A 16-Year-Old in the Community Shield 🤯

Hail GFOP! 

I type with fingers quivering with relief and elation: The football season is about to kick off again. Our three week hell is over. Happy Community Shield weekend to all who celebrate. This Sunday we Shield It Up. Arne Slot’s defending Champion/Extreme Makeover-ed Liverpool rumble against South London Daniel LaRussos’, Crystal Palace. We are blessed. This game means everything and nothing. But it is the First Cuckoo of Spring of the upcoming season which is now just a week away. We Ready.

ii. I head to England tomorrow for our Second Annual Football Holiday, in which we pack up our Yeti travel bags and charge around England, spending time with Pep Guardiola, Virgil Van Dijk, Mikel Arteta, Tyler Adams, and I hope, Win the Dog. These trips are fairly hilarious, as we criss-cross the nation at helter-skelter pace, attempting to eat all the pies, and inhale all the Sunday roasts we can get our hands on along the way. If you are in Bournemouth, London, Liverpool or Manchester, keep your eyes open for us as we Lightning McQueen our way around your gaff. SEND YOUR RECOMMENDATIONS FOR PIES AND PINTS HERE! 🥧🍻 

iii. Yesterday we were blessed to spend time with Enzo Maresca and Arne Slot. I admire Maresca so much as the Premier League’s chess grandmaster. We talked about coaching Cole Palmer, the weight of expectation winning a Club World Cup brings, and how playing that beast of a summer tournament puts his club in uncharted waters in terms of recovery and preparation for this coming season. 

Slot was so relaxed, keen to explain exactly why Liverpool have spent so much money despite just winning the title, and specifically what Florian Wirtz will do in terms of enabling him to adapt his style. It was fascinating to listen to—not least because he quoted Vince Lombardi, “Gentlemen, we will chase perfection, and we will chase it relentlessly, knowing all the while we can never attain it. But along the way, we shall catch excellence.”

iv. 🗣️ Columbus, Ohio! SAVE THE DATE: Sept. 8. We will be with you for an incredible live show. More details next week. But I can’t wait to come and celebrate your city and the historic role it has played in our nation’s football history. 🇺🇸 🍻 

v. A personal story that will expose you to teen-Rog’s David Luiz-esque locks: James Whale, England’s first ever “gonzo shock jock” passed away this week. He had a cult-popular late night Friday show on English TV back in the early 90s. It played at around 1 a.m. when we were all getting back from the pub. During my law finals I was given tickets to go and watch it. I went with three mates, and because of the late night timing, let’s just say, we were well lubricated by the time we arrived. The show was hilarious to witness, and right at the end, one of my mates whispered in my ear, “Let’s run onto the set.” That idea sounded as profound to me as if he had just muttered the Theory of Relativity. I was well up for it. James Whale was taking calls at the end of the show, from viewers who wanted to talk about “Botty noises.” We agreed to jump from our seats on the count of three, which he then delivered, then psyched me out, by not moving at all. I was so full of adrenaline, I had burst past security, and was on set before I knew it, and well… you can see my TV Debut here. 

I had a Law Final the next day and woke up super early to cram for it, hangover be damned. At 7 a.m. my phone went. It was my Dad. He was livid. I have zero idea how he was up watching television at 2 a.m. or whatever time that crap was on, but somehow he had seen it and he just said, “I hope that performance is not a symbol of how the rest of your life is going to go”, before promptly hanging up on me. 

PS. This is how I learned to dance when I was a kid. By watching these legends.

Also, this brought me so much joy this week. It is breathtaking—the timing and the execution. RIP MCA. 

This Week at MIB HQ 📣

i. Congratulations to the entire The Women’s Game Staff who smashed last night’s sold-out TWG Live Show in partnership with our friends at Ally. Sam Mewis is a human joy, and witnessing the quality of the storytelling was so profound, in terms of our mission of doing good things with great people. Watch it here—especially the interview with Jess Carter talking about the joys and agonies of England’s Euros journey—and revel in an incredible night. 

 ii. Get your fill in the last Premier League-less weekend by listening to or watching our conversations with some of the brightest brains in the sport. The Arne Slot pod and YouTube will be hitting our feed Saturday, Aug. 9., followed by Enzo Maresca on Sunday, 8/10. And if you're looking for some exclusive preview content to go along with it, come be with us on our Discord—a place of community, joy, and a singular passion for the game we love. After all, football's better with friends.

