About
I’ve never been to the UK. I have never been in Old Trafford. I never saw Eric Cantona play live. I was never able to see United win the treble in 1999. None of this was available to me. The only time the beautiful game was made available to me was during the World Cup, so every four years I would binge. I would sit in front of the television as long as the coverage ran, captivated by a game I only knew vaguely. We all played soccer here as kids, but American soccer, as has been well documented, is not always beautiful. There were no Giggs, Scholes or Neville’s here. There were no legends like Alex Ferguson. All we had was Coby Jones, Alexi Lalas, Tab Ramos and their counterparts, who would show well enough in the World Cup, but did little to leave a lasting imprint on American sporting culture. So for a month I was a fanatic, but for the next 47 months soccer did not exist. This all changed in 2005.
In 2005 Fox Soccer Channel was introduced in America. For the first time I was able to watch a great number of English Premier League games. I watched with a passive curiosity for a while, but watching team sports isn’t nearly as entertaining when you aren’t invested in any particular side. I didn’t know much of who to choose. There were games broadcast sporadically on television before the advent of FSC and it seemed that Manchester United was usually the team being shown, so I chose to support United based solely off name recognition. Since then, I have become obsessed.
I wake up every morning, grab my coffee and head straight to the computer to check Manchester United blogs and news. I haven’t missed a game made available to me since the service was provided. I watch half the games on FSC and the other half broadcast through Setanta Broadband. I have books, DVD’s and apparel. I have a Manchester United Flag hanging on the most prominent wall space in my living room. I have screamed, sighed, laughed, cried, bled and dried Manchester United.
Undoubtedly there are some of you who have been fans for much longer than I have. You have supported them through the downtimes, the glories and the rest. You have stood in the Stretford End and know all the chants. You have sung the songs and celebrated wildly in the streets. Many of you may live in Manchester and its surroundings, drawing a great sense of pride from supporting your local side. I am jealous of all of you. I look forward to hearing your perspectives and insights from where you stand in the world. There is so much about United culture and history that has only been available to me in books and media, so I will be leaning on all of you to fill in the blanks for me.
Through this site I aim to provide a portal for Manchester United supporters to come and find the best in United news, opinions and blogs. While also expressing my opinions on Manchester’s issues of the day, I will also seek to link you up with anything on the internet that will make you a more learned supporter.
One of the great criticisms of Manchester United is that we are a team with an international fanbase. They claim that United’s support is inauthentic because of the large number of supporters who reside outside of Manchester and the UK. While this broad support has brought Manchester riches and success sure to instill jealousy in United’s detractors, I believe there is a reason for this that is beyond critique. The reason is this: Manchester United is majestic. From Old Trafford to Wayne Rooney to Alex Ferguson there is something about our side that is without replication. We are the greatest soccer club in the world and the model for teams of all sports. We are United and this is where we unite!
