This season, Arsenal are toiling away in a competition some Americans might not know a lot about. So I thought I would take a shot at answering the question, What is the Europa League? ~ Updated February 23, 2018 to reflect Arsenal’s draw ~ Quickly, and as a bit of background, the world of soccer […]

In another excerpt from my upcoming book, The Groundhopper’s Guide to Soccer in England, I discuss a common theme in football history: The Great Escape. A Great Escape is simply when a team seems “nailed on” for relegation to the next league down in the English football pyramid, only to beat “the drop” and “stay […]

In another excerpt from my book, I describe a bit about women’s soccer in England. Let’s briefly discuss the ladies, as they are always called in England. It’s also nice to talk about something America kicks ass at. Women’s soccer in England is roughly 50 years old. It was around before that – in fact, […]

This is a version of some of the front matter in my forthcoming book, The Groundhopper’s Guide to Soccer in England. The book is mainly aimed at Americans, or anybody else who isn’t English and would like an introduction to the clubs and culture over there. Today’s topic is history — and a bit of […]

The short answer to this is that the UEFA Champions League is the club championship of Europe, and probably therefore the most prestigious football competition in the world, other than the World Cup. Also, somewhat strangely, it’s not a league; it’s a tournament. But before I explain more, let’s do a little history. The whole […]