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Just a heads up that NBC Sports is streaming all EPL games. You'll need a cable provider login, but if you have that the games are free.

I've casually followed EPL for years, but this year I've decided to pick a team. I'm going with Everton since 1) a good college friend of mine was from Liverpool and loved Everton, 2) a lot of Americans over the years have played there, including Tim Howard , and 3) another player has my last name (seems a good a reason as any).

To avoid heartbreak you should probably pick a front runner like Arsenal, Man U or Chelsea.

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To avoid heartbreak you should probably pick a front runner like Arsenal, Man U or Chelsea.

As an Arsenal fan...one who last May celebrated their first trophy in 9 years...I can tell you this statement is lunacy.

I started following around 2002...kept up here and there through college, but really got into the game once I moved to New Haven around '07 (there is a huge soccer culture here...within a mile we've 3 pubs that will open up as early as 7a for matches and big supporters groups for Arsenal and Liverpool. I namely chose Arsenal because of Thierry Henry...and because at the time Americans had little choice but to pick a top 4 or 5 club if they ever wanted to be able to watch a match.

That said...I support your pick of Everton (well...I will after this weekend)...its a club that has historically done more with less, though that may be changing a bit as they did just drop near £30 on Romelu Lukaku. Martinez is a fine manager and you'll get to follow your club both domestically and in the Europa league...will give you a real taste for the game.

Good luck (again...after this weekend)

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Good luck (again...after this weekend)

I have to admit watching the opening Everton fixture vs Leicester City was strangely familiar. Should have been up 2-0, but a lucky early goal made the game uncomfortably close 2-1 near the end, but everything seemed to be coming up roses. And then a late stupid decision allows them to equalize.

It was very Mean Green.

Really needed that win since the next two are against Arsenal and Chelski.

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Great choice Cerebus.

I have to admit the only thing that blunted my enthusiasm is learning the primary nickname is "The Toffees." I guess if I have been able to cheer for the Mean Green, the BroncHos, the Astros and the Oilers, on more strange nickname won't kill me.

I've also been reading http://www.nsno.co.uk/forums, any sites you recommend? I used to keep up with football365 but it can get crazy and I forgot my password anyway... resetting sounds like a lot of work...

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I have to admit the only thing that blunted my enthusiasm is learning the primary nickname is "The Toffees." I guess if I have been able to cheer for the Mean Green, the BroncHos, the Astros and the Oilers, on more strange nickname won't kill me.

I've also been reading http://www.nsno.co.uk/forums, any sites you recommend? I used to keep up with football365 but it can get crazy and I forgot my password anyway... resetting sounds like a lot of work...

They're also collectively known as the Blues, and being the Toffees kinda stands out as being oh so English. A big motto for the club is that you're "born" a Toffee and never "manufactured". Some of the players currently on the squad could maybe go elsewhere for a few bucks more, but they stay at Everton because there's something about the club that makes you feel special playing for it. I don't really have any site recommendations, I either get all my info via Sirius XM or NBC Sports. I follow a few on twitter that always break the news like Lukaku is actually signed.

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You know what the Eagles Nest needs more of?

Uniform talk. Traditionally I have really liked the Everton blue unis. I really liked the black kit they wore when Landon was there for about 3 minutes.

So really liked the home kit:

3DnTM5B.jpg

I LOVED the away Black Watch kit:

CDTJpw1.jpg

I threw up a little at the site of the purple third kit:

jrTsC6L.jpg

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Alright, so I watch the EPL religiously (along with FC Dallas and the UEFA Champions league) and have for as long as it's been regularly showed here in the states....but I can't say that I've ever "adopted" an European based team. I keep hearing people say that you need to adopt a team in order to get really into it, but this confuses me greatly. I've never been to England. Why would I adopt a team that I have no ties to?

Having said that, if you do follow the EPL or the Champions league, you'd naturally gravitate to rooting for one of the power teams as that is all that ever make the Champs league. I've pretty much rooted for 1-Everton and 2-Arsenal over the course of the last 10 years....mostly due to reasons already explained here (lots of Americans on Everton + the fact that they are a perceived smaller team that always plays with a chip on their shoulder; Arsenal because they just traditionally play a beautiful game). But I've stopped short of ever calling any team over there "my team". To me, that feels a lot like calling Texas or Baylor "my team" when I didn't go to school there.

Please explain....

