# One American's method for choosing an English Premier League club July 29, 2026 Like it says on the tin, this is a description of one person’s approach to choosing an English Premier League team. It is written from the perspective of a newcomer to the world of professional soccer/football who began watching the EPL at the very tail end of the 2025/26 season, enjoyed it, and wanted to get more invested in it by having a rooting interest. When I initially went looking for advice online, a lot of what I found was not especially helpful. Some replies in forums were downright condescending (sometimes understandably - we yanks sometimes ask questions in a very annoying way)[^2]. Feeling a bit frustrated, I decided it would be more fun and interesting to roll my own approach instead of relying only on the advice of anonymous people on the internet. I originally had no thought of sharing any of my notes on this. But the timing and location(s) of the 2026 World Cup seemed to generate a noticeable an uptick in new soccer fans looking online for advice about which EPL club to support. Seeing the same question being asked over and over led me to clean up and publish my notes in case they might helpful to someone out there looking for whatever guidance they can find. The audience I mainly have in mind are fellow Americans who know relatively little about the world of the EPL but want to get into it. In what follows I will unfold the process I set up for myself for choosing an EPL team, then comment on the initial results. ## The rationale behind my two-stage selection process First I want to stress what this exercise is not. It's not a quizlet that spits out an answer like “the best team for you is X”. In fact my overall goal is to select an EPL club by the *end* of the 2026/27 season, not before it. So, at this pre-season stage I simply want to narrow down the field to a manageable group of teams that I can sustainably devote my attention to. The expectation is that by the end of the season, after factoring in the actual football and all the rest of what might happen, my ride or die will emerge from this group. What I am presenting here is only the first part of a two-stage approach that I have designed to determine my favorite club. You might ask: "why two stages? I thought this was about picking my EPL club so that I have a rooting interest going into the season?” Well, no, not exactly and I will tell you why: trying to pick your team before the season even starts is a bad idea. It's not *whether* to pick a team, it's *when*. Because if, like me, you are brand new to the league, you simply don't know what you don't know. Think about the World Cup. Did you know how much you would like Haaland and Norway when the tournament started? Or how much you would despise Argentina’s Paredes and Fernandez? Whether you would find Spain's possession oriented tactical style boring or fascinating? Probably not many American newbies did. So, since you cannot possibly know what surprising things may push you towards or away from any particular team, there is no shortcut around simply watching a ton of matches. On this point I am with the curmudgeonly redditors. However, I want to make a simple but important qualification to this. If you think of yourself as a neutral newcomer, open to anything and everything, then in theory every one of the twenty EPL teams should be a candidate to be your #1. But in reality you won't have time to watch even a small fraction of all these clubs' regular season matches, let alone the various tournaments. On top of that, if you're an American then your weekends in fall and winter are likely also committed to some combination of college football, the MLB playoffs, NFL, NBA, maybe even spending time with your family. Since my time for soccer is quite limited, I realized I needed to be strategic and efficient about this. For that reason, my pre-season assessment was intended to make my soccer viewing as manageable and informative as possible. My goal was to limit myself to no more than five clubs to dedicate my limited attention to. Below I walk through the criteria I used to do this. A second assessment will be done at the end of the season and will be based on different criteria that can only be applied after actually watching a season's worth of matches. Finally, once more for emphasis: if you're a neutral newbie, resist the urge to pick a team before any soccer has been played. Odds are it won't stick and your regret will drive you into the guilt and shame of switching allegiances. Delay your gratification and set yourself up to make a choice you can feel good and sure about later on. ## Pre-season assessment explained My objective for the pre-season assessment was to assemble a somewhat arbitrary set of criteria to weed out as many clubs as possible, leaving me with a handful of "candidate". My chosen criteria were inspired by Bill Simmons' [attempt from twenty years ago ](https://www.espn.com/espn/page2/story?page=simmons/060719) to pick an EPL team based heavily on reader emails.