The Soccer Journey to England, 2025
It was time to get my most soccer-loving son to see his heroes in living color. And what a trip it was.
“Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.” Mr. Ferris Bueller
Today, I want to write you a report about my trip that has taken my son and I to England for the last six days. I know that some of you are more worried about items in every single sport we have going right now, but it is a Tuesday Morning and I am back at the helm and we have plenty planned in the days and weeks to come. Between Luka coming back to town, the Rangers playing so well, the Stars pushing for first place, and the Masters this weekend, my non-draft/Cowboys agenda is plenty full.
But, that doesn’t mean we can’t spend this morning recapping the fun Justin and I had in England over the last week. This was Justin’s first voyage to the UK and just like I took his big brother in 2023, I was pumped to make this happen in 2025. For both of my boys, it is a little senior-year gift to pair with graduation and leaving home for school. Specifically, with my youngest boy, it is taking a soccer addict to a place where it gets no better.
I am the spoiled one in this story, of course. Because I have now done the England trip ten different times for ten different soccer trips. The first with my wife in 2002 (we called it a vacation and our last one before kids) and then the last nine journeys have been with my buddies and now our sons (when available). The rough estimate of frequency is every two to three years and it literally is one of my favorite things.
Ten trips over 23 years and a total of 27 different matches of English Football. I guess the short explanation how I got so deep into this over the years is that I simply fell in love with it all roughly the same time I moved to Dallas. 1998 was the first moment and then 2000 was when Fox Sports World went on the air to make following a possibility. From there, I was interested in the young Michael Owen and his club, Liverpool so I started following them that very season when they would pop on television and the 2001 FA Cup Final sealed my love. But to be fair, it has always been more than just one club of interest that has fueled my hobby. The entire league has always taken my attention as one of a kind. I find myself so taken with the idea that there is a version of sports (or “sport” is how they reference it over there) where you do not follow seven different sports closely and have one franchise in each different sport in your city. No, in England, you follow your one and only football club – and all of your enemies, too – at very close range. You follow one league and you follow it closely and with all of your attention. Imagine putting all of your energy into just one.
I swear, when I visit, that is all I see. The newspapers cover 90% football. Same with the rest of the media and same with the conversations everywhere. Yes, people are aware of options outside of football, but it just hits way differently. That others stuff all feels less important.
This trip was always going to be different because Justin follows and loves the sport. He plays it, like so many, but I have raised him with a common love for dad’s club. I don’t write many essays on dads trying to figure out how to get our children to love our teams like we do, but I can’t lie – it is one I have always hoped for. Now, I cannot tell you who will be interested in what sport, so that is an organic thing. I have taken Brett to England for soccer, but he is there for the sights and fun. I have taken Justin to Lambeau for football, but it hits differently for him. But, when Brett goes to see the Packers and now Justin gets to see Liverpool in person, that is the proud moment for a dad to be able to deliver that memory that we can always have.
So, that was the goal before he heads off to college. The fact that our two favorite players, Virgil Van Dijk and Mo Salah are both nearing the very end of their contracts and their primes was on my mind, too. Our window might be closing, so it had to happen this spring for more reasons than simply graduation for Justin.
Now, the crazy part – Liverpool is now incredibly likely to win the title this year and it has appeared out of nowhere over the last eight months. It was far from a possibility in August as pundits predicted this year would be a race between Manchester City and Arsenal for the title and Liverpool was predicted to finish out of the race by many, due to the end of the Jurgen Klopp era. Klopp, as you probably know if you read my essay last summer, is the architect of the modern Liverpool revival (after Tom Hicks and his buddies tried to financially kill it) and as he retired, we braced to head back to pre-Klopp mediocrity under new manager Arne Slot.
Liverpool has won many trophies over the years - including 19 times being the champions of England, but they have only won the toughest trophy once since I graduated high school. Since 1990, a span of 36 seasons now, they have just one league title and their rivals have reminded them of that fall-off roughly every day since. And that one was the COVID season of 2019-20 and although they were 25 points clear of everyone when the pandemic hit, it still felt wrong to not have a full stadium and a proper parade for their return to glory. Further, their title defense blew up badly with Van Dijk blowing out his knee two months into the campaign.
Otherwise, they have just missed the title several other times. And many of them have fit inside my other journeys. 2014 and 2019 they were in huge struggles when I arrived for previous trips, and I even saw a fatal blow landed at Crystal Palace when they allowed a 3-0 lead to dissolve to a 3-3 draw late at Selhurst Park. It was the end of the dream yet again. 2019 was much more enjoyable, but as Manchester City was famous for, they would never lose a game to give us an open door. Liverpool has totaled both of the two highest point totals in the history of the league that have not been crowned champions when they finished with 97 and 92 points. Every other team that has ever made it to even 90 has won the premier league. But, such is the struggle against Manchester City.
However, City has never found its footing this year and therefore turned things over to Arsenal and Liverpool from the start. And with this being Justin’s senior year and a title push from the Reds, we had to make this trip extra special.
So, we found a small window of opportunity. And given that this might be the one chance to see the boys closing in on a title, with Virg and Mo in the 11 still, and with a side trip across town available, I pinpointed this week last October. It would feature three matches if we can pull it off:
- Wednesday Night we would see the Merseyside Derby against rival Everton and it would be a night match at Anfield which is both rare and extra electric.
- Saturday afternoon, we would return to the city to see Everton play Arsenal at the great old ground of Goodison Park – one of the last old cathedrals of football – before it closed forever at the end of this season.
- Sunday, if the fixtures moved properly for television, there would be three potential matches in London and one of those three would be Liverpool playing at Fulham.
We would leave Tuesday and return Monday. It would be fast, furious, and would also be about the best agenda I have ever scheduled. We had to do it.
And we did.