FA Cup Semi-Final Weekend at Wembley 🏆

Hail GFOP!

I type with fingers filled with love amidst a weekend in Liverpool to be with my parents, Ivor and Val, who are both battling grueling ill-health in a tenacious fashion. A moment in life that reminds us all not to take a second for granted. Thanks for all your lovely notes and letters. As so many of you know, life in times of family challenge is a warped mix of love, grief, truth, pain and sudden laughter. Layer on top of it all, Everton’s One True Tortured Poets Department of a season – and yes – I am taking my entire family to watch the sweet-n-sour experience of Gio Reyna score against us on Sunday – and you will gain a sense of the twisted but tender reality I am living right now. 

Sunday’s Everton game will be the first time in my life that I will go to Goodison without my Dad. That gutting truth feels both immensely sad and gratitude-tinged in equal measure. Going to watch Everton has been a spine to our being. Something that no matter what else was going on in our lives amidst the natural ups and downs of a father-son relationship, we always did together. We have marveled with jaws dropped as an omnipotent Everton smited all-comers and won titles. We have watched grimacing, through finger-covered eyes, as Everton fought desperately against relegation. We have seen fire and seen rain, and the layered memories of the footballers – my Dad loved Trevor Steven, Pat Nevin, Leighton Baines, Mikel Arteta, and Abdoulaye Doucoure – became deeply woven into the fabric of our own relationship. That is the true joy of football. Not the winning. My Lord, you don’t support Everton for that. But the cross-generational memory-making which is profound. 

The last time I took my Dad to Goodison Park was just before COVID. We went with all four of my kids. Everton miraculously lumped four goals past Manchester United, and every time we scored, my then-82-year-old Dad acted like the biggest kid at Goodison Park. I knew at that moment that this was the kind of day that we would all remember for the rest of our lives so I took a lot of photographs. My Dad actually chose one, framed it, and hung it on the wall by the desk in his office. I will carry that photograph in my pocket when we go to the game on Sunday, so he will be there in spirit, as he will always be, whenever I, or my kids go and watch Everton for the rest of our lives.

More: I taped a podcast with my Dad where he explains the twist of fate that made our family Everton fans, not Liverpool fans. And how he dealt with my older brother, Nige, becoming a Red. I love this show. 💙 #UTFT

🚨🗣️ YOUR HELP NEEDED MORE THAN I CAN SAY: First Ever MiB GFOP State of the American Football Fan Survey 🙌🙌🙌 🇺🇸📈

THIS IS IMPORTANT: Today, we are launching something massive and new that requires 15 minutes of your help: Our goal is to map out the uniquely singular contours of American Football fandom as it explodes across our nation. We know that fandom is deep and passionate. We also know it is special. Americans often support more than one team. Can support players rather than teams. And dream big dreams for their national team. 

TAKE THE SURVEY HERE

I know questionnaires are a pain up the ass and as agonizing to fill in as watching your team cough up a 2-0 lead and limp out with a draw that feels like a loss. 

BUT here at MiB it has been about serving the conversation we have with you GFOPs. It is your passion, your questions, and your needs that inspire and direct us. It also teaches us so bloody much about what you - the American fan - wants most from football. The more we know, the more we can bring you joy from around the football world. By helping us and taking this survey, we promise it will allow us to improve the quality of our crap more than we can say. I will be honest – this survey is incredibly important and I would personally be so bloody indebted if you take 15 minutes to soldier through it with the Rodri-levels of tenacity.

There is a short window to complete this beauty: Make sure you let your voice be heard early.

🎁 As an extra special thank you, we have a few Men in Blazers prizes to give out to some lucky GFOPs. Let your mind go wild at the Men in Blazers Shop: it's all a possibility. It's the least we can do for helping us shape the future of Men in Blazers. Again: Survey is here. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

2. FA Cup Semi-Final Weekend at Wembley 🏆

i. Manchester City vs. Chelsea (Saturday, 12.15 p.m. ET, ESPN +)

How will Manchester City react to being dropped in a penalty shoot-out that was as shocking to witness as Omar being clipped in The Wire? (Even though Real Madrid are some all-grown up Kenard.) Penalties must be Pep’s personal nightmare as it reduces the collective game of football to an individual battle of chance he cannot control. Goalkeeper Andriy Lunin saved spot-kicks from technical-meister Bernardo Silva and Mateo Kovacic (a breakdown of what happened here.). That it was that dominant shithousing warrior Rudiger who aced the killer penalty was just salt in the wound. At least they still have Jack’s Calves.

