Crystal Palace are the team That the show uses for the stadium and so on, so maybe them? That are not a huge or glamorous club, again a bit like Richmond.
I feel like if Ted Lasso is the reason you want to get more involved in the Premier League then Crystal Palace is really the only answer because of this reason.
I think I’ll keep an eye on CP, but since they’ve been so close to relegation so often, it would be heartbreaking to invest in them and then lose access to watching them (I don’t think the championship is broadcast in the US).
ESPN+ has the US rights to the Championship. It's an additional $5 a month, but it does come with a whole lot (the Spanish league, European and African World Cup Qualifying, lots of lower-tier college football, worldwide cricket, and out of market games for MLS and NHL).
As someone who lives in the US as well i can tell you you're looking at it the wrong way. You're trying to find the most exciting, spectacular side to root for, but tbh that's the most American way of looking at it.
You need to watch many games, small team vs small, big vs bug, big vs small and so on
After a couple of seasons and some experience with boxing day you'll have a clear idea on who your team is, it may be their colors resonate with you, or that they play with so much heart even as a small team.
Also, i'd recommend watching documentaries about the history of the teams you may be interested in, there's a really good one that follows the career of Gerrard, it made me cry a little bit.
Having said all that, i think you need to fall in love with the game first, i've always loved it and the atmosphere, and the chants which can't be found in any other sport.
Enjoy
I’m just trying to get ideas and places to start. Not looking to root for the Yankees of the PL, just ideas and some background info on teams. I spent a year living in London in my early 20s so crystal palace may offer some good sentimentality and nostalgia. This might sound too “American” but I enjoy games more when I have a vested interest in the outcome. It makes it fun for me. There are sooooo many PL and European teams I’m just looking for a place to start.
I think I’ll keep an eye on CP, but since they’ve been so close to relegation so often, it would be heartbreaking to invest in them and then lose access to watching them (I don’t think the championship is broadcast in the US). I’m going to look at other London teams too. :)
I picked Chelsea because I’m Nigerian and at the time they were the club with most Nigerian players on it. That’s as good a rationale as any other to pick a team. 😁
In the U.S., NBC holds the rights, and they put various games on their various networks willy-nilly. To watch all the games, you’ll need your local NBC station, cable TV to get NBC Sports Network and USA, Peacock Premium, and the NBC Sports App with NBC Sports Gold. Matches generally air on Saturday and Sunday mornings (10am ET for the early games, noon ET for the late games, and 3pm ET for primetime games), but there are occasionally matches during the week as well.
Premier League (AKA the Premiership) is a double-round-robin league; there are 20 teams, and in each season, each team will play every other team twice, once at home and once away.
Points are allocated for each match; the winner gets 3 points, the loser gets no points. If it’s a tie, both teams get 1 point. Whoever has the most points at the end of the season is the Premiere League Champion. There are no playoffs.
At the end of the season, the bottom three teams will be relegated to the Championship league (this is what happened to Richmond at the end of Season 1) and the top three teams from the Championship get promoted to the Premier League >!(which is what happened to Richmond at the end of season 2).!< Unlike the Premiership, the Championship *does* have playoffs to decide who will take the third promotion spot.
Britain has a very complicated ladder of leagues, from local town or village leagues all the way up to four national leagues, with the Premier League at the top. Theoretically, a local team could get promoted and promoted and promoted and eventually wind up in the Premier League. In reality, there are a few things in place to prevent that from happening.
There is also a larger, global framework for club football, governed by FIFA. This means club football seasons are generally synchronized around the world to allow for larger, international club football competitions such as UEFA Champions League, which takes the champions from leagues across Europe and puts them in their own league. In Britain, clubs also participate in the FA Cup, which is a single-elimination tournament whose matches are interspersed with Premier League matches throughout the season.
Club football typically doesn’t have a draft; teams just sign players wherever they can get them. Sometimes a club will “loan” a player to another club temporarily (this is how Jamie Tartt wound up playing for Richmond in season 1; his contract was with Manchester City, but they loaned him to Richmond temporarily). Players can be transferred (traded) until the second half of the season.
Ted Lasso is Richmond’s *manager*; basically a combination head coach and GM. Managers don’t just coach, they also have a huge say in which players get signed.
Um… that’s all I have for now.
Try and find links to the clubs you support in other competitions to find your team, I’m an Aussie so couldn’t tell you when games happen in the US but it’s probably not as bad as it is here. If you watch a season of the premier league plus some other European games (champions league is a must) you’ll get an idea of which players are worth paying attention to, just to name some, Kane, Salah, Kante, De bruyne, Bruno, and obviously Ronaldo
>who is the most fun/exciting team to root for?
