An American Dream On Display In England Tomorrow
With a 4-2 victory today in the League One (third division) playoff finals, Sheffield Wednesday pulled off one thing if nothing else. They join derby partners Sheffield United in the Coca Cola Championship (second division) for next season. Now twice a season, there won't be a set of away fans fearing for their lives in south Yorkshire.
At least their mascot, the Owl, can scare the mascot of Premiership relegated Norwich City, the Canaries, in the battle of a bird kingdom now that they're both in the same division again.
Seriously, I'm happy for Wednesday as any promotion is good promotion in the English league system.
I'm rooting for Preston North End in the Coca Cola Championship playoff final tomorrow for completely different reasons. Anyone who follows the United States national team should have realized a notable absence at yesterday's United States/England friendly - midfielder Eddie Lewis.
Lewis, as many United States MNT players have done in the past has chosen to ply his skills in the lower divisions in England. But Lewis did this on purpose. Before leaping across the pond, he made a vow to play in the Premiership full time. He actually started out with Fulham helping them to the Premiership (on a team led by Luis Boa Morte - still with the club - which set the record for points in the second division).
The Cottagers showed their gratitude by dropping him to the bench, something that often happens to second division quality players, when they picked up stars to led them in the top flight.
Lewis played one match for the full team before jumping back down to the second division to play with Preston (a city about equidistant northeast from Liverpool as it is northwest from Manchester). Now Lewis stands within one match against West Ham (from the East End of London) from really living his Premiership dreams.
When Fulham went up, it was under the money hand of the owner of Herrod's who opened the pocketbooks wider than Preston can probably afford. Certainly PNE won't be able to afford the kind of player expenditures that Fulham could (as much as I'm badmouthing them in this article, they are the team I support in England). They'll try to buy some players but the nucleus of the current team will be intact. Eddie Lewis will most likely still be a midfielder for them most of next season.
And he'll be living his dream. Isn't that what the United States is supposed to be about? Even if you have to go to England to do it? :)
The match is on BBC Radio Five Live, not blacked out to North America thankfully, at 10:00 a.m. U.S. Eastern Time.
At least their mascot, the Owl, can scare the mascot of Premiership relegated Norwich City, the Canaries, in the battle of a bird kingdom now that they're both in the same division again.
Seriously, I'm happy for Wednesday as any promotion is good promotion in the English league system.
I'm rooting for Preston North End in the Coca Cola Championship playoff final tomorrow for completely different reasons. Anyone who follows the United States national team should have realized a notable absence at yesterday's United States/England friendly - midfielder Eddie Lewis.
Lewis, as many United States MNT players have done in the past has chosen to ply his skills in the lower divisions in England. But Lewis did this on purpose. Before leaping across the pond, he made a vow to play in the Premiership full time. He actually started out with Fulham helping them to the Premiership (on a team led by Luis Boa Morte - still with the club - which set the record for points in the second division).
The Cottagers showed their gratitude by dropping him to the bench, something that often happens to second division quality players, when they picked up stars to led them in the top flight.
Lewis played one match for the full team before jumping back down to the second division to play with Preston (a city about equidistant northeast from Liverpool as it is northwest from Manchester). Now Lewis stands within one match against West Ham (from the East End of London) from really living his Premiership dreams.
When Fulham went up, it was under the money hand of the owner of Herrod's who opened the pocketbooks wider than Preston can probably afford. Certainly PNE won't be able to afford the kind of player expenditures that Fulham could (as much as I'm badmouthing them in this article, they are the team I support in England). They'll try to buy some players but the nucleus of the current team will be intact. Eddie Lewis will most likely still be a midfielder for them most of next season.
And he'll be living his dream. Isn't that what the United States is supposed to be about? Even if you have to go to England to do it? :)
The match is on BBC Radio Five Live, not blacked out to North America thankfully, at 10:00 a.m. U.S. Eastern Time.
posted by incendiarymind at 10:03 PM
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