Your guide to English Premier League fandom

Josh Brewer
Aug 9, 2017 · 13 min read

There are two types of people in the world: Those who have a Premier League team to follow, and those who need one.

Following the English Premier League used to be difficult. The games were on channels at the far reaches of cable sports packages and the American media rarely covered the sport.

That all changed when NBC acquired the American broadcast rights for the Premier League in 2012. Now, each of the 380 EPL matches are televised on one of the NBC networks, and are also available for streaming on the NBC Sports website.

It has never been easier to follow English football.

Now, you want to pick a new EPL team, but you don’t know where to start. You’ve heard of Manchester United, but couldn’t name another team if a million dollars was riding on your ability to do so. That’s where I come in.

Listed below, in order of their finish last season, are the 20 clubs who make up the 2017–18 English Premier League. Below each team, you will find information like the club’s location in England, their major rivals, and most importantly, their counterpart in American pro sports.

Allow me to welcome you to the beautiful game and the English Premier League!

Chelsea

Location: London/Nickname: Blues/Chief rivals: Arsenal, Tottenham

American equivalent: Seattle Seahawks

Chelsea Football Club was a largely inconspicuous club before Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich bought the team in 2003. Since then, Chelsea have won every major honor on offer, including five Premier League titles and the 2011–12 Champions League.

Although money doesn’t have quite the same effect in the NFL as it does in England, the Seattle Seahawks traveled a similar path shortly after being purchased by Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen.

Both teams are as loved by their fans as they are hated by everyone else, due in no small part to a combination of recent success, a controversial talisman (although Chelsea’s Diego Costa likely isn’t long for west London) and intense, high-energy coaches.

Tottenham Hotspur

Location: London/Nickname: Spurs/Chief rivals: Arsenal, Chelsea

American equivalent: pre-2016 Chicago Cubs

Prior to last October, north-siders in London and Chicago, decked out in blue and white, began every season claiming this would finally be their year. All the while, their more successful rivals would laugh at the blind optimism and point to the years and years each team had gone without adding to their respective trophy cases.

Were it not for Chelsea’s record-breaking 2016–17 campaign, Tottenham would have done what the Cubs did last October: End their long-standing title drought. Spurs fans haven’t been waiting nearly as long as Cubs supporters waited (Spurs’ last title came in 1960–61) but fans have been waiting a generation to see the Lilywhites lift the trophy given to the champions of England’s top flight.

Tottenham did, however, put an end to another long-standing bout of futility last season. For the first time in 22 years, Spurs prevented Arsenal fans from celebrating St. Totteringham’s Day, the day in which Arsenal can no longer mathematically finish behind their bitter rivals. Spurs finished second, while Arsenal finished outside of the top four for the first time in more than 20 years.

Manchester City

Location: Manchester/Nickname: Citizens/Chief rival: Manchester United

American equivalent: Los Angeles Dodgers

Like Chelsea, Manchester City is a considered a “new money” football club and does not have a rich history of success. This may differentiate the Citizens from the Los Angeles Dodgers, but the differences largely end there.

Both teams have been in title contention in recent years. Each team has found recent success — City won the EPL in 2011–12 and 2013–14, while the Dodgers are the four-time defending NL West champions — but have been unable to win the prize each club most covets: L.A. has not won the World Series since 1988, while Manchester City has never advanced to the Champions League final.

Those shortcomings may come to an end for both teams in the next calendar year. The Dodgers are flirting with the all-time single-season win record and look poised for a deep postseason run. After finishing third last season, City has loaded up for deep runs both domestically and in the Champions League, where Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola reached the summit three times in his career.

Liverpool

Location: Liverpool/Nickname: Reds/Chief rivals: Everton, Manchester United

American equivalent: Green Bay Packers

A name synonymous with the sport? Check. World-famous home stadium? Check. Bulging trophy case? Check.

The trophy case at Anfield, Liverpool’s home since the club’s inception in 1892, is embarrassingly filled with silverware. The Reds have won 18 Premier League titles (second only to Manchester United), eight English League Cups (most all-time), seven FA Cups (fourth all-time) and five European/Champions League Cups (third all-time) in their decorated history. Just about any Packers fan with a pulse will be glad to tell you their team has won a record 13 NFL championships.

