I did something Friday afternoon that I haven’t done in at least six years. I sat down and watched a Premier League game. This certainly wasn’t the first time I’ve ever watched an EPL game. I grew up loving the 1990s Manchester United teams that featured my favorite player, Ryan Giggs. As time wore on, my interest in European soccer waned as my interest in Orlando City, the USL, and then MLS, grew.
Watching European clubs in the 1980s and 1990s felt different, fun, and a bit underground. Soccer wasn’t popular, so finding and following clubs as an American felt a bit insurgent.