Community Shield Time, Baby! 🏆

Liverpool vs. Crystal Palace at Wembley (Sunday, 10 a.m. ET, ESPN+) 🏆

Brace yourself for a lot of talk about “curtain raisers” as your Premier League champions Liverpool take on darling FA Cup winners Crystal Palace in their first ever Community Shield experience this Sunday. Liverpool will unfurl many of their new toys. Prepare for pundits to write off the acquisition of one of Florian Wirtz, Hugo Ekitike, Jeremie Frimpong and Milos Kerkez after 90 minutes of meaningless football. (I remember pundits laughing at Haaland and praising Darwin after their 2022 debuts!) For all the new splashy names, expect 16-year-old Sensation Rio Ngumoha to be in the spotlight. The time Slot gives his teen sensation is going to be a fascinating story of the season, as he searches for balance, evolution, and depth in the multi-pronged battles to come. 

I feel for Palace who are fighting for their place in the Europa League after UEFA arbitrarily dinged them for multi-club ownership infractions. I cannot wait to see their fans revel in another magical Wembley day out. They will not take that for granted. I am honestly braced to witness Liverpool fans experience their first big game in the spotlight without Diogo. I wish them strength and love. This season will be both exhilarating and grief-filled. No. 20 Forever. 

More: Community Shield will tell us if Liverpool are the team to beat.

Sonny in the USA 🇰🇷

The highlight of my week was witnessing Son Heung-Min embrace Los Angeles, and Los Angeles revel in Sonny. The Korean has arrived as MLS’s record transfer. He will be worth every single penny. Gent is a burst of human goodness and is going to be magnificent for LAFC, the city of Los Angeles, and the League in general. He has instantly become No. 2 in all-time MLS jersey sales after a team switch—behind only Messi, and, in a city with 360,000 Korean-Americans living in it, and a travelling army of fans ready to watch him wherever he plays, is set to become a cultural juggernaut that transcends football. 

I love this so much.

Wrexham are in the Championship, Godspeed to All in North Wales 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿

No team has ever won four successive promotions in the top five tiers of the English football pyramid. No one has moved from the National League to the Premier League as if it is a walk in the park. The mood from all I have spoken to in and around Wrexham is, why not one more? The Championship is the ultimate footballing knifefight in a mudbath. In the last decade, only four newly promoted teams have finished in the Top 10. The squad has been strengthened in an extremely intelligent way, yet, despite doubling its value in just two months, they still have just the 21st-most valuable roster in a league with 24 teams. I admire Rob and Ryan’s attitude. Having had them both on a lot last season—their spirit of “The club will tell us what it needs as long as we listen”, is going to be fascinating to witness. To me though, whatever happens, they have already won. This journey, in that town, has already been that humanly joyous to witness.

Tomi Cheese is back for the new season. Brace yourself for the return of This Week in Wrexham next week! 🙌

More: Can Wrexham really make the Premier League?

More Great Football From Around the World 🌎

Birmingham vs. Ipswich (Friday, 3 p.m. ET, Paramount+) 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿

This Box Office Championship opener between Tom Brady’s Birmingham and Ed Sheeran’s Ipswich is bluer than a James Cameron fever dream. Although they meet in the middle following the Blues’ promotion from League 1 and the Tractor Boys’ relegation from the Premier League, Chris Davies’ title-winning team have one of sport’s great intangibles, momentum, on their side; they also have a lot of money and recruited well, which helps. For Ipswich, Kieran McKenna is still at the tractor wheel and has bought in former Premier League winner, Ashley Young, who is still somehow a decent professional footballer, despite being a year older than his manager at 40. Expect St. Andrews to be pumping when 30,000 Brummies serenade their team with Keep Right On after a few post-work Friday night pints and the impossibly enticing hope a new season offers. 

More: A Championship preview: Why Birmingham are legit promotion contenders.