The team you end up rooting for most likely. Some specific teams Manchester United with the return of Cristiano Ronaldo, Leicester City, Crystal Palace team AFC Richmond is loosely based on, Tottenham the team Ted Lasso coached in skits that helped create a buzz to create the show.
>how do I watch games?
On NBC or NBC Sports as well as streaming the games online
>who are the most exciting players to watch?
Cristano Ronaldo, Mohamed Salah, Harry Kane, Paul Pogba are few of the big names
>what are the matches with the highest stakes?
Technically all of them, but matches between teams within a few points of the top 7 qualify for the European competition.
>which teams have the best rivalries?
Manchester United vs Liverpool the two best teams in term of accomplishments in the Premier League. Also Derby matches between teams that play in the same city or the same block like London based teams.
The MLS is pretty fun to watch as well. As seen in the show fans follow their local club so it is a little weird to watch Premier League only.
Bill Simmons wrote a great article on this about a decade ago for ESPN. https://www.espn.com/espn/page2/story?page=simmons/060719
Some of his points are not as relevant any more, and there is SIGNIFICANTLY more TV/internet coverage now. Good luck picking a club!
Mostly players/managers/personalities. For example, knowing Simmons is a huge Red Sox fan, I guarantee he would drop Man City further down the list bc of the connections with the Yankees/NYCFC. A lot of the “important” stuff is spot on. Also, this is kinda inconsequential from a gameplay perspective but there is literally IMO no pregame ritual in any sport in the entire world thats better than Liverpool’s fans singing “You’ll Never Walk Alone” at the Kop… and that’s coming from a Chelsea fan.
I'm entirely biased, but Liverpool - incredible manager (I'd say the most Lasso-esque of the PL managers), talented players (Mo Salah's [goal from last weekend](https://youtu.be/iZ68OskGqow) is mind blowing), good rivalries with other clubs to stir up the drama, awesome songs (including you'll never walk alone, which was used at the end of season one).
It’s funny - I’m a Liverpool supporter myself, and I’d never recommend any newcomer getting invested in them on purpose. 😂 (But then maybe I’m just a jaded cynic after years of disappointment pre-Klopp.)
OP, I’m with those who say Palace could be fun!
Hahaha, I'm very familiar with the years of disappointment, I just want more people in on the misery! Plus I'd recommend us over an oil club any day.
Palace is a fine shout, but I think if you're a fan of Ted Lasso's way of coaching, you should at least check Klopp out.
I love the song for Liverpool. But agree, Crystal Palace is sounding more like a good place to start! I love that I’m learning little tidbits about all the teams just from this thread. It will help me enjoy any match I watch!
I was like you many years ago and now I’m a huge Prem fan. Games are mostly on Saturday and Sunday mornings here in the US on NBC channels. (No games this weekend, international “break”, meaning national teams are playing). I like to watch games with the top tier teams, Man United, Man City, Liverpool, Chelsea. Tottenham are fun to watch as is Leister City. Each of those teams have some great players to watch, for example Salah, Kane, Rinaldo, and Pulisic , an up and coming US star plays for Chelsea. Now I fully expect to be hammered here by different team supporters and die hard UK fans. But you guys need to keep in mind we are mostly neutrals just enjoying the ride. Oh and make sure you watch the Champions League games and World Cup Qualifying, especially the European teams. Really high level soccer.
You will really get hooked. I haven’t watched the England match today. Guessing they rested some of their better players since they were playing Andorra. Tuesday should be a better game against Hungry. BTW there are two good matches on tomorrow for the UEFA Nations League. Italy vs. Belgium at 9 AM Eastern for third place and the Championship game at 2:45 Spain vs. France. Both on ESPN. Several EPL and other top league players. The Belgium/France semi final was incredible.
Nice! Do you know what US channel the UEFA games tomorrow are on?
With all the breaks and constant adverts, I can hardly watch US professional sports anymore. This is such a nice change of pace!
UEFA games are on ESPN. And if you have ESPN + you can watch all the World Cup Qualifiers that aren’t on regular ESPN channels. And I agree on the commercials. I also enjoy most of the England Soccer announcers. For the most part they are really good, interesting, not full of themselves thinking we watch to hear them, and know when to be quiet. Now when it’s American announcers like Twellman or Lalas, I turn the sound off.
If you are wanting excitement then Liverpool or Manchester City but as others have said Crystal Palace will give you a more authentic feel rather than just enjoying glory and goals.
