Question for City fans in the States

[Impeccable One]

How easy is it to watch the matches over there?

Every league match is on Fox Soccer, ESPN2 or foxsoccertv.com. So far I've missed the League Cup against WBA and all of the Europa League group matches. I pretty sure their next Europa match will be on GolTv but their FA Cup match w/ Notts County probably won't be on.

Born in an SK post code :D, 22 years as a city fan living within spitting distance of Maine Road, before moving to the USA 17 years ago.

First in South Carolina with little to no football coverage. The 'local' NBC channel decided NOT to pay for the world cup final feed between Germany & Brazil, instead showing a local church service !

Now in Florida and things have changed since then. Between Fox Soccer & ESPN, I get to see 90% of all City's PL games live (The other 10% delayed). Carling Cup & FA Cup coverage is a bit spotty, and depending who we draw determines if it's on TV live or delayed, or not at all. Pretty certain by 5th round, all games will be shown. I get my TV from the national satellite provider, DirecTv. They show ALL, let me repeat ALL, Europa league and Champions League games LIVE and FREE of charge on special reserved channels ! most in HD !

Whilst you can't beat City live, my coverage (except when it's a domestic commentator, not often), can't be beat, even compared to the UK.

 

[taconinja]

I've been meaning to ask this question for a while and finally got around to it. I see a lot of posters on here have their location in some respect to the U.S., or have posted about being in the U.S. Just out of pure curiosity, I was wondering if any other posters on here with locations in the U.S. are born and raised Americans with no ties to Manchester, or England for that matter? Nothing malicious in this post, I'm just wondering if any others are like me and just flat out picked City as the club they wanted to follow?

Born and lived my entire life in the States. Came to follow the Blues in college. I've always loved sports of all kinds and a good friend of mine from London (Arsenal fan but a nice guy) wanted someone to watch games with him at the local sports bar/pub. Liking alcohol and liking sports, I volunteered! He thought I should have a team to follow and I picked City because their colors were the same as my school colors. He thought I was crazy since this was at a time that City was mid-table. He thought I would lose interest. Of course, I think that year we beat Chelsea to keep them from going undefeated, but it's been a while and my memory is hazy.

 

[BlueMoonofKY]

I'm from Kentucky, and have been a city fan for about 6 years now. Luckily TV coverage is decent over here, but since I'm in college I can't get Fox Soccer Channel, so I have to rely on Internet streams. I've only missed maybe 3 games this year though so thanks to all the pirates out there. Also I just came back from London a few days ago. I met a couple blues there in pubs watching games, it was a great time. Mostly everyone in the states are United, and Chelsea fans, its lame. However, I've recruited some of my friends after this summer. We drove about 6 hours south to go see the Club America game.

 

[Sigh]

How easy is it to watch the matches over there?

Every league match is on Fox Soccer, ESPN2 or foxsoccertv.com. So far I've missed the League Cup against WBA and all of the Europa League group matches. I pretty sure their next Europa match will be on GolTv but their FA Cup match w/ Notts County probably won't be on.

and Fox Soccer Plus (which also has Rugby Union), which is Fox Soccer Channel's younger sister (and a better product imo), <a class="postlink" href="http://msn.foxsports.com/foxsoccer/plus" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://msn.foxsports.com/foxsoccer/plus</a>.

<a class="postlink" href="http://www.mcfcnyc.org/forum/showthread.php?189-2011-01-30-at-Notts-County-9-00am-Sunday-FA-Cup-Live-on-FS" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://www.mcfcnyc.org/forum/showthread ... Live-on-FS</a>

From the FSC Plus calendar:

FA Cup
9:00 AM - ET
4th ROUND: Notts County v Manchester City
Duration: 120 minutes

Go here <a class="postlink" href="http://msn.foxsports.com/foxsoccer/tvschedule" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://msn.foxsports.com/foxsoccer/tvschedule</a>

On the right you'll see a drop down which offers you calendars for Fox Soccer Channel and Fox Soccer Plus. ESPN were only showing one match a week on Saturday mornings, and that game they wouldn't re-run, you'd have to catch it on some weird channel like YES. ESPN haven't broadcast a single game now for about a month, everything seems to be on Fox Soccer and Fox Soccer Plus. Fox Soccer Plus showed a bucketload of non-league early FA Cup games. I even managed to catch Droylsden against Leyton Orient. You can't get it unless you first subscribe to Fox Soccer Channel, but it is better in the number of games they show, you don't get the nonsense from the fake bar, and it has less ads.

 

[taconinja]

I've heard rumblings that Fox Soccer and Fox Soccer Plus are doing well enough that ESPN is waiting for the television deal to wind down and might come in for more games. Don't know how accurate that is.

 

[baylorblue]

Born and raised in America. Discovered Fox Sports World in the spring of 2003 when I stumbled across the "new" Division 1 playoff semi-final between Forest and Sheffield United. My interest was piqued so I continued to tune in for the, at that point, sporadic premier league matches. Took much of the first year to learn as much as I could about the game and watched as many matches as I could to find a team to follow. Found myself more and more interested in City in part because of their recent past of fan torture and in part because SWP was enthralling and my most favorite player to watch. Fell irrevocably in love with City on March 14th, 2004 during the 4-1 Manchester-area Derby. Taken in everything about the club I could since then and enjoyed every second of the ride. Got my fair share of weird looks when I got to college though because most of my friends were either United, Arsenal, or Liverpool fans and they could not figure out how I could possibly enjoy following City. I always asked them how it felt to jump on the bandwagon of a team solely based on their success. Always shut them up.

 

[Chingon]

American of Mexican decent here. Live in Georgia bout 30 miles from Atlanta. Never been to the UK. City first showed up on my radar being a fan of the Mexican National team when Nery Castillo signed for you guys a few years ago. I have Directv and added the Fox soccer package and the first City game I watched was last years game at the swamp. Even though City lost I fell in love right there as I always have hated the favored teams with the bandwagon fans (i.e. United, you guys call them plastics). I haven't missed a City game since either watching on Fox Soccer Channel, Fox Soccer Plus, ESPN or liveonlinefooty.com.

Went to my first City Match in Atlanta vs Club America. Only mexican dude there wearing a City shirt. Now city dominate my life as I am a big sports fan especially NFL but everything has been eclipsed by my love for City. One day I will be at COMS sing "Mancini, whoooaaa" with the rest of you guys!

 

[Sigh]

I've heard rumblings that Fox Soccer and Fox Soccer Plus are doing well enough that ESPN is waiting for the television deal to wind down and might come in for more games. Don't know how accurate that is.

To be honest, all they had was one game a week, and they wouldn't re-run it? How do they think they are going to compete with Fox on that? I still don't understand how Fox Soccer is competing with Fox Soccer Plus. Plus shows more than FSC and is on 24/7 (whereas FSC drops for a few hours every day to do those wonderful Gizmo informercials) and for all the ex-pats (us, Aussies, Kiwis, and South Africans) offers plenty of Rugby.

I don't know if you get Fox Soccer in HD where you live, but for some reason they didn't take up an HD slot that was offered...but Fox Soccer Plus did.

 

[Joga Bonito]

Not in the States but I have no ties to Manchester whatsoever.

 

[grandsolo]

I live in NYC, lived the first 7 years of my life in Middleton & my brother has season tickets to CoMS. I get more televised away hames than him. If the fergie gum chewing program is on that usually gets preference over there I believe. We see practically all matches, even the early europa matches. In NYC it's very easy: we just meet up at the Mad Hatter for matches and form our own mini Kippax.

 

[taconinja]

I've heard rumblings that Fox Soccer and Fox Soccer Plus are doing well enough that ESPN is waiting for the television deal to wind down and might come in for more games. Don't know how accurate that is.

To be honest, all they had was one game a week, and they wouldn't re-run it? How do they think they are going to compete with Fox on that? I still don't understand how Fox Soccer is competing with Fox Soccer Plus. Plus shows more than FSC and is on 24/7 (whereas FSC drops for a few hours every day to do those wonderful Gizmo informercials) and for all the ex-pats (us, Aussies, Kiwis, and South Africans) offers plenty of Rugby.

I don't know if you get Fox Soccer in HD where you live, but for some reason they didn't take up an HD slot that was offered...but Fox Soccer Plus did.

I have it in HD on satellite. As far as I understand, ESPN has a contract for a very limited number of games. Now that football is becoming more popular, they want to expand their offerings and have more games per week. Don't know what if anything will come of it though.