Southampton vs. Wrexham (Saturday, 7:30 a.m. ET, Paramount+) 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿

When you look at the history of these two teams, you’d favor Southampton to sweep Wrexham aside, but since Ryan Reynolds and Rob Mac bought the club from North Wales, their footballing landscape has turned on its head. It’s another sliding doors meeting of teams on different trajectories, as Wrexham are buoyant following three back-to-back promotions and another thrilling summer of recruitment. Southampton’s Premier League run last season was so abhorrent that it nearly broke all the wrong records, but with the fabled Football Manager gamer turned actual football manager, 32-year-old Will Still in charge, if they’re patient, there is plenty to be excited about for the Saints. While Still is the Championship’s youngest head coach, Wrexham’s main man, Phil Parkinson, is on the other end of the spectrum as the league’s most senior manager and he’s returning to face the club he signed for as a 14-year-old. 

Chicago Fire vs. LAFC (Sunday, 8:30 p.m. ET, Apple TV+) 🇺🇸

It’s unclear yet whether LAFC’s new big name in lights, Son Heung-min, will be involved in his club’s away tie at Chicago Fire on Sunday, but the prospect is alluring. The South Korean rock star of a footballer joined LAFC for an MLS record fee thought to be around $26.5 million, and with a full pre-season against top opposition behind him for Spurs, the 33-year-old should be ready to start showing Los Angeles why his arrival could be as seismic as David Beckham’s in 2007.

Introducing The Correspondent w/ Rory Smith 📧

Rory Smith is one of the premier football writers in the world, and with the reach and power his writing brings, we'll be launching his own newsletter, The Correspondent with Rory Smith, as part of the Men In Blazers Media Network next week. Establishing The Correspondent as its own newsletter allows it the space to embrace a distinct tone. Rory's unique style differs from the preview-and-recap nature of what we do here at The Raven, and launching a newsletter just for him will help us shine even more of a light on Rory and his incredible writing. Subscribe here to make sure you don't miss the first edition of Rory’s new newsletter next Thursday.

The Women’s Game ⚽️

NWSL Goodness

Gotham FC vs. Washington Spirit (Saturday 12 p.m. ET, ESPN)
Fresh off her appearance at the TWG live show in NYC, Euros champion Jess Carter faces her fellow Lioness Esme Morgan in one of the NWSL’s most burgeoning rivalries. Gotham keeper Ann-Katrin Berger should feature in her first game back after her heroics against France (any excuse to watch this save again). She faces a goal threat from an in-form Trinity Rodman, who marked her return to the Spirit from a back injury with a goal last week against Portland. 

San Diego Wave vs. Angel City (Saturday 10 p.m. ET, ion)

It’s Socal vs further Socal down at the Snapdragon as Angel City meet San Diego Wave. The hosts sit 10 points ahead comfortably in fourth, while the visiting Angelenos need a run of good form to hit their playoff goal.

Portland Thorns vs. Seattle Reign (Sunday, 4 p.m. ET, CBS)

Winner goes fifth in the “Cascadia Rivalry” as Seattle travel to Portland. Both sides are even on 16 wins with Sunday’s game marking the teams’ 43rd meeting. NWSL Heritage!

Also this weekend! Ally Sentnor faces her former side Utah one week after her shock trade to the KC Current 👀 (Tonight! 10 p.m. ET, Prime Video).

Introducing this Week’s Pet FC Winner: Pinoe 🐶

We have partnered with the two-legged people at Purina to create Pet FC, a new initiative where we will be featuring YOUR four-legged friends that show a true love of football on par with their human counterparts. Got a furry companion we should know about? Tell us about them here.

The Pittie from Minneapolis is named after ICON Megan Rapinoe–specifically after a video of Rapinoe getting yelled by her USWNT team to go celebrate at the 2019 World Cup. Now, dog Pinoe gets told, lovingly, to “get your a** in the locker room.”

Do you have a great football story involving the dog or cat in your life? Click the link below to submit your pets and pet stories, and we will be regularly featuring the best of the best here in the Raven and on our social channels. What's more, we have Purina prize packs for every pet featured.

Submit your Pet FC stories here 🐾

More Football, Did Ya Say? ⚽️

Is English Football in Crisis… 1993 Style? English football has been doomed for longer than you think. This incredible video shows the fears early 90’s pundits saw—their analysis is fascinating to witness, knowing all we have witnessed since.

Xabi Alonso steps in as Real Madrid coach. The loveliest man in the world enters into a crucible of the most demanding role in club football. This analysis is fascinating to think through.

Thomas Partey has been charged with six sexual offences in court. This is hard to read. 

The Debut of the Last UN-Recognized Country without a Soccer Team 

You might not have heard of the Marshall Islands men’s national team, but that's probably because, until now, they didn’t actually exist! The Marshall Islands sit in Micronesia, halfway between Hawaii and Australia, and they’re the last UN-recognized country without a national soccer team, but that all changes next week. Thousands of miles from their Pacific Ocean home, they’ll compete in the Outrigger Challenge Cup (Aug. 11 - 17) in Springdale, Arkansas alongside Turks & Caicos, U.S. Virgin Islands and Ozark FC’s U-19 side. They’ll be well supported too, because outside of the actual islands, Springdale has the largest Marshallese community in the world with more than 12,000 of their people residing there.

The Marshall Islands also have a headstart over most international teams before them because they’ll be debuting in a ready-made, pristine kit that immediately competes with Brazil or Argentina in terms of instant aesthetic satisfaction and recognition. Have a look at their Instagram page, go and buy one of those beautiful shirts and get behind the Marshall Islands, who hope that these fixtures will help them finally secure FIFA and Oceania Football Confederation recognition.

MiB Mad Libs 📝

This week’s phrase is:

“Son Heung-Min will make America ___"

Email me your submissions to be in contention to win a coveted MiB patch.

There were LOADS of incredible entries this week, but there can only be one winner:

Mary Kate McLaughlin: “I miss the Premier League like Jack Grealish misses the Aston Villa frat house days of yore.”

MKMc. Let Greals come to Everton and smash it up with Beto!

Not Football and All the Better for It 📖

Everybody watches women's sports: The First Ride of the Valkyries.

The Big Money and High Cost of the US Military’s On-Base Slot Machines. Give me bad ideas for $500 Alex. 

Move over Bodega Cat, Why Bookstores Showcase Their Pets.

20 Contenders for the 2025 Song of the Summer. The Song of Summer REMAINS Losing You by Solange.

We've reached 2013 nostalgia 🫠: Make social media fun again! 

What Is an Egg Worth? "It's one egg Michael, how much could it cost? 10 dollars?”

A Zoo in Denmark Wants to Feed Your Pets to Its Predators. Mr. Whiskers was eaten by a lion' is a much better story than 'Mr. Whiskers went to a nice farm upstate'.

This Book is excellent: THE GODS OF NEW YORK by Jonathan Mahler covers four wild years in the life of the city: 1986-1990. It’s filled with outsized characters like Ed Koch, Al Sharpton, and the incredible Spike Lee among them and landmark events Howard Beach, Tawana Brawley, Black Monday, the Central Park Jogger attack—that shaped our culture and politics to this day. Mahler is a boss of a writer. And a massive football fan. I admire him for both things. 

This Song Helped Me Through the Week: Not Giving It Out by Nadia Reid. She is immensely talented. Revere her.

A GFOP Writes ✍️

Helen Gill from Boston, MA asks, “Rog, when you go to England will you see Rory, or is Harrogate on the Dark Side of the Moon?”

Rog Writes: Helen! Yes… and Yes! I will sadly be going nowhere near the fancy side of Yorkshire that Ror lives in. But the Crown Prince will be down in London and we are going to film all day Monday in-studio, so we can deliver Premier League previews straight into your loving arms. Brace yourself on an hour long analysis of the new Everton squad, and about six or seven minutes in which we rumble through the other 19 teams. I cannot wait to see him, and revel in Palace’s Community Shield victory, which as I said up top, is the most meaningful game of the season, right?

Keep sending your stories and questions to [email protected].

To Better Days Ahead for All.

Let’s not take a moment watching football together for granted and make great memories.

Big Love.

Courage,
ROG