Posts by Arran Airs
USL Stadium Tour In The Time Of COVID (A Road Trip With Arran) Part 2
Day 3: St Louis FC The next day was a shorter drive from Kansas City to Louisville, via St Louis, and that of course meant a stop and a search for the Eastern Division side Saint Louis FC’s home ground, West Community Stadium. Never having seen them in action live, or on TV (inter-conference games…
Read MoreUSL Stadium Tour In The Time Of COVID (A Road Trip With Arran)
It all began one night a few weeks back when a friend called me up out of the blue and asked if I wouldn’t mind help him move. This wasn’t any ordinary move though – he was asking me to drive his Jeep Grand Cherokee from Phoenix, Arizona all the way to Dayton Ohio, while…
Read MoreCharlton Athletic vs Sunderland A.F.C.: League One Playoffs Final Preview
The match that will decide the last promotion spot into the Championship takes place on the Sunday before Memorial Day in the U.S., so there is no excuse for missing this blockbuster do-or-die game between two former Premiership heavyweights. These two teams, from opposite ends of the land – Charlton Athletic F.C. from South East…
Read MoreTranmere Rovers vs Forest Green Rovers: League Two Playoff Preview
For one of these Rovers, the season will soon be over. Be assured that this won’t be a little romp in the postseason clover. The team that keeps their composure will find themselves at the Wembley enclosure. The losers? With literal and financial hangovers. These two clubs, with very different propositions, find themselves in very…
Read MoreLeeds United vs Aston Villa: EFL Championship Match Preview
This Saturday, 27 April 2019, the Leeds United Peacocks take on Aston Villa F.C. at Elland Road in Leeds, England. Ten weeks ago, this match would have been called ahead of time as a Leeds victory. It would have been pointed out that it was a fixture of little consequence as middling Aston Villa were…
Read MoreThe Sounds of the Phoenix Rising Home Opener
The first thing you hears as you walk towards the ground, across the gravel concourse with several thousand other football fans in this starved soccer town – is the distant beating drums. That constant rhythm is provided by the competing drums of the two Phoenix Rising supporters’ groups down the far end of the newly…
Read MorePremier League: Why you keep hearing about 6-point relegation games
How the “race to the bottom” plays out. We’re well into the second half of the Premier League season and the title race is heating up – as is the race to avoid relegation. And whether teams are going to survive for another season in the Premier League, or succumb to the drop down to…
Read MoreHow the title is won
We’re not talking about boxing belts here We’re roughly halfway through the season as this post is being written and there is already “title race” talk. You’ll hear it from commentators and supporters alike because *generally* the team leading at Christmas is usually the ones lifting the trophy at the end of the season. I…
Read MoreThe Ups and Downs of Promotion and Relegation
Understanding how teams can possibly be shunted from the “major league” Arran Airs Possibly one of the most interesting aspects of the English professional leagues – and baffling from an American standpoint – is promotion/relegation. Put simply, each year, the three teams with the lowest points at the end of the season (in the Premier…
Read MoreA Game in Hand is Worth Two on the Table
Arran Airs A friend of mine, who we’ll simply call “Loser Josh”, became enamored with association football a few years back. His interest has waned some, as his team of choice, Everton, is a spectacularly mundane “mid-table” candidate. Year-in, year-out. He has learned a lot about the game since and now has Arsenal as his…
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