Liverpool and Green Bay are both industrial towns with passionate fans who live and die by the successes and failures of their teams. And despite a history littered with success, both teams have experienced heartbreaking losses in recent years. Liverpool effectively lost the 2013–14 title, which would have been their first in 24 years, after club legend Steven Gerrard famously slipped while defending Chelsea’s Demba Ba, allowing Ba to score a second goal that preceded a meltdown by the Reds. Less than a year later, Green Bay’s season came to an end after the Packers blew the 19–7 lead they held with less than five minutes remaining in the NFC Championship Game.

Don’t cry for Liverpool or Green Bay, however. Both teams will be in contention for a league title this season.

Arsenal

Location: London/Nickname: Gunners/Chief rivals: Tottenham, Chelsea

American equivalent: New York Knicks

Do you love to hate your team’s owner? Do you like openly rooting for the firing of a head coach who can’t deliver the success you, as a fan, want to see? There may be no better team for you than Arsenal!

Despite recent results, and the cries of fans near and far, the Gunners are actually a fairly successful club. Arsenal are 13-time champions of England and equal-time winners of the FA Cup, a record they set just a few months ago.

That isn’t enough for Arsenal fans, however, who believe their Gunners deserve to be among England’s, and Europe’s, elite football clubs. Banners of all shapes and sizes — seriously — can be found calling for long-time manager Arsene Wenger’s sacking, while fans spend an equal amount of time lamenting the general malaise shown by owner Stan Kroenke, who appears more concerned with making money than winning titles.

Manchester United

Location: Manchester/Nickname: Red Devils/Chief rivals: Manchester City, Liverpool

American equivalent: New York Yankees

Manchester United are likely the first Premier League team whose name resonates with English football’s uninitiated, and the Red Devils remain one of the most popular teams in the world. United’s coffers are flush with cash, and like the Yankees, they’re not bashful about their spending. United have made the two most expensive English transfers in each of the last two seasons, signing Everton striker Romelu Lukaku for more than $100 million last month, while setting the then-world record in bringing Paul Pogba back to Manchester last summer for an eye-watering $124 million.

Purchasing power isn’t the only thing linking the Red Devils and Bronx Bombers. Both teams set the bar for success in their respective leagues — 20 top-flight titles for Man U, 27 World Series championships for the Yankees — and have an aura that draws players from near and far, no matter the team’s place in the standings.

Everton

Location: Liverpool/Nickname: Toffees/Chief rival: Liverpool

American equivalent: New York Jets

The Toffees are a historically successful club — they’ve won nine top-flight titles and hold the record for most seasons (114) in the top flight — but share a city with the most successful English football club not named Manchester United.

Like the Jets, Everton lives in the shadow of the powerhouse within their city limits. Both teams also play in close proximity of their big brothers — the Jets share a stadium with the Giants, while Everton’s home ground, Goodison Park, is less than a mile from Liverpool’s home at Anfield, a ground Everton called home prior to Liverpool’s inception.

Thankfully for Everton fans, the club is headed in the opposite direction as their American counterparts. Manager Ronald Koeman has been spending early and often this summer in hopes of improving a team that finished seventh last season.

Southampton

Location: Southampton/Nickname: Saints/Chief rival: Portsmouth

American equivalent: Oakland Athletics

West Ham United are often called “The Academy of Football” due to their history of developing young players, but the title may better be suited for Southampton.

The list of players, both in England and abroad, who earned their stripes on the south coast is staggering. Players like Gareth Bale, Peter Crouch, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Sadio Mane, Theo Walcott and Adam Lallana spent some of their early years at St. Mary’s Stadium. Like former A’s Tim Hudson, Yoenis Cespedes and Josh Reddick, all of those players left Southampton for greener pastures.

Central defender Virgil van Dijk is Southampton’s Sonny Gray, the latest in a long line of talented players to yearn for the brightest lights on offer in England. van Dijk was all but set to jump on the Southampton-to-Liverpool pipeline, but recent reports suggest the Dutch defender may be headed to west London to play for the defending champions.

Bournemouth

Location: Bournemouth/Nickname: Cherries/Chief rival: Southampton

American equivalent: Philadelphia 76ers

There was no Process in the resort city of Bournemouth, but the Cherries may look a lot like England’s version of the Sixers over the next nine months.

When Bournemouth won promotion to the Premier League in the spring of 2015, their first-ever trip to England’s top flight was not supposed to be a long one. Instead, manager Eddie Howe helped his team overcome myriad injuries to survive relegation. Once healthy, the Cherries climbed to ninth last season, once again playing an attractive brand of football on their way to unexpected success.

Both teams are made up of young, talented players and could outperform expectations this season. If the bottom falls out on either team, however, things could get ugly.

West Bromwich Albion

Location: West Bromwich/Nickname: Baggies/Chief rival: Aston Villa

American equivalent: Seattle Mariners

Fans of the Baggies (a terribly unfortunate nickname) are smart and love their team. Unfortunately, most everyone else kind of forgets about West Brom altogether.

Neither West Brom nor Seattle are terrible teams, but neither have been contenders for some time, and that does not look set to change soon. They’ll be tricky on occasion, and they’ll pull off a couple surprising victories over the course of the season, but in the end, West Bromwich Albion are just … there.

West Ham United

Location: London/Nickname: Hammers/Chief rivals: Tottenham, Chelsea

American equivalent: Oakland Raiders

Hooliganism was a significant problem in England, and West Ham’s rowdy fans were often more than happy to partake. The hooliganism may have dissipated, but the Hammers still possess some of the most devoted — and intense — fans in all of English football.

Fan comparisons aside, West Ham is mirroring recent successes in Oakland after a long spell of mediocrity. Many expected West Ham to compete for a spot in Europe’s top competitions last season, but the weight of those expectations, coupled with a move to a new stadium, weighed down Slaven Bilic’s side.

West Ham have been active this transfer season, most notably adding former Manchester United striker Javier “Chicharito” Hernandez to lead the line. Bilic’s seat is warmer than he’d like, so expect the Hammers to put up a fight early and often this season.

Image courtesy of Naypong at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Leicester City

Location: Leicester/Nickname: Foxes/Chief rival: Nottingham Forest

American equivalent: Kansas City Royals

You may have heard about Leicester City’s 2015–16 Premier League campaign. If not, here’s the cliff notes: The Foxes, who needed an unprecedented run of success to avoid relegation the year before, entered the 2015–16 season with 5,000/1 odds to win the Premier League. Led by Jamie Vardy, N’Golo Kante, Wes Morgan and Kasper Schmeichel, Leicester City shocked the world and won the EPL title, their first-ever top-flight crown.

Reality bit back in a big way last year. Kante, the reigning PFA Player of the Year, left for Chelsea a month before Leicester’s title defense began, the club sacked title-winning manager Claudio Ranieri in February, and the Foxes finished in the middle of a logjam at the bottom half of the EPL table.

Relegation isn’t likely in the cards for Leicester this season, but with the potential departure of Riyad Mahrez looming, a bottom-half finish seems to cement Leicester City’s return to mediocrity.

Stoke City

Location: Stoke-on-Trent/Nickname: Potters/Chief rival: West Bromwich Albion

American equivalent: Buffalo Bills

There’s a famous barometer in English football, a query posed to players and/or contenders new to success in the Premier League: “Can they do it on a cold, rainy night in Stoke?”

The question is applied to footballers everywhere, really, as the conditions at the Brittania Stadium, especially on cold, wet nights, are nothing opposing players look forward to experiencing.

While the Potters and Bills share a unique home-field advantage, neither team seems to be able to capitalize upon it. Fans of both teams remain fiercely loyal, despite a long run of middling results.

Crystal Palace

Location: London/Nickname: Eagles/Chief rival: Brighton & Hove Albion

American equivalent: Milwaukee Brewers

London isn’t generally considered a working-class city, but the city’s blue-collar citizens often gravitate toward the Eagles, despite a general dearth of success.

Wisconsin hosts professional franchises in two cities, and both Green Bay and Milwaukee are considered blue-collar cities built on hard labor and full of passionate fans.

Brewers fans are certainly used to a level of performance well below that which their neighbors to the south have enjoyed recently. Milwaukee is making the rare foray into the top of the standings this season, something Crystal Palace has been known to do on occasion.

In the end, fans of both teams know that success is likely to be short-lived, but that hasn’t changed their outlook on their team one bit.

Swansea City

Location: Swansea, Wales/Nickname: Swans/Chief rival: Cardiff City

American* equivalent: Toronto Blue Jays/Raptors

Major League Baseball got it right. Despite having teams in Canada, both the NBA and NHL retain the National portion of their name. The English Premier League’s decision-makers may need a meeting with MLB commissioner Rob Manfred.

Like the Blue Jays and Raptors, Swansea City are the lone team outside of their league’s country of origin. Like the Raptors, the Swans haven’t really won anything of note. Like the Blue Jays, sustained success at the sport’s top level has been hard to come by recently.

Swansea’s story, however, is quite the remarkable one. As recently as the 1999–2000 season, the Swans played their football in the fourth tier of the English football pyramid. Swansea then made short work of promotion from there, winning the Football League One (the third tier in England) in 2007–08 and promotion to the Premier League three years later.

The Swans have been up top ever since.

Burnley

Location: Burnley/Nickname: Clarets/Chief rival: Blackburn

American equivalent: Detroit Lions

Once upon a time, Burnley Football Club were a formidable side. The Clarets have won England’s top flight twice, finished as runners-up an additional two times, and have played in three FA Cup finals.

The most recent of those accolades — Burnley finished as runners-up in the league and FA Cup — came during the 1961–62 campaign.

Detroit, despite success in the pre-Super Bowl era, is famously one of two franchises older than the Super Bowl that have not played in the NFL’s biggest game.

Both teams, hailing from notoriously working-class cities, have flirted with occasional success, and give opponents plenty of stick when playing at home. In the end, though, neither Burnley nor Detroit are considered contenders in their respective leagues.

Watford

Location: Watford/Nickname: Hornets/Chief rival: Luton Town

American equivalent: Los Angeles Rams

Once upon a time, Watford were a relevant English football team. Once upon a time, the Rams were a relevant NFL franchise.

Those times have passed.

Watford is a spunky outfit hailing from just outside of London, a team largely happy with simply keeping their place in England’s top flight. Moreover, the Hornets are part of a triumvirate of football clubs owned by the Pozzo family, who seem more concerned with keeping all three teams in their respective top flights at the cost of truly contending for a spot among the elite.

Remember Stan Kroenke, the billionaire owner of Arsenal who is more concerned with making money than winning titles? He also owns the Rams.

Newcastle United

Location: Newcastle upon Tyne/Nickname: Magpies/Chief rival: Sunderland

American equivalent: Washington football team

Newcastle United may be the most miserable team in England’s top flight.

The Magpies are quite familiar with excruciating losses throughout the years. Despite heartbreak after heartbreak, and one bad decision after another made by ownership, fans in Newcastle have stuck by their team, optimistically waiting for their fortunes to turn.

Unfortunately for fans in both Newcastle and Washington, the owners of their respective franchises aren’t going anywhere soon. Mike Ashley and Daniel Snyder are not only despised by their constituent of fans, they may each be the least-liked owner in their respective leagues.

Fans in Newcastle and Washington deserve better.

Brighton & Hove Albion

Location: Brighton and Hove/Nickname: Seagulls/Chief rival: Crystal Palace

American equivalent: New Orleans Pelicans

Once a mainstay in the second and third divisions of English football, Brighton & Hove Albion fell on difficult times near the turn of the last century. The Seagulls avoided falling completely out of the top tier of English football in 1997 and 1998, while also surviving a potential liquidation just a few years later.

The New Orleans NBA franchise, then known as the Hornets, entered a state of limbo at the beginning of the decade. The team was purchased by the league from then-owner George Shinn, when it was suspected Shinn would sell to a group of owners who intended to move the team out of the city.

Since their tumult, neither team has done a lot of winning. New Orleans’ basketball franchise, under either the Pelicans or Hornets name, has won only one playoff series since moving in 2002. The Seagulls have won promotion a couple times this century, but appear to be overmatched heading into this season and are likely set for a drop back down to the Championship.

Huddersfield Town

Location: Huddersfield/Nickname: Terriers/Chief rival: Leeds United

American equivalent: Brooklyn Nets

It’s been nearly 50 years since Huddersfield Town played its football in England’s top flight, but the Terriers have arrived … and are probably in way over their heads.

Both the Terriers and Nets likely entered this season knowing the campaign would be an uphill battle from the opening whistle. That hasn’t stopped either team from adding interesting pieces, appearing to prepare to make a serious effort to survive this season and build on any success they might stumble upon.

Huddersfield Town should be an entertaining watch, but a relegation battle will face the Terriers throughout the season. Bournemouth faced a similar fate upon reaching the Premier League a couple years ago, however, so survival is not out of the question.

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