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Alright, so I watch the EPL religiously (along with FC Dallas and the UEFA Champions league) and have for as long as it's been regularly showed here in the states....but I can't say that I've ever "adopted" an European based team. I keep hearing people say that you need to adopt a team in order to get really into it, but this confuses me greatly. I've never been to England. Why would I adopt a team that I have no ties to?

Having said that, if you do follow the EPL or the Champions league, you'd naturally gravitate to rooting for one of the power teams as that is all that ever make the Champs league. I've pretty much rooted for 1-Everton and 2-Arsenal over the course of the last 10 years....mostly due to reasons already explained here (lots of Americans on Everton + the fact that they are a perceived smaller team that always plays with a chip on their shoulder; Arsenal because they just traditionally play a beautiful game). But I've stopped short of ever calling any team over there "my team". To me, that feels a lot like calling Texas or Baylor "my team" when I didn't go to school there.

Please explain....

I dunno if what you're describing is much different from how I feel. While I definitely have adopted a club, I don't have a literal connection to it via family/heritage/personal experience. The closest I've come to the club is seeing them play a friendly vs Club America back in 06 or 07 I think. (I actually sat with Bobby Rhine & chatted with him in the 2nd half of that match NAME DROP).

I do feel ya on how people can be really weird about their European teams though...I've had fellow FCD friends almost get into fights about Chelsea vs Arsenal or Liverpool vs Man U. It's kinda ridiculous. I always interject with the reminder that none of them have even attended a home match of their respective clubs that they want to argue til they're blue in the face for.

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Please explain....

Adopting a team makes you become much more immersed in the sport/league/culture. I know this first hand. As a kid I was a HUGE Houston Oilers fan. When they moved to Tennessee, I did not become a fan of another team. I am now much less engaged in the NFL because of this. Sure, if there is a big game coming up, I might watch it, but I might read a book or go to a movie instead. I have a pretty good general understanding of what is going on league wide, but I am no longer an expert on who the second string SS on the Pittsburgh Steelers is, like I did in 1990.

I have already learned a lot more about the EPL and especially Everton in two weeks of choosing to be an Everton fan than the several years where I just watched EPL games.

As far as it being like rooting for Texas or Baylor, I see it completely different. Everton doesn't have alumni, Baylor does. Since I have degrees from North Texas, rooting for Baylor would seem strange. Like I said, my main draw to Everton is the number of Americans they have had in the past, and the fact that they aren't a front runner. I find it much more exciting to root for the plucky underdog, instead of Goliath.

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I always interject with the reminder that none of them have even attended a home match of their respective clubs that they want to argue til they're blue in the face for.

For this reason I almost picked a London team (Hotspur? QPR? CP? Sure as hell not Chelsea) because I have been to London and could probably convince the wife to make a trip back to watch a match. At least a hell of a lot easier than convincing her to go to Liverpool.

Maybe I can combine Isle of Man with a Everton trip one day?

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For this reason I almost picked a London team (Hotspur? QPR? CP? Sure as hell not Chelsea) because I have been to London and could probably convince the wife to make a trip back to watch a match. At least a hell of a lot easier than convincing her to go to Liverpool.

Maybe I can combine Isle of Man with a Everton trip one day?

Everything is so close by train, maybe convince her by using Beatles landmarks?

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Good stuff. Interesting that most of us here are drawn to similar 'plucky' teams in entirely different arenas.

I do get the point about knowing all the backups. Just like most of us on the board watched every last minute of every UNT game, not to see just a win or loss...but to see the young unknowns of the future.

Now about that sh$tbag ref in tonight's FCD game....what the hell does the league have against Blas?!

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Good stuff. Interesting that most of us here are drawn to similar 'plucky' teams in entirely different arenas.

I do get the point about knowing all the backups. Just like most of us on the board watched every last minute of every UNT game, not to see just a win or loss...but to see the young unknowns of the future.

Now about that sh$tbag ref in tonight's FCD game....what the hell does the league have against Blas?!

Would you like Blas Perez if he didn't play for FCD? With that being said, the refereeing during the sequence that led to his ejection was suspect at best IMHO.

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Would you like Blas Perez if he didn't play for FCD? With that being said, the refereeing during the sequence that led to his ejection was suspect at best IMHO.

He'd be one of those guys you hate playing against. When he's on, he is one of the best finishers in the league. I get the point about attitude, but last night's ejection was a joke.

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