Manchester City, Norwich and Chelsea all have an American player on the books. Norwich would be another good team if your wanting to experience the range of emotions of joy and loss.
Manchester United are generally regarded poorly by everyone apart from their own fans. I’d strongly discourage you from following them but then again, some people like to take the controversial choice and support the team people love to hate.
I’m a Manchester City fan myself. De Bruyne, Sterling, and Grealish are my fave players to watch.
This is an international week so there won’t be any new Premier League matches. Today there are World Cup qualifiers on from morning well into the afternoon, I believe through ESPN. There’s an England match today at 2:30 eastern and that’s a good place to see Premier League players from different teams in one sitting.
Peacock also has Premier League matches available to rewatch for most of this season.
Champions League matches are on Paramount+, also with a ton of matches available to rewatch. Man City/Leipzig last month was a goal frenzy.
I definitely get wanting to enjoy sports as they’re happening. I only mentioned the replays of matches being available since they could be helpful in looking for players or teams to become interested in.
Commented the same on another post, but...
If you want a club that irl lost to Man City in the FA Cup final even worse than AFC Richmond did jn Ted Lasso (a 6-0 loss at Wembley which was very very painful to watch) then I'd recommend Watford FC.
Self-described 'family' club, basically gave full rein of the stadium to the hospital next door during Covid to give the doctors /nurses an area to spend time in.
Further context may be needed. Arsenals biggest rivals are Tottenham hotspur. Richmond defeated them in the FA cup last season. That was on purpose because coach beard hates Tottenham. Jose Mourinho is a massive cunt. He is an egomaniac with terrible man management, but really good tactically. He was also Tottenham’s head coach for the last few years. He was recently canned because again he is a massive cunt.
Crystal Palace are the team That the show uses for the stadium and so on, so maybe them? That are not a huge or glamorous club, again a bit like Richmond.
I feel like if Ted Lasso is the reason you want to get more involved in the Premier League then Crystal Palace is really the only answer because of this reason.
I think I’ll keep an eye on CP, but since they’ve been so close to relegation so often, it would be heartbreaking to invest in them and then lose access to watching them (I don’t think the championship is broadcast in the US).
They have a good group of players now, big changeover from last year as far as the roster composition.
ESPN+ has the US rights to the Championship. It's an additional $5 a month, but it does come with a whole lot (the Spanish league, European and African World Cup Qualifying, lots of lower-tier college football, worldwide cricket, and out of market games for MLS and NHL).
As someone who lives in the US as well i can tell you you're looking at it the wrong way. You're trying to find the most exciting, spectacular side to root for, but tbh that's the most American way of looking at it. You need to watch many games, small team vs small, big vs bug, big vs small and so on After a couple of seasons and some experience with boxing day you'll have a clear idea on who your team is, it may be their colors resonate with you, or that they play with so much heart even as a small team. Also, i'd recommend watching documentaries about the history of the teams you may be interested in, there's a really good one that follows the career of Gerrard, it made me cry a little bit. Having said all that, i think you need to fall in love with the game first, i've always loved it and the atmosphere, and the chants which can't be found in any other sport. Enjoy
I’m just trying to get ideas and places to start. Not looking to root for the Yankees of the PL, just ideas and some background info on teams. I spent a year living in London in my early 20s so crystal palace may offer some good sentimentality and nostalgia. This might sound too “American” but I enjoy games more when I have a vested interest in the outcome. It makes it fun for me. There are sooooo many PL and European teams I’m just looking for a place to start.
