There’s really no place like home

Liverpool FC manager Arne Slot signs autographs in Pittsburgh this week. Photo courtesy of Liverpool FC

Paul Kennedy

Liverpool arrived in Pittsburgh this week to begin their preseason tour of the US. They are not the only Premier League club heading Stateside.

Arsenal, Aston Villa, Bournemouth, Chelsea, Crystal Palace, Manchester City, Manchester United, West Ham and Wolves all play games there too.

And there are plenty of other European teams touring the US.

Real Madrid, AC Milan, Real Betis, Barcelona, Celtic and RB Leipzig are also playing matches across America ahead of their domestic seasons.

Some real big hitters.

This just goes to show, the lure of the US is too much for teams to turn down. And with so many European clubs owned, or part-owned, by America companies, it seems only natural for these teams to preseason in the US.

I understand US fans of football, or soccer as they incorrectly call it, will be relishing the opportunity to see their heroes up close and personal.

I’ve no doubt stadiums will be packed out, demonstrating again how popular football has become in the US over the last 10 years and more.

But it must stop there.

Preseason games, sure, but the suggestion that actual competitive league and cup matches should be played in the US, or any country other than where the teams are from, is ludicrous.

The Premier League previously considered the controversial ‘39th game’ plan, which would have seen an extra round of matches added to the season and played in different locations around the world.

World governing body FIFA has historically opposed leagues taking competitive fixtures abroad but is now considering the parameters for allowing it following a legal challenge. Major US sports leagues the NFL, NBA and MLB routinely play regular-season games overseas.

But football is a completely different beast to those above mentioned US sports.

It’s tribal and unlike basketball, American football and baseball, supporters of European football are programmed differently.

When Liverpool play Manchester United at Anfield or Old Trafford, the atmosphere is electric. And supporters have a massive role to play influencing the game. Home fans want to make the game as uncomfortably as possible for the away team.

This is why we love football so much.

Play that fixture instead at say the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia, and it just won’t be the same.

Bournemouth FC’s American owner Bill Foley said this week that Premier League clubs should resist calls to take competitive games overseas.

“In terms of playing actual Premier League matches in America? We should play in the UK. That is where they belong,” Foley told the BBC.

Preseason matches, sure, go for it. But when it comes to competitive games, no chance. VNS