Choose your Premier League adventure
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Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios. Stock: Getty Images
Are you one of the thousands of Americans who fell in love with the FIFA World Cup this summer and find yourself asking: How do I keep high-grade soccer in my life?
My answer: Choose the English Premier League.
- Why it matters: It's a glorious sports fan experience. Twenty teams provide 38 weeks of high-octane chaos and drama, plus they compete in the FA Cup — the oldest national soccer competition in the world! You'll get to see supporters in the U.K. live and die by each pass, and you'll likely connect with fan groups in the U.S.
Your next question: Who do I root for?
My answer: You can choose from two paths.
The road well traveled: You want to back a big-name team that people will recognize. (Shorter version: You root for the Dallas Cowboys.) Choose a team from the Big Six. Review my fully biased take on each team below, where I offer an MLB comparison to inform your decision:
- Arsenal: The reigning champions, the Gunners have a deep and loyal fan base that thinks they are smarter than the other supporter groups. Baseball comp: St. Louis Cardinals.
- Manchester City: Erling Haaland's team. They're usually favored to win whenever they step on the field, and often do. They have lots of money and use it, usually (annoyingly) wisely. Baseball comp: LA Dodgers
- Manchester United: The Red Devils have won the most titles in league history, but they haven't won in a long time. They're always in the headlines, whether good or bad. Baseball comp: NY Yankees
- Liverpool: They've won two league titles since 2020, but can't seem to avoid drama. Not unlike their sister team that is also owned by Fenway Sports Group. Baseball comp: Boston Red Sox (As a Sox fan, I know of what I speak.)
- Chelsea: Frequent winners under their previous Russian oligarch owner, an American private equity firm bought them in 2022, and they have taken a "unique" approach to team building since. My nephew's favorite team. Baseball comp: LA Angels (absent the historic winning)
- Tottenham Hotspur: Tottenham play in an amazing venue, always have great players and capture the imagination of their fans. But, but, but: Their penchant for poor performances in the face of victory has created the adjective "Spursy." Baseball comp: NY Mets (sorry Met fan wife, family and friends)
Yes, but: Perhaps you don't want an easy route, where people roll their eyes and say, "Of course you back Man City."
The road less traveled: Every year the bottom three Premier League teams are relegated to England's second-tier Championship, while the top three clubs from that league earn promotion to the PL.
- Rather than jump on a "Big Six" team, review the three promoted teams, and pick your champion. It's an insanely fun way to follow the league.
Between the lines: English football has history, and every team has its own history that can captivate and entertain you for a season.
- Over the years, I've learned the intensely wonderful quirks and lore of teams like Leeds, Middlesborough and Norwich. I even know why Crystal Palace and Brighton loathe each other. (It's weird.)
But then in 2021, I chose the Brentford Bees, and their first game that year hooked me forever. They beat Arsenal in their first match back in the top flight since 1938, and watching the celebration won me (and my daughter) over.
- They've stayed up every year since, even in the face of adversity, and they've connected me to a community you wouldn't believe would exist for such a small team.
Ready to give it a shot? This year's three underdog choices are: Ipswich, (ever hear of Ed Sheeran?), Coventry City and Hull City. Pick your fighter and jump on board!