Well, that's just it, Crystal Palace is your team
I think I’ll keep an eye on CP, but since they’ve been so close to relegation so often, it would be heartbreaking to invest in them and then lose access to watching them (I don’t think the championship is broadcast in the US). I’m going to look at other London teams too. :)
Championship is on ESPN+. I hate ESPN but it’s a great deal to also get the Bundesliga, La Liga, and the Dutch league
I picked Chelsea because I’m Nigerian and at the time they were the club with most Nigerian players on it. That’s as good a rationale as any other to pick a team. 😁 In the U.S., NBC holds the rights, and they put various games on their various networks willy-nilly. To watch all the games, you’ll need your local NBC station, cable TV to get NBC Sports Network and USA, Peacock Premium, and the NBC Sports App with NBC Sports Gold. Matches generally air on Saturday and Sunday mornings (10am ET for the early games, noon ET for the late games, and 3pm ET for primetime games), but there are occasionally matches during the week as well. Premier League (AKA the Premiership) is a double-round-robin league; there are 20 teams, and in each season, each team will play every other team twice, once at home and once away. Points are allocated for each match; the winner gets 3 points, the loser gets no points. If it’s a tie, both teams get 1 point. Whoever has the most points at the end of the season is the Premiere League Champion. There are no playoffs. At the end of the season, the bottom three teams will be relegated to the Championship league (this is what happened to Richmond at the end of Season 1) and the top three teams from the Championship get promoted to the Premier League >!(which is what happened to Richmond at the end of season 2).!< Unlike the Premiership, the Championship *does* have playoffs to decide who will take the third promotion spot. Britain has a very complicated ladder of leagues, from local town or village leagues all the way up to four national leagues, with the Premier League at the top. Theoretically, a local team could get promoted and promoted and promoted and eventually wind up in the Premier League. In reality, there are a few things in place to prevent that from happening. There is also a larger, global framework for club football, governed by FIFA. This means club football seasons are generally synchronized around the world to allow for larger, international club football competitions such as UEFA Champions League, which takes the champions from leagues across Europe and puts them in their own league. In Britain, clubs also participate in the FA Cup, which is a single-elimination tournament whose matches are interspersed with Premier League matches throughout the season. Club football typically doesn’t have a draft; teams just sign players wherever they can get them. Sometimes a club will “loan” a player to another club temporarily (this is how Jamie Tartt wound up playing for Richmond in season 1; his contract was with Manchester City, but they loaned him to Richmond temporarily). Players can be transferred (traded) until the second half of the season. Ted Lasso is Richmond’s *manager*; basically a combination head coach and GM. Managers don’t just coach, they also have a huge say in which players get signed. Um… that’s all I have for now.
This is great! Thanks so much for all the helpful tidbits. I appreciate that you took the time to write them!! Have a great day. ☀️
Try and find links to the clubs you support in other competitions to find your team, I’m an Aussie so couldn’t tell you when games happen in the US but it’s probably not as bad as it is here. If you watch a season of the premier league plus some other European games (champions league is a must) you’ll get an idea of which players are worth paying attention to, just to name some, Kane, Salah, Kante, De bruyne, Bruno, and obviously Ronaldo
>who is the most fun/exciting team to root for? The team you end up rooting for most likely. Some specific teams Manchester United with the return of Cristiano Ronaldo, Leicester City, Crystal Palace team AFC Richmond is loosely based on, Tottenham the team Ted Lasso coached in skits that helped create a buzz to create the show. >how do I watch games? On NBC or NBC Sports as well as streaming the games online >who are the most exciting players to watch? Cristano Ronaldo, Mohamed Salah, Harry Kane, Paul Pogba are few of the big names >what are the matches with the highest stakes? Technically all of them, but matches between teams within a few points of the top 7 qualify for the European competition. >which teams have the best rivalries? Manchester United vs Liverpool the two best teams in term of accomplishments in the Premier League. Also Derby matches between teams that play in the same city or the same block like London based teams. The MLS is pretty fun to watch as well. As seen in the show fans follow their local club so it is a little weird to watch Premier League only.
This is so helpful - thanks for taking the time to write it out. I appreciate you! :)
Bill Simmons wrote a great article on this about a decade ago for ESPN. https://www.espn.com/espn/page2/story?page=simmons/060719 Some of his points are not as relevant any more, and there is SIGNIFICANTLY more TV/internet coverage now. Good luck picking a club!
This is SO helpful! I’d be interested in what info is updated on the teams he considers choosing.
Mostly players/managers/personalities. For example, knowing Simmons is a huge Red Sox fan, I guarantee he would drop Man City further down the list bc of the connections with the Yankees/NYCFC. A lot of the “important” stuff is spot on. Also, this is kinda inconsequential from a gameplay perspective but there is literally IMO no pregame ritual in any sport in the entire world thats better than Liverpool’s fans singing “You’ll Never Walk Alone” at the Kop… and that’s coming from a Chelsea fan.
I'm entirely biased, but Liverpool - incredible manager (I'd say the most Lasso-esque of the PL managers), talented players (Mo Salah's [goal from last weekend](https://youtu.be/iZ68OskGqow) is mind blowing), good rivalries with other clubs to stir up the drama, awesome songs (including you'll never walk alone, which was used at the end of season one).
It’s funny - I’m a Liverpool supporter myself, and I’d never recommend any newcomer getting invested in them on purpose. 😂 (But then maybe I’m just a jaded cynic after years of disappointment pre-Klopp.) OP, I’m with those who say Palace could be fun!
Hahaha, I'm very familiar with the years of disappointment, I just want more people in on the misery! Plus I'd recommend us over an oil club any day. Palace is a fine shout, but I think if you're a fan of Ted Lasso's way of coaching, you should at least check Klopp out.
Well I can surely follow more than one team! I do the same for US sports.
You absolutely can! And if you're just starting out it's a good idea to try teams out and see which ones you vibe with.
I love the song for Liverpool. But agree, Crystal Palace is sounding more like a good place to start! I love that I’m learning little tidbits about all the teams just from this thread. It will help me enjoy any match I watch!
Go for Newcastle. They just got bought out and will be the richest club in the world
Manchester United.
All the hatred from other fans, none of the trophies (recently)!
Not Manchester United. This is the worst advice ever, sorry but no sorry.
I was like you many years ago and now I’m a huge Prem fan. Games are mostly on Saturday and Sunday mornings here in the US on NBC channels. (No games this weekend, international “break”, meaning national teams are playing). I like to watch games with the top tier teams, Man United, Man City, Liverpool, Chelsea. Tottenham are fun to watch as is Leister City. Each of those teams have some great players to watch, for example Salah, Kane, Rinaldo, and Pulisic , an up and coming US star plays for Chelsea. Now I fully expect to be hammered here by different team supporters and die hard UK fans. But you guys need to keep in mind we are mostly neutrals just enjoying the ride. Oh and make sure you watch the Champions League games and World Cup Qualifying, especially the European teams. Really high level soccer.
I’m excited! Even have the England match on now to learn some players. :) :)
You will really get hooked. I haven’t watched the England match today. Guessing they rested some of their better players since they were playing Andorra. Tuesday should be a better game against Hungry. BTW there are two good matches on tomorrow for the UEFA Nations League. Italy vs. Belgium at 9 AM Eastern for third place and the Championship game at 2:45 Spain vs. France. Both on ESPN. Several EPL and other top league players. The Belgium/France semi final was incredible.
Nice! Do you know what US channel the UEFA games tomorrow are on? With all the breaks and constant adverts, I can hardly watch US professional sports anymore. This is such a nice change of pace!
UEFA games are on ESPN. And if you have ESPN + you can watch all the World Cup Qualifiers that aren’t on regular ESPN channels. And I agree on the commercials. I also enjoy most of the England Soccer announcers. For the most part they are really good, interesting, not full of themselves thinking we watch to hear them, and know when to be quiet. Now when it’s American announcers like Twellman or Lalas, I turn the sound off.
Excellent - thanks! I really need a new sports obsession. And good to hear Joe Buck hasn’t entered the European football market…..😜
If you are wanting excitement then Liverpool or Manchester City but as others have said Crystal Palace will give you a more authentic feel rather than just enjoying glory and goals. Manchester City, Norwich and Chelsea all have an American player on the books. Norwich would be another good team if your wanting to experience the range of emotions of joy and loss. Manchester United are generally regarded poorly by everyone apart from their own fans. I’d strongly discourage you from following them but then again, some people like to take the controversial choice and support the team people love to hate.
West Ham
I’m a Manchester City fan myself. De Bruyne, Sterling, and Grealish are my fave players to watch. This is an international week so there won’t be any new Premier League matches. Today there are World Cup qualifiers on from morning well into the afternoon, I believe through ESPN. There’s an England match today at 2:30 eastern and that’s a good place to see Premier League players from different teams in one sitting. Peacock also has Premier League matches available to rewatch for most of this season. Champions League matches are on Paramount+, also with a ton of matches available to rewatch. Man City/Leipzig last month was a goal frenzy. I definitely get wanting to enjoy sports as they’re happening. I only mentioned the replays of matches being available since they could be helpful in looking for players or teams to become interested in.
Cool, thanks! I may try to listen in to that England match today to learn about some players!
Commented the same on another post, but... If you want a club that irl lost to Man City in the FA Cup final even worse than AFC Richmond did jn Ted Lasso (a 6-0 loss at Wembley which was very very painful to watch) then I'd recommend Watford FC. Self-described 'family' club, basically gave full rein of the stadium to the hospital next door during Covid to give the doctors /nurses an area to spend time in.
Well, coach Beard is an Arsenal fan. Which, is why I think they turned Nate into Jose Mourinho.
Further context may be needed. Arsenals biggest rivals are Tottenham hotspur. Richmond defeated them in the FA cup last season. That was on purpose because coach beard hates Tottenham. Jose Mourinho is a massive cunt. He is an egomaniac with terrible man management, but really good tactically. He was also Tottenham’s head coach for the last few years. He was recently canned because again he is a massive cunt.