[^1] I started by cherry picking some of Bill's categories, then added some of my own. My rubric is similarly personal and idiosyncratic, reflecting my own priorities and values. Yes there are numbers involved, but I make no claim to objectivity because what’s the fun in that? I also reserve the right to modify, update, and otherwise change anything at any time. Next I will walk through the categories, then I will talk about the results. ### Sportswashing factor It is common knowledge that the stratification of the modern EPL is profoundly shaped by wealth disparity resulting from massive concentrations of financial resources at the top. This entails some unavoidable ethical concerns about club ownership, but splitting ethical hairs between this private equity group and that gambling magnate, etc. in order to rate [every club’s ownership](https://www.ceotodaymagazine.com/2026/01/premier-league-owners-2025-26/) is not something I'm interested in doing. And anyway, I don’t think ownership ought to be a determining factor for choosing a team since fans have no control over such things. Still, there are levels to this stuff and lines I just can’t cross. So I am making this a dead simple either/or: is your club an obvious sportswashing operation? If yes, none of the other criteria matter and I therefore award you 0 points, an automatic elimination. Everyone else gets 1 point by default. ### Destination factor Borrowed from Simmons' piece, this criterion is an answer to the question "if I'm visiting the UK, how likely am I to make the trip to their stadium for a home game?” 0 = no chance; 1 = not a top priority but kind of curious; 2 = I am building my itinerary around going to a home game there. ### The "people in my life" factor Are there any actual humans I know in real life who already back a team, such that choosing that team would ensure that I have someone to enjoy the drama with, and to teach me about the club and the league and sport in general? This is very important. 0 = no one I know cares about this team; 1 = this is someone in my life's secondary or tertiary team; 2 = this is someone's #1 team and they want me to join their fandom. ### The pub factor Is there a local fan group who watch this team’s matches together at a designated pub? And how close to me is this pub? 0 = not aware of any local fan groups; 1 = yes, but it's far enough away that I am unlikely to go with any frequency; 2 = yes, fan group is close by and I can see myself going to the pub on the regular. ### Bandwagon <-> underdog factor Bandwagon jumping has to be devalued. A high score (2) means this is a serious underdog; (1) generally means a mid- to upper-mid table club; and (0) means picking this team will catch you hell for being a glory chaser. ### Aesthetic factor How appealing is this team's colors, badge, mascot, etc. How excited would I be to wear their shirt in public? This stuff matters. 2 = most aesthetically appealing; 1 = solid/classic but uninspiring; 0 = meh. ### Bonus points Is there anything else about this team that is cool enough to award an extra point for that doesn't fall into any of the other categories, e.g., history and traditions, celebrity fans, rivalries, and whatever else my research turns up. ## Pre-season results Tabulated results for all clubs for the 2026/27 season. Scroll side to side to view the entire table. | **Club** | **Sports- washing** | **Destination Appeal** | **People In My Life** | **Pub Factor** | **Bandwagon <-> Underdog** | **Aesthetics** | **Bonus Points** | | **Score** | | -------------------------- | ------------------- | ---------------------- | --------------------- | -------------- | -------------------------- | -------------- | ---------------- | ---------------------------------------- | --------- | | **Arsenal** | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | Club history and celebrity connections. | **9** | | **Aston Villa** | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | The Black Sabbath connection is massive. | **6** | | **Bournemouth** | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | | **4** | | **Brentford** | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | Bees! | **8** | | **Brighton & Hove Albion** | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | Seagulls! | **7** | | **Chelsea** | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | | **4** | | **Coventry City** | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | | **5** | | **Crystal Palace** | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | Architecture is cool. | **8** | | **Everton** | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | | **2** | | **Fulham** | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | | **4** | | **Hull City** | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | | **5** | | **Ipswich Town** | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | | **5** | | **Leeds** | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 0 | | **6** | | **Liverpool** | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | Unimpeachable history and tradition. | **6** | | **Man City** | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | **0** | | **Man United** | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | | **4** | | **Newcastle** | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | **0** | | **Nottingham Forest** | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | Robin Hood. | **3** | | **Sunderland** | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | | **3** | | **Tottenham** | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | | **6** | The following are all of the teams that were filtered out, grouped into tiers based on point totals from lowest to highest. ### Tier 4 - The First Ones Out Aka the "your owners are too problematic" filter. Automatic disqualification. [Manchester City F.C.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manchester_City_F.C.) [UAE controlled](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mansour_bin_Zayed_Al_Nahyan#Controversies), plus the hammer seems waiting to drop on [115 counts of financial violations](https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/premier-league-scared-relegating-man-054500912.html). Red flags everywhere. [Newcastle United F.C.