 

[somervillain]

Born and raised in the States with zero ties to Manchester beyond Joy Division/New Order/The Smiths. Thanks in large part to the Be Part of It map on the official site, we've found around 25 Blues here in the Boston area and we have an official pub where we get together to watch matches.

 

[bluevengence]

Love the American born fans that have chosen City
you just know they are nice people with with a independent mind
free spirits who have not been seduced into the world of the glory hunting
braindead rag,dippers and arse zombies

YANK BLUES ..US LIMEYS SALUTE YOU

 

[somervillain]

How easy is it to watch the matches over there?

Every league match is on Fox Soccer, ESPN2 or foxsoccertv.com. So far I've missed the League Cup against WBA and all of the Europa League group matches. I pretty sure their next Europa match will be on GolTv but their FA Cup match w/ Notts County probably won't be on.

DirecTV (a satellite TV service) subscribers get complimentary (HD!) Champions League and Europa League coverage of all games not being shown on the FOX Soccer channels or GolTV. Most pubs here have DirecTV, so you can pretty much walk into any pub and watch a City Europa League match.

Between ESPN2, FOX Soccer Channel, FOX Soccer Plus, GolTV, and FOXSoccer.TV (and the occasional reliance on IraqGoals or ATDHE), the only City matches where I've had to settle for radio feeds were the early Carling Cup exits this season and two seasons ago at Brighton.

 

[pissedagain]

about 8 years ago i was in a bar in california on my own watching city (early morning) wow what a difference now, you can walk in any bar now and you will see city shirts when we are playing and a lot of them have kids with them as well

 

[southern muppet]

Not in the States but I have no ties to Manchester whatsoever.

Same. Well I lived in Manchester from 2006 to 2009 which is my only connection, but I supported City many years before that.

 

[r.soleofsalford]

my mate alistair lives in america perhaps you know him












:)

 

[DetCity]

No ties to Manchester at all, born and raised in Detroit. I met Richard Dunne at Tallaght before a Shamrock Rovers match and ended up watching the match next to him. Followed City the next season (back then they were easier to watch in Dublin than back home, there was little Premier League coverage and absolutely nothing from League 1), and went crazy for City when I realized how bonkers the fans were, and how their sense of humor was exactly like mine. Now, even in Detroit, we get almost every game either live or on delay in the afternoon.

 

[yankcitizen76]

Born in Germany in 1976, (dad was fighter pilot in Bitburg) and he fell in love with the footballand played in an amateur league here in the states. He raised me to love the game and helped start a youth league so my friends and I could play. Even took me to a few Portland Timbers games when they were still in the old NASL. I played defender, keeper and midfielder even through high school.

My love for City started my last year of music school in 2005. Liked a lot of bands from there and in working in the record industry, I met a few Mancs who always asked me if I followed a team. I said that my hometown had a USFL team and they'd reply that American soccer is shit. Which is very true I was amazed at how passionate the hatred between the two team's fans was. You were either for'em or again'em as we Americans say.

The US showing in 2002 really connected me with my love for the game and gave me something in common with my father again. He was a Chelsea fan and my brother a Scum fan. But I immediately was born a City fan the moment I saw them play. It was a late season game at Eastlands and I was amazed at how the fans supported their team. It was almost like the score or their current ranking didn't matter. I immediately felt like City represented the kind of person I was.

It is very hard being a football fan in the US, much less a City fan. You are either a traitor for not liking 'real football,' or a pussy for liking a 'f@ggot sport.' But my passion is such that I tell them to eat shit or get lost. Have lost at least one friend this way.

Last year City came to my hometown, Portland, and it was one of the greatest moments of my life. Then followed them across the US for a few more matches.

Side Note:
I have met a few English ex-pats who are Xenophobic about foreigners express love for City. They feel if you can't see them in person, you can go hang. I know a lot of Americans who are sick of Europeans attitude toward what we know about soccer. And to tell you the truth, I am sick of it too. I understand Brits are see American tourists filling up the Swamp and acting like douchebags. But not all of us act this way, and MCFC is not going to win a global fan base until some homegrowns lay off and accept Yanks. It's bad enough getting crap in your own country.

 

[DalbeyINUK]

Born and raised in America, but moved to Manchester with my wife(who is from Manchester) several years ago. We've since moved back to Oregon but my crazy obsession has followed me over.