You’ll always have this moment, City fans. What football is all about City. Double-Treble no more. It was just a week ago GFOP John Mark Fisher wrote to me the lovely line: “Arsenal had the Invincibles, but City are the Inevitables.” Did the midweek Champions League exit change everything or was it just a bug in the machine? This is Chelsea’s season, and they will attack it with the fury they argue over penalty-taking duties, knowing they gleaned two draws from City in the league. Take it from a bereaved Everton fan: Chelsea go as City-young-old-boy Cole Palmer goes. How much will Pep think about squad rotation with a trip to Brighton in the league fast upcoming?

ii. Coventry vs. Manchester United (Sunday, 10.30 a.m. ET, ESPN +)

Goliath vs. David. Championship aspirants Coventry, powered by moments of magic from Los Angeleno, Haji Wright, charge down to Wembley for a free hit. Erik Ten Hag’s United are attempting to salvage their season, although you have to wonder if being embroiled in an argument with Alejandro Garnacho over his social media “Likes” is how you want to prep for the big one. How many shots will United allow their second-tier opponents, and will Coventry manager Mark Robins, who as a United player delivered a legendary FA Cup strike against Nottingham Forest that saved Sir Alex Ferguson’s job when he was teetering in 1990, create more iconic cup memories? 

More: Coventry aspires to go from League 2 to FA Cup Final in six years. 

3. Premier League hurdles on 💨

i. Wolves vs. Arsenal (Saturday, 2.30 p.m. ET, USA)

Arsenal capped their terrible, horrible, no good, very bad week, losing to Harry Kane’s Bayern in Munich. They were meek. Risk averse. There was a seed of fear throughout their game. Talking about it post-match with the truly brilliant James Horncastle we spoke about the power of history and experience as the greatest intangible. By the way – Champions League Bayern are just a different creature. Like Real Madrid. A team propelled and lifted by the ghosts of glories past. (Though Derek Rae’s perspective on Bayern is fascinating.) How quickly can Arteta refocus his charges against a Wolves side who have won just one in seven, and prove that this title race remains, despite our moods, very much alive?

ii. Fulham vs. Liverpool (Sunday, 11.30 a.m. ET, USA)

Liverpool’s dreams of one more epic comeback evaporated last night at Atalanta. Klopp retired because he was “running out of energy.” His team also look as if they are physically and emotionally spent, with their razor-wire frontline now blunt. As Miguel Delaney wrote, if Klopp was not retiring, this season would be seen as re-building overachievement. By the way, I do love this quote Atalanta coach Gasperini dropped in his moment of victory: "If you win without danger, there's no glory to your triumph."

iii. Everton vs. Nottingham Forest 💩💩💩 (Sunday, 8.30 a.m. ET, USA)

A game Everton fans with gallows humor are calling “El Deducto.” The Carcass that is Everton and the defiant yet faint pulse that is Nottingham Forest collide. Everton, fresh off a new Points Deduction Bounce in the wrong direction – that 6-0 beatdown to Cole Palmer’s Chelsea which was the worst result of Sean Dyche’s entire 531 game managerial career. We are roadkill. Forest have the quality of Morgan Gibbs-White and Chris Wood who will feast if Jarrad Branthwaite, our sword and shield, is injured. The only question about this one is: By taking three of my kids to see this in person, am I a bad father, or the Worst Father? 

More: This is a gruesome read about Everton’s financial future and 777.

And this: Full Premier League schedule 

This Week at Men in Blazers

Can’t knock the hustle… 

🧊 Coming up in just a few hours on our YouTube Page… Rog’s sit down with the young star who just smashed four past his Everton… Cole Palmer. Subscribe to get notified when it goes live. The joy of these interviews is to gain a sense of the gents we watch perform wonders on a weekly basis. Cole is a bloke who does his talking on the field. Hearing him talk about his penalty-taking technique is quite something.

💫 What a week of European Football we all just lived through. And we covered every wry Harry Kane smile, Xavi meltdown and Bernardo horror penalty with a very special Do it Live! at the final whistle of Wednesday’s matches with The Athletic’s James Horncastle, who was quite brilliant in his insight into these teams. And, also, proper funny. LISTEN HERE | WATCH HERE. 

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 Wrexham are going up. Again. Last Saturday saw the culmination of Wrexham’s back-to-back promotion fever dream as they clinched moving up to League One with a 6 - 0 shellacking of Forest Green. News that led to incredible scenes post-match both on the field and then around that mighty Welsh town where players mingled with fans, drinking beers late into the evening. We’re pretty certain most of North Wales is only just recovering. Covering it all was our mate, Tomi “Cheese” Lewis, who along with his producer Steve Elllis, has covered Wrexham all season for us. They lived every bit of that promotion Saturday night and we could not be more thrilled for them. Watch this week’s episode, Powered by STōK Cold Brew Coffee HERE. And watch our YouTube Monday for a very special episode of the This Week in Wrexham Podcast in which Rog sits down with Wrexham Executive Director, Humphrey Ker. SUBSCRIBE HERE to find out when it goes live. We talk about the simple joys: Like eating curry in the bath. 

🐦 Also coming up next week… another incredible story from the director’s Box. This one with Brighton CEO Paul Barber. He talks Rog through his role in the seagulls rise from the bowels of League One to the Premier League. That will drop on our Pod feed and YouTube next Tuesday. This is one of my favorite conversations I have taped this year. 

4. WREXHAM ARE LEAGUE ONE 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿🙌

WREXHAM HAVE DONE IT! Last weekend’s 6-0 dismantling of Forest Green Rovers sealed a historic second successive promotion for Rob and Ryan’s boys, guaranteeing them a spot in third-tier League One next season with three games still to play. However, Stockport County’s title-deciding win at Notts County on Tuesday means Wrexham will have to do without silverware this time round. This weekend the victory lap begins with the team traveling to 5th placed Crewe Alexandra (Saturday, 7.30 a.m. ET, iFollow.) The Railwaymen are still very much in contention for a promotion through League Two’s playoffs. Remember Wrexham fans “Win or lose, we’re on the booze.” 

5. Europa, Europa 🇮🇹🇳🇱

a. AC Milan

After being dumped from the Europa League last night by Roma, AC Milan may face even greater ignominy: The Milan derby, the “Derby della Madonnina,” takes place Monday, and Inter Milan could mathematically clinch the title with a win (2.45 p.m. ET, Paramount +). The Horror.

b. PSV Eindhoven

Four wins out of their next four would take Eindhoven to 93 points, level with Ajax for the most points ever won in an Eredivisie season. After seeing off Vitesse 6-0 last Saturday (Tillman’s 7th goal of the season HERE), PSV travel to Frisian club SC Heerenveen – Michael Bradley’s old mob – Thursday for a midweek fixture (12.45 p.m. ET, ESPN +). With the title all but wrapped up, intrigue now surrounds Sergino Dest’s future: USMNT star Sergino Dest reveals talks with PSV over permanent transfer from Barcelona amid Dutch club's incredible campaign.

PS: We track American abroad kits as much as their minutes. Check out our Americans Abroad tracker on our Men in Blazers Shop here.

Prize Picks. Best PP since Pete Postlethwaite

Charlie Kipp writes: The Premier League slate this weekend? Not great, Bob. So what better time to open up the PrizePicks app and enhance your viewing experience with a selection of picks across multiple statistical categories? Speaking of things that are “not great” - Arsenal’s recent form. To that end, there is no reason to think they won’t be peppering the net when they face off with Wolves this weekend. When the shots are high, there have to be some saves involved, too. Let’s jump all over José Sá to grab MORE than 4.0 Saves as our Pick of the Week.

Wolverhampton Wanderers are one of the more fascinating teams in the Premier League. Triumphant throughout the 1950s and 60s, they slowly faded into obscurity before becoming a yo-yo side for much of the 2000s. Dropping as low as League One (where Wrexham will soon ply their trade) in 2013, acquisition by a Chinese conglomerate in 2016 saw the club thunder through the lower divisions and rocket into the Premier League’s European places. The driving force behind this revolution? An Iberian nation that produces more cork than anywhere else in the world: Portugal. Ties between Wolves’ Chinese ownership and Portuguese super-agent (and all around “good guy”) Jorge Mendes meant that Wolves went full-Portuguese, which brings us to José Sá, the Portuguese National team wonder who has eclipsed three saves 11 times this calendar year, and will try to hold down the fort this Saturday at 2:30 p.m. ET on USA Network when Wolves host Arsenal - an Arsenal team that will be out for blood. Who will win? Anyone's guess - but we know Sá will be busy. I like him to get it done: José Sá MORE than 4.0 Saves.

If you haven’t joined PrizePicks, CLICK HERE and use code MiB for a first deposit match up to $100.

6. The Women’s Game 

a. NWSL Matchday Five kicks off tonight with Naomi Girma’s San Diego Wave traveling to Marta’s Orlando Pride (8 p.m. ET, Prime Video), while on Saturday new interim manager Rob Gale’s struggling Portland side will host the Houston Dash at Providence Park (10 p.m. ET, Ion). In the WSL, Tottenham take on Man Utd in a preview of this year’s FA Cup Final, and Kristie Mewis’ “Hammies” travel to sister Sam Mewis’ former side Man City in a matchup that could see the Sky Blues dethrone Chelsea at the top of the table (Sunday, 9.15 a.m. ET, Paramount +). 

More: Olivia Moultrie paved the way for NWSL's youth movement.

b. The Champions League returns to Europe this week as the semi-finals kick off in Spain and France. Early Saturday morning for North American viewers, the reigning champions Barcelona host Emma Hayes’ Chelsea in an immense test for the soon-to-be USA manager who craves the Champions League victory which has eluded her. 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿🇪🇸 (Saturday, 7.30 a.m. ET, DAZN)

More: As future USWNT coach Emma Hayes’ final Chelsea season hits a turbulent patch, she hopes the club's success is not taken for granted. Legacy mode.

ii. Later that day, the battle for France kicks off in Lyon, home of US co-captain Lindsey Horan and the eight-time UWCL champions. In the first leg of a domestic rivalry, Lyon face PSG who feature USWNT talents Eva Gaetino and the controversial Korbin Albert (Saturday, 1 PM ET, DAZN).

More: Where Champions League Semi-Finals are won and lost.

7. Not Football, and All the Better For It

i. Balding ruined my life. Going completely bald saved me. What an incredible bald testimony. If that is not what this newsletter is for, then I don’t know what.

ii. Fascinating Photo-collection from a Decade of European Raves. I used to hitchhike across Europe as a teen. The freedom and possibility I felt then, now seems ripped from a different time, a different world. A future that has not panned out.

iii. The man who quit work as a lawyer to become a professional lego artist. His crap is AMAZING.

iv. Tracy Chapman resurfaces briefly in this piece. If I could ever interview Tracy, I would retire the second that interview was done. My work here in this world would be complete. 

v. Have we strayed too far from the light? Something Weird Is Happening With Caesar Salads.

vi. A long read about the inspiration for and enduring influence of PostSecret. I'm the one who wrote in to confess I'd bought a Fabio Borini kit.

vii. "All hat, no cattle” How the West Was Sold.

viii. This millennial Twitch streamer pretends to be a grandma so scammers can't rip off your grandma. Some heroes don't wear capes, they use voice changers.

ix. When Fans Fight Back. There's 50 feet of crap, then there's owners who screw over their fans. 

x. Field of Dreams. (w)WOOF.

xi. Big Think makes the case that we should stop trying to contact aliens. The parking lots at Trader Joe's are already a mess, without having to accommodate spacecraft.

xi. Have you thanked your eldest daughter today? Why Your Big