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Newcastle_United_F.C.) I cannot support any [MBS]([https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mohammed_bin_Salman](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mohammed_bin_Salman#Controversies)) venture. No more need be said. ### Tier 3 - The Also-rans Clubs that scored five points or fewer: Coventry City, Hull City, Ipswich Town, Bournemouth, Chelsea, Fulham, Manchester United, Nottingham Forest, Sunderland, and Everton. ### Tier 2 - Honorable Mentions Clubs that scored six points, placing them just outside the top tier. In alphabetical order: #### [Aston Villa F.C. ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aston_Villa_F.C.) Kind of disappointed Villa didn't make the top tier because I kinda want to like them. They present as a recently awoken sleeping giant, finishing fourth last season with success in Euro play. Aesthetically they are a 10/10 for me, with easily the sickest colors, awesome badge, and I would absolutely wear their gear. Plus Black Sabbath are my favorite [celebrity connection](https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6510404/2025/07/23/ozzy-osbourne-aston-villa-birmingham/) of any team ([RIP Ozzy](https://www.avfc.co.uk/news/2026/july/22/retail-celebrate-ozzy-day-with-exclusive-merchandise/)). But no one in my life seems to care one way or the other about them, and the odds of me ever making the trip to Birmingham are pretty slim. I will keep an eye on these guys as a possible dark horse depending on how the season goes. #### [Leeds United F.C.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leeds_United_F.C.) Leeds are a bit of a mystery to me at this point, so until I do some more research I don’t have much to say about them except the yellow away kits are tremendous, and the odds of me ever visiting Yorkshire are virtually nil. #### [Liverpool F.C.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liverpool_F.C.) In the plus column for Liverpool: everyone seems to respect them, including their rivals. The city itself is historically staunchly left leaning city.[^4] It goes without saying club history and tradition are top notch. A perennial contender, well resourced, and with a new manager things could turn around after last season's regression. In the minus column: I have no doubt Anfield is an amazing experience, but there's no way around Liverpool’s low destination score. There is also a lack of a strong interpersonal connection for me; I don’t know anyone who hates Liverpool but they are also nobody’s #1. Also, having recently won the league, there is some residual bandwagon baggage. Still, there is so much to love about Liverpool that, like Aston Villa, I am a little bummed they didn't make the top tier and similarly I will probably cheat a little by keeping an eye on them. #### [Tottenham Hotspur F.C.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tottenham_Hotspur_F.C.) Nearly relegated last season despite having a new world class stadium and outspending the league on transfers, Spurs give a “doing the least with the most” vibe right now. Everyone seems to deride this team and their fans who seem to be the most self-loathing bunch I've encountered online. Everything I am learning says stay away. ### Tier 1 - The Contenders Clubs with seven or more points in alphabetical order. #### [Arsenal F.C. ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arsenal_F.C.) Ok, here are my thoughts on the pros, cons, and miscellanea about the possibility of becoming an Arsenal fan. First, they are the club with the most points in my scoring system. Second, Arsenal fandom brings exciting high stakes rivalries with Spurs (far less so lately, though), Man City, Chelsea, and Man U. I could be wrong but they seem amicable with Crystal Palace despite both being London clubs. Obviously they have the highest standard of competition, i.e., to win EPL and Champions league, but don’t dominate all the time. They just snapped a 22 year drought (thus drawing comparisons to the Knicks, for American readers). They have a massive and storied history that includes being notably progressive when it came to minority players. I am told they have a strong dedication to academy system and fielding homegrown talent, though they certainly have their fair share of big money non-academy talent, too. The destination factor is an easy 10/10. For me, they have some S tier celebrity fans, including Jezza and Zohran, and famous North Londoners [Pink Floyd](https://www.wikimetal.com.br/en/finalist-champions-league-arsenal-favorite-team-pink-floyd/). However, there are also some reasons not to support them. Of the more minor ones, they have some unfortunate celebrity fans (Keir Starmer, Piers Morgan), and the Emirates sponsorship doesn’t sit super well with me. By far the biggest red flag is the bandwagon factor, which at the moment is arguably worst in the league. On top of their big 6 status, war chest, and massive international fanbase, picking a team that just won a title reeks of glory chasing. However, I have to mention an extenuating factor that I believe could absolve me of any potential bandwagon jumping guilt. Based on what I've read online from EPL fans, having a connection to a club via close friends and family seems to be on the short list of valid reasons for choosing a club. In my case, there are two members of my extended family who are huge soccer fans and are/were avid amateur players; both are diehard gunners (very coincidentally since to my knowledge they've never met each other). They are trying to persuade me to join the fold. One has told me which books to read and the other sent me an Arsene Wenger documentary to watch. The possibility of having someone to go to Arsenal pubs to watch games with and just general soccer bonding is pretty enticing. Really this is the only club for which I have an easy point of entry to a much larger fandom. It feels like the universe is telling me something and who am I to ignore it? I am putting the Gunners in my *provisional* #1 spot. Nevertheless, I want to stay open to countervailing factors that could sway me in another direction, which could include Arsenal's style of play, or a general discomfort with latching onto a big six club related to the wealth disparity in the EPL. #### [Brentford F.C.