Erica and I have always been soccer/football fans. We both grew up playing the sport and have followed it at various levels since. The summer we got to know each other was 2006 and we both were watching the World Cup. One of our first dates was to a Chicago Fire v. Columbus Crew MLS match in Chicago. So naturally when we decided to move to the UK deciding upon an English side to support was a priority.
Erica was pretty much open to supporting anyone barring Manchester United. I had a few more criteria that I wanted met.
- London Club
- Reasonable chance of attending a match, and affording said match.
- Not Sponsored by gambling company
- Kits manufactured by a company other than Adidas or Nike
- Have some emotional attachment to the club.
While working at JJB, I discovered the nearest Premier League club, Tottenham Hotspur. I was intrigued. Here was a normally mid-table team that was on the rise (plus they have a cool logo). Yet my emotional attachment to Tottenham was nil.
I had become a bit frustrated. Watching the 2010 World Cup however, I recognized that there were more Usonian athletes playing in the Premier League than I had realized. My appreciation for Landon Donovan increased and I was prepared to jump on the Everton bandwagon even though they are a Liverpool based club. When the MLS declined to renew their loan of Donovan to Everton though I turned my attention to the second most prominent member of team USA Clint Dempsey. Dempsey was sold to the Premier League club Fulham for an MLS record $4 Million and last summer signed an extension with Fulham through 2013.
Here was the emotional attachment that I needed. We had a player to support, a London based team, outfitted by Kappa, Craven Cottage a fantastic old small stadium on the banks of the Thames (Think Fenway except situated in a PNC type local), and a team that while finishing in the top five just a year prior was still affordable to go see in person.
The Cottagers (after their stadium) have proved to be a very enjoyable diversion. With the season having just reached the quarter way point, Fulham sits 10th in the 20 team league and are showing signs of moving up the ladder. At the end of the year the top five teams in the league qualify for various European leagues. Two years ago Fulham finished 5th and did well in Europe. This year 5th looks possible, but unlikely. On the flip side the teams that finish 18th, 19th, and 20th get kicked out of the league and have to work their way back into the premiership. (Imagine your whole baseball team getting sent to AAA). I dare say that Fulham is regulation safe.
Clint Dempsey has turned into the leader of the team. He scored both goals in a victory yesterday and has filled in well as the main striker on a team that lost their leading scorer just a month ago to a broken leg. Erica and I saw Fulham take on and beat Port Vale 6-0 a while back in a driving rain and we'll be going back as often as we can in the future.
