). I love Italian soccer, and root for Genoa (my home town team) and to a lesser extent Roma (who I followed for the 10 years+ that Genoa were in Serie B/C and thus near impossible to follow). In England I follow Tottenham, because of a number of reasons. And now that Houston has the Dynamo I have been a season ticket holder and member of the Texian Army supporters' club and follow them.
Ya man, take your time. I took me four years to pick my EPL team. I wound up with Arsenal. I liked the fact that they are a team which will stay competitive but not having the budget of the other big 4. I also grew to respect and like Arsene Wenger. I was becoming a Fulham fan because of the Dempsey/McBride angle but after going on their fan boards in a friendly way I was not made to feel welcome. They called me a Johnny-come-lately... well duh. I was. I made a rational point that why would I care about them without a rellevant reason but they were so puffed up about themselves they couldn't understand why the whole world wasn't into the FFC shield. Anyway, I digress. Take your time and make the right choice for you. You'll be glad. And please stop putting down the MLS. I saw Barca live in California his summer and it didn't make me enjoy watching the Revs any less.
Whatever you do don't support TWO english clubs like this clown above me! I chose Liverpool to support only after seeing them live, in Hartford, CT. One day I'll get to Anfield! I also come from a blue collar, working class, Irish-Catholic family/community. As others have said, don't choose a team because of a player(s) as they are sure to change at some point and you'll likely end up supporting more than one club (see above clown)
I just watched a bunch of Arsenal matches when I was visiting Vietnam, did a little research into that team and the EPL, and found a fit. The style and quality fit my needs. But as Berean Todd noted, styles and managers change so I would do a little more research into the history of the team and/or league before deciding. A true fan sticks by the team when styles change or turmoil occurs. I also have begun to follow Fulham casually because of the administration's good treatment of American players. As an American who supports the USMNT, that works as a great connection even though I'm not really a Fulham fan.
had the same problem but I settled on Fulham cause of all the Yanks....before a friend got me into chelsea another brit got me into the Hammers for awhile just watch all you can and you'll figure something out
You guys are making me feel really weird right now.... I don't know what to say, to be completely honest. So maybe I shouldn't even be in this thread and should shut the hell up? I might be able to relate, so give me a second here... So I grew up in Manchester, most of my family and friends are United, but then I went to New York. I wasn't too far away from Yankee Stadium so I took them in, but people look at me funny when I say I'm a Jets fan. Why the hell would I take the Jets over the more glamorous big brothers? The Jets had what reminded me of the clubs back in England - character. They have shit seasons (mostly), they even have good seasons. Even though they don't have the luster of the Giants, I felt it was more exciting to pull for the Jets. The players come and go, but the character of the fans and history won't go anywhere. No matter who you go with, I'll promise you that there will always be at least a few Englishman who look down on you, especially if you're going with a well-known and currently successful team. Take the flak, take the banter, and if you're heart is really with the club then stick it out and your loyalties will win out in the end. Trust me, they'll have respect for someone who can wake up at Stupid O'Clock AM to watch a match, no matter where you come from. I've heard some Americans claim that they didn't find their club, the club found them. Whether you go for a footballing superpower or a minnow, whatever makes you happy I guess. Oh, and it's frowned upon to support two teams, so you have to pick one. I don't know if any of this helps you or not. Hey, I'm trying my best here...
Ahh the Jets.......I love the Jets, my NFL team.....they probably look at you funny because you are telling them you are a Jets fan with an English accent...nobody looked at me funny when I said I liked the Jets growing up in New York, it was pity
It's even weirder now that I'm in Minnesota. There were a lot of Favre fans who suddenly liked the Jets over here, but I swore from the beginning that I would cut off the heads of any friends or family that got me his jersey for birthday or Christmas.
I've come to believe its just wrong to support Newcastle. I've heard English people say that, too. I have to believe that, there was no logical reason to CHOOSE Sunderland, they just kind of grew on me. It helped that the first two seasons we had FSW in our house were the two years Sunderland finished seventh, and Reyna showing up after I was already hooked probably cemented it.
I'm one of those people who decided to have two clubs as well. DC United, being my local team, and Borussia Moenchengladbach. My reason for picking them is pretty pathetic- I was playing FIFA 07 and picked a club at random to use. It ended up being BMG, and after playing a couple matches with them grew curious and learned more about them. Along with discovering their powerhouse days in the '70s, I gained an interest in some of the current players they had (Kasey Keller, Oliver Neuville, Marko Marin once he started to flourish). After they picked up Michael Bradley, it only solidified my loyalty. As for English clubs, I don't know why I never gained an interest with them. Perhaps it's because I've come across so many faux ManU/Chelsea/Arsenal supporters that it has simply turned me off from the EPL altogether.
have to agree with you, I had to slap my friend who is also a Jets fan when he bought a Jets Farve jeresy for his kid....what was he thinking?!?!
So because you come from a blue collar, working class, Irish-Catholic community you decided to support Liverpool? The same Liverpool FC formed by a staunch Orange order member (not exactly a friend of the Irish Catholics!) The same Liverpool FC who only exist because Everton FC, the orginal club of the city refused his attempts to take them into private hands because they believed they belonged to the normal blue collar people of the city? If you know your history....
Yes, Liverpool truly are the dreggs of English footy with their leangthy runs in the CL and permanent place in the top 4. You must suffer through such terrible struggles each season
I am attached to the U.S. Mens National Team and the Chicago Fire. It’s a geographical thing to some degree. I like seeing games in person. I like seeing the sport grow here in my country. However, I love to watch the EPL. What matters most to me is where Americans abroad are playing. I have no shame is saying such. Label me whatever you want, but I root for the team which has the most Americans on the roster. I want to see American soccer players grow & play in their given clubs. I want to see us get the experience we need to bring it up a notch! Who one chooses to follow is 100% a personal decision. I choose to reward teams who employ American players with my patronage. Even though I know it’s worth squat.
Exact same way I feel, I have always rooted for teams (in any sport) that I am from or live in. And when it comes to European soccer I root for the clubs that have my fellow paisanos.