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brentford_F.C.) #### [Brighton & Hove Albion F.C.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brighton_%26_Hove_Albion_F.C.) Next we have a couple of teams, Brentford and Brighton, with enough in common that it would be redundant to write about them separately, so I am grouping them together into one blurb. These are two smaller market “moneyball” teams that seem to have very competent ownership and management that allows them to do more with less than richer clubs. Both clubs have been in the EPL for long enough since promotion that the likelihood of relegation seems tolerably low. This kind of feels like the fandom sweet spot - not contenders to win the EPL, but with real chances for Euro competition and definitely the sorts of teams that can spoil a bigger club’s chances. This means far less bandwagon jumping baggage than with any of the big six clubs. Both are cool destinations. If I’m visiting London, Brentford is a no brainer and I would gladly make the trip down to beachy Brighton for a match. Bees and seagulls are both fun wildlife mascots. While Brentford have a rivalry with Fulham and [Brighton with Palace](https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c4gw8v2g211o), their shared disdain for Chelsea might be most front of mind this summer as Chelsea poach their players. The biggest celebrity backer I’ve come across for either team is Fatboy Slim for Brighton, which I'm just calling a wash (no offense, Mr. Cook). The only salient differences between these teams for me so far are: despite being a moneyball team, Brighton seem to value their academy system more, and I like the Brighton colors better. But, importantly there is a person in my life whose #1 is the Bees. I expect more important distinguishing factors to emerge over the season, such as tactics and strategy; players; club management and philosophy; and of course success on the pitch. #### [Crystal Palace F.C.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crystal_Palace_F.C.) Last but not least, we have Crystal Palace. Palace are an intriguing possibility. I gave them a bonus point just for being named after a famous work of architecture, because that is pretty damn cool. They present as a solid mid-table side with a terrific relegation/resurrection story, and who have managed to avoid relegation since being promoted a few years ago. Their recent success in Euro play is encouraging. They also have great aesthetics, with a logo/badge that is weird and dope. The RWB colors and kits are super clean (though their gear could potentially be mistaken for USMNT in the states). For 26/27 they are doing a 70's “sash” throwback design that I am iffy about. Destination-wise, if I'm in the UK, South London is another no-brainer and I have read that the atmosphere at Selhurst is outstanding. Besides these pluses, the biggest one is that I have a friend living in the UK who expressed some interest in CP, via an obscure connection to some [writing about the actual Crystal Palace](https://architizer.com/blog/inspiration/stories/why-architects-should-read-walter-benjamin/) by 20th c. continental philosopher [Walter Benjamin](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walter_Benjamin). Based on this, we have agreed to follow Palace together this season. I can think of at least a few reasons to avoid Palace. One is the relative lack of high stakes EPL rivalries. Millwall and Charlton Athletic are not currently in EPL, leaving just Brighton. And like Brentford and Brighton, they are not a big enough club in terms of money and horses to win it all. Last, there's some unease knowing I’d be backing the same team as Nigel Farage, woof. ## Conclusion And there you have it: Arsenal, Brentford, Brighton, and Crystal Palace are my top options for commitment to fandom. I will focus my attention on these sides this year, with the expectation that my #1 will likely emerge from this group by the end of the season (while keeping an eye on Aston Villa and Liverpool as dark horses). The final deciding factors will be determined in the second and final assessment, and will include things like: what is this team’s style of play? How much do I enjoy watching them? How much do I like and dislike individual players? Etc., etc. I hope this has been illustrative, helpful, or at least mildly entertaining to fellow EPL-curious yanks, and not completely objectionable to the seasoned fans on the other side of the Atlantic. [^1]: Note that Simmons landed on Tottenham but it didn't stick, which supports my caution against trying to pick before you watch. [^2]: I have more thoughts (more of a rant, really) on the whole thing of looking for advice online for on choosing an EPL club which I plan to append later. [^3]: It's worth noting that, arguably, the existing wealth disparity will be [exacerbated by the new financial rules](https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/premier-league-financial-rules-explained-psr-scr-b2914022.html) going into effect this season. [^4]: Liverpool even had a [Trotskyist insurgency](https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-29953611) during the Thatcher era. [^5]: