Keith B

Was proud of the effort and character our side showed after conceding two early, but the defense leaves a lot to be desired.

Maybe we should just embrace conceding a bunch of goals and play 5 strikers?

If it can go wrong it is going wrong today.

Fuck yes Naisy. Naisy for president!

Fuck man.

That linesman is fucking terrible.

If we fuck Howard and jagielka off we'll have a really decent side.

Fuck yes Mirallas!

We need one before half time

Lukaku looks terrible mostly but then he'll have these moments of brilliance. Its maddening.

I don't think the linesman understands offsides.

Welcome! Fairly certain that there's an Everton bar somewhere in the Chinatown area. Might want to look into that.

Yup, Fados. Considering going over for the Chelsea match.

Really fucking bad.

Thought lukaku had fucked it then but credit to him

Lukaku finally earning his checks! Nice work gentlemen!

Mirallas bringing great pace today. Need 90 minutes of it.

Damn almost a second!

I'm going on holiday in Los Angeles this weekend so the early US West Coast start time actually helps me out. Kicks at 9:30 a.m. so I can get my watching done before Noon. It's going to be a tough match but I'm feeling confident.

Just given you a follow Keith

Just want to say, I'm all in!

 

Really enjoyed having a rooting interest for opening day of the EPL. My conversations with Everton fans from Twitter and here have made it really easy for me to feel connected immediately. Thanks for that and the warm welcome!

 

 

 

COYB!

What's your twitter handle? Mine is @keithb18. Would love to interact with Evertonians on twitter.

What got you into Football?

One of our networks, NBC, started broadcasting EPL games last year. That helps a lot because it is hard to be into a league in which you can't watch the games. Like a lot of Americans, I played youth soccer and have followed the US Men's National Team since about 1990. But my interest has been increasing every year since probably 2006.

What American sports do you enjoy?

I hate watch baseball--so freaking boring, but what else are you going to watch in the middle of the summer? Big Brother (or some other crap reality show)? I watch as much NBA as possible and follow the NFL closely. If it is sport and it is on TV, I'll probably watch it. I've been watching more and more MLS as well, but I don't have a favorite team. I generally just follow our national team players to check in on how they look.

Will football (soccer) finally become a major thing in USA after the exploits of this world cup, in your own opinion?

The major benefit for soccer in the US is that it does not come with concussion problems. In my opinion (hot sports take!), the NFL's popularity has peaked and from here on out fewer youths will play it because of fears of head injury. The scientists are learning more and more about head injuries over time and as it turns out, the every play hits in American football and as detrimental to brain health as the big hits they are trying to remove from the game. To put it starkly: head injuries are inherent to American football. Because of that, soccer stands to gain significantly. The quality of play in the MLS is improving and they've got huge fan bases in some cities (Portland, Seattle, KC, Salt Lake, Columbus and DC). The game is growing, the networks are showing it and parents are pushing their children towards it. So yeah, soccer is gaining quickly in the US.

Which are the most popular EPL teams in USA (Or Canada for that matter)?

A lot of people with bad taste pick the major powers--Man U, Arsenal, etc. I do have one friend who is a Fulham fan and follows the Championship division closely. So there are some uber fans around as well.

Lifelong Everton fan from DC here! Welcome, best club in the world .

Hell yes. Thank you sir.

Think I've been through all the posts, but haven't seen anyone comment on Lukaku. I thought he was hugely disappointing today. He didn't create any chances that I recall...didn't look to have much energy or pace. I think we need more out of him going forward. Of course being young as he is, you'd expect some growing pains. Can't blame him for the draw--that was a team effort.

New Everton fan here from DC. I have always really enjoyed soccer but never really made it a priority in TV watching until last year. Attached to cable after 5 years without so now I can see most games. Happy to read and chat with fellow travelers here.