Reborn in the USA

The year we qualified for the Champions League was an incredible year for Spurs. For the 2010 qualification run in I found myself in an electric block J for the Woolwich game, which almost collapsed when Danny Rose scored. That was followed by the Chelsea win and the Man City win, I like many others remember everything like it was yesterday.

The following season 2010/11 I went to watch the FC Twente at home and my last game I saw living in England was the night of Gareth Bale’s hat-trick against defending champions Internazionale in a London pub full of Spurs fans.

It’s only fitting of being that a 30 year old Spurs fan that had seen everyone from Glenn Hoddle to Timothee Atouba, emigrated to America to live with my then fiancée, now wife, straight after the game that genuinely announced us to Europe.

Moving to America in football terms is a massive culture shock, for the return home game win against Inter I was sat at my new job listening to the game on my earphones at 2pm on a Wednesday. I was gutted I was not in London never mind the game. I missed the camaraderie, the atmosphere, and the possibility of more glory filled days to counteract the years of bad ones.

[linequote]I emigrated to America to live with my then fiancée, now wife, straight after the game that genuinely announced us to Europe[/linequote]

Things you take for granted in the UK disappear State side, no Match of the Day and no iPlayer/BBC radio due to rights restrictions. Spurs TV’s live commentary and various other  streaming sites are my closest friends. Naturally all the links go down at the pivotal moments, leaving me totally cut off, just recently my sister called me to talk me through the Hull penalty shootout while I was in a conference room.

There are no Spurs mates in the office to chat to, but thankfully when we lose, there aren’t any Woolwich either. Being six hours behind I sometimes have to get up 6am to watch games, which for matches like the one against Newcastle last week  can be painful, but I prefer to remember the good times like when Younes Kaboul scored the winner against Woolwich a couple of years back, that made my 5:45 alarm well worth it.

Every weekend game I watch at home with a pre-match ritual more cereal and tea than pie and pint. I choose to watch games at home as find it difficult to a) go to a bar at 7am and b) be stood alongside Woolwich, United, Liverpool fans while Spurs are on as fellow expats get their fix, it’s too much for me to handle as a passionate fan.

[linequote]Spurs TV’s live commentary and various other  streaming sites are my closest friends, naturally though all the links go down at the pivotal moments[/linequote]

America however is definitely going in the right direction and is learning about the game. It’s a generational thing, I had to teach my father in law what a yellow card meant, but people my age have been watching the US National team and have grown accustomed to the game.

The sport is growing as the next generation of kids are playing twice a week. Football offers serious opportunities to children who don’t want the risks associated  with American Football,aren’t over 6 foot at 12 years old and don’t own a pair of ice skates.

One benefit of living in the US is that it definitely extends your personal playing “career”, just ask Robbie Keane or Carlo Cudicini. As an also ran defender back in England I have joined a team of global Expats and I have taken on the role as the barking orders, run tracking and getting stuck in English center-back. My team hails from all across the globe and whether they be from South America, Africa, Italy or eastern Europe, they all want to be Ronaldo, which suits me as I play as Michael Dawson.

[linequote]Football offers serious opportunities to children who don’t want the risks associated  with American Football,aren’t over 6 foot at 12 years old and don’t own a pair of ice skates[/linequote]

Following the arrival of the Beckham’s in the State and the realisation that due to kick-off times, the Premier League doesn’t clash with any other sport, NBC, one of the largest networks, has paid through the nose for the Premier League rights.

The audience is growing as more sports fans start following English football. If you haven’t seen the Spurs Jason Sudeikis coach video on YouTube, you have to, its proof that the US are losing their naivety and recognising the growing audience base.

I come back to England quite often and go to a game whenever I can. Last season I was behind the goal at Upton Park when Bale scored the winner and was recently at Villa Park to celebrate the good win and the only decent pass Roberto Soldado has received all season.

The home games I have been to over last couple of years however have not been as great. I was back in J block for the Chelsea game last season and it was the antithesis of three years ago, with a strong air of anguish and ill placed expectancy.

I ask every Spurs fan, no matter what age, or whether they sing or not, please just stay positive, enjoy our team and be thankful we don’t support the south Londoners down the road. So during the highly charged West Ham Capital Once Cup revenge game next month, please think of me, I’ll probably be on a mindless conference call, on mute in case we score.

[author name=”Jez Milway” avatar=”https://www.thefightingcock.co.uk/forum/data/avatars/l/2/2760.jpg?1367065299[/linequote]