My friend was right. Living in the UK will definitely change you perspective on soccer as far as what team you support in concerned. Well, it actually changes your perspective on the sport completely.

I’ve followed Manchester City FC for a number of years now. I had no ties to the team or to the city; I just picked them when I started following the game. Now that I’ve actually been to the UK and experienced the English game in person, the opportunity has come for a team to pick me. I’ve seen Fulham twice, Derby and Manchester City once each, and Nottingham Forest a few times in between. It was great to see the Americans in Fulham, to sit with fans in neighboring Derby, and to take in the sights at Eastlands. But none of it compares to the atmosphere at the matches in my “home” town.

I was lucky enough to arrive at the most exciting part of the season, and watching Nottingham Forest battle for promotion was nothing short of awesome. Given that it’s the home team in this place, it’s no surprise that you see a lot of Forest jerseys on game day, a virtual sea of red. Being enveloped in that kind of atmosphere, you can’t help but get attached. And needless to say, being at the Forest game and seeing them win promotion last Saturday sealed the deal.

I bleed for FC Dallas, of course. They will always come first - miles ahead. But now I have ties to an English team, and I support Nottingham Forest.

Here are some pictures from the game on Saturday:

Here’s a video I got of McGugan’s goal off a free kick:

And here is a video of the fans invading the pitch after the game…NUTS:

Filed under: Nottingham, Sports by Travis