The word "soccer" in the title of this post means 99% already stopped reading, but I thought it would be time to diversify and talk about something other than football (American) and Duke basketball.
After the World Cup, which was pretty awesome this year, I decided I would try to follow soccer a bit more. It was good timing as the Philadelphia Union were just about to start their first season in MLS. However, as I quickly learned after trying to watch a few Union games, MLS is not the World Cup. I appreciate the product MLS is trying to put out, but it doesn't change the fact that it's a minor league of soccer.
So I decided I would try to follow an English Premier League team. The Premier League, as the name suggests, is the top league in England with 20 teams. It's probably the most accessible league television wise in America, with some games on ESPN and many more on Fox Soccer Channel. Unfortunately, too many of these games are at 8 AM on Saturday and Sunday, but I'm doing what I can.
The next step was to pick a team to follow. Yes, Bill Simmons wrote an article just like this a few years ago, but I won't go that in detail, nor did I take suggestions from anyone else. Here were my criteria:
- No Manchester United or Chelsea. Even if you don't follow soccer, you know these teams. They're the Yankees and Red Sox of England. No thanks.
- Not terrible. I won't be a front-runner, but I wanted a decent team at least.
- At least one American player that actually played on the team.
- Cool looking crest (logo) and kit (jersey) were a plus
After a lengthy, drawn-out process (about 5 minutes of looking through teams), I chose Aston Villa. Aston Villa has been one of the more successful Premier League teams, but they're no where near the level of Man U or Chelsea. They've finished 6th in the League the last three seasons, so they're competitive.
Plus, they have American Brad Friedel as their goalkeeper. Friedel is basically the Brett Favre of soccer, minus everything bad that has happened to Brett in the last three years. He's 39 years old, but he looks like he's about 59. He's the record holder for most consecutive appearances with 241. And he's still one of the best goalkeepers in the league. Yes, he's the man.
After following European soccer for a few weeks, you realize just how different it is than American professional leagues. Take the following for example:
- Relegation and Promotion. Probably the aspect of European soccer that would be coolest to see added to American sports. Let's say your team starts out poorly and they pretty much give up on the season, tanking it the rest of the way. There's no real consequence for this in American sports, but in soccer, there's a big one. Finish at the bottom of your league (bottom 3 in the Premier League) and you're out of the league, relegated to the league below you. The three top teams in the lower league take their place in the Premier League.
Just imagine how this would work in American sports. The Clippers would have been out of the NBA for years. The Lions might make it back to the NFL this season. The Pirates would have been out of MLB since the mid-90's. It's an awesome concept that really makes every game count for these teams.
Plus you get different teams in the league every year, meaning every season is truly unique.
- Leagues within leagues. This was the most confusing part of soccer for me at first. Basically, there are no playoffs to determine who the champion of the Premier League is at the end of the season. Whoever has the most points at the end of the regular season wins the league. However, the top 4 teams then qualify for the Champions League, which combines all of the top Leagues in Europe. The Champions League doesn't take place right after the regular season though, it happens during the next regular season. So right now, Chelsea, Manchester United, Arsenal, and Tottenham Hotspur are playing in the Champions League as well as the Premier League. There are several instances of tournaments taking place during the season such as the Europa League, for teams finishing just below the top spots, and the FA cup, which combines every league in England into one tournament. But the Champions League is the most prestigious and the real prize of European football.
I really don't think this could work for American sports, and I'm not really a huge fan of it in soccer. The regular season itself for the Premier League is way too long (the only completely off months are June and July), and if they shortened the season they could have the Champions League afterwards. But it's definitely something different, and if your team is failing in the regular season, and least they still have a chance at taking home a tournament trophy.
- Very few teams actually have a chance at winning. If you thought baseball was top-heavy, soccer is even worse. Money rules everything in the Premier League. It's not like the worse teams can draft the best players and build up that way. Every player is signed in European soccer. Even if you're lucky to sign a good player when he's young, there's a good chance he'll bolt for a team with money once he shows how good he is. It's kind of disappointing to know that only a very few teams actually have a shot at winning the league, but it also makes the upsets that much more special.
- No commercials. The best part of soccer.
I'm no Richie Ongaro, but I'm learning. So if you're still not convinced, do what I did. Pick a team to follow, learn about them a bit, and try to get up early on a Saturday or Sunday and watch a game. I can already say with complete certainly that the Premier League is more fun to watch than the NBA.
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