F:AT Yahoo EPL (again)

Closest MLS team to me now is the Timbers (or maybe Real Salt Lake, but I can never ever root for someone with that fucking joke of a name).

However, since I grew up in Northern California in the late 70s-early 80s my allegiance will always be the Quakes.

I don't watch sports live in DC because the prices are simply ludicrous. Parking close to the Nationals is $40, it goes down to $20 if you're willing to walk a ways in a dodgy neighborhood. Hot dogs are $7 apiece, and they suck. They don't even try because they don't have to, people in DC go to the game as a social event. I get free tickets and turn them down because it costs me $30-$50 to attend.

DC United's new stadium is right next to the Nationals.

The Orioles are more reasonable. For the most part we do minor league ball in Bowie because it's awfully good play and you can get close to the field and eat for reasonable prices. I can bring the family for $100.

If EPL is what's on my TV then I'll give it a go. I'll give the Spurs a shot, thanks for the suggestion. MLS has a lot of proving to do to get me back interested, in spite of soccer being my sport as a kid.

S.

Sagrilarus wrote: MLS has a lot of proving to do to get me back interested, in spite of soccer being my sport as a kid.

I don't follow. If the games are cheaper to attend than MLB or other professional leagues (they are) and the quality of play on the field has increased (it has), what more does MLS have to do?

Sagrilarus wrote: I don't watch sports live in DC because the prices are simply ludicrous. Parking close to the Nationals is $40, it goes down to $20 if you're willing to walk a ways in a dodgy neighborhood. Hot dogs are $7 apiece, and they suck. They don't even try because they don't have to, people in DC go to the game as a social event. I get free tickets and turn them down because it costs me $30-$50 to attend.

DC United's new stadium is right next to the Nationals.

The Orioles are more reasonable. For the most part we do minor league ball in Bowie because it's awfully good play and you can get close to the field and eat for reasonable prices. I can bring the family for $100.

If EPL is what's on my TV then I'll give it a go. I'll give the Spurs a shot, thanks for the suggestion. MLS has a lot of proving to do to get me back interested, in spite of soccer being my sport as a kid.

S.

MLS is really pretty fun at this point. The stadiums are smalllllll, and the folks there want to be there. I have only been to a couple of Galaxy games, but mostly because they play a lot on Saturdays (my Sabbath) and because City of Industry is a solid 60 min drive, worse with traffic. It's very much akin to watching AAA baseball in terms of look-and-feel.

Liverpool is the way to go for EPL, man. They are SO middle of the road it's become kind of hilarious. They can beat anyone and lose to anyone. They are remarkable for this consistency. If you want a plucky team, I'd say Aston Villa. If you are in this for the long hall, keep an eye on Cardiff. They juuuuuust made it to the top league this year, but they are spending a lot of dough and looking like they will actually stay in and keep it up for at least a few years. Compare them to Stoke. Get in on the ground floor as it were.

Sagrilarus wrote: Now that English Premier League is playing front and center on my TV I'm considering rooting for a team. Any suggestions? Someone that's a contender, yet somehow tragic. Any team fit that bill?

S.

Arsenal fits that bill to a "t". Although there's no "t" in bill or Arsenal.

Arsenal is the classic tragic contender. Arsenal's golden age was more recent than Liverpool, the early '00s with a incredble, unbelievable undefeated season in 2003-2004. The team hasn't won anything since then ( www.sincearsenallastwonatrophy.co.uk ). After that, the team financed a big, shiny stadium and played the buy players cheap, turn them into stars and sell them for big profits without properly replace them with players of the same caliber. Everybody thought it was going to be different this year, no star players have left, but the team has only made one signing. A 20-year-old French striker with a history of injuries. It's a classic move from manager Arsene Wenger.

That said, Wenger has managed to guide Arsenal to Champions League qualification year after year and the team has a reputation for playing an attractive brand of attacking soccer. And has a reputation for completely imploding in the domestic cups.

If you want a smaller, plucky team I saw go for Swansea. They play really well, make smart transfer moves, play a possession-based attacking style, have an up-and-coming manager and will be competing in the Europa League this year. Or you could follow Sunderland with new signing American striker Jozy Altidore. If he plays as well as he has for the national team, Sunderland will be fun to watch.

As for MLS, it's entirely possible to be a fan of multiple leagues. And due to the time zone difference, you can watch foreign games in the morning and MLS in the evening. As for a team, I say go local or pick a team where you have some ties too. Or pick Sporting Kansas City, they are a good team and fun to watch. I mostly root for Real Salt Lake because I was living in Utah when I started to pay attention to soccer. In Austin, I really wish the Dynamo were on local TV affiliates as I don't get cable. Not even on the Spanish channels. They only show garbage Chivas USA. MLS doesn't really deserve the reputation that it has, it's a lot better than it used to be and it's fun to watch.

Wow. There's only 3 of us? C'mon guys! The season starts tomorrow if you miss out now you'll have a lot of catching up to do.

I am in there. Hey folks, week 1 is easy this year. Just pack as much Chelsea as possible on the pitch--they play twice. Aston Villa too, but they will be getting thrashed.

Use the link , there's something wonky about entering the password by hand.

I was just thinking about EPL yesterday, and how I'm definitely interested in following it as best I can with no cable. Soccer is becoming a big deal here in Kansas City, since Sporting KC is our most competitive professional team right now (except the Royals have looked awfully good since the all-star break). If soccer starts making it to network TV more often, it'll help a lot.

What's a good way to actually follow this stuff if one assumes it'll be difficult to actually watch any games?

Also, is it so nerdy that I'm inclined to root for Cardiff based mainly on my enjoyment of Doctor Who?

San Il Defanso wrote: I was just thinking about EPL yesterday, and how I'm definitely interested in following it as best I can with no cable. Soccer is becoming a big deal here in Kansas City, since Sporting KC is our most competitive professional team right now (except the Royals have looked awfully good since the all-star break). If soccer starts making it to network TV more often, it'll help a lot.

What's a good way to actually follow this stuff if one assumes it'll be difficult to actually watch any games?

I gave up cable a few years ago, so I watch almost no games through the season. (Don't tell the rest of the F:AT EPL group!)

One-stop online catchup? BBC Football An almost daily read for me during the season.

Also, is it so nerdy that I'm inclined to root for Cardiff based mainly on my enjoyment of Doctor Who?

You can support anyone you want, but I would basically count on finding a new EPL team next year, or following Cardiff down a league.

I thought about including Arsenal in that list for Sag, but they're really just an exercise in frustration. Liverpool are the same way, and neither met the "contender" category at all. Spurs don't really meet that either, but they put a better face on it than Arsenal or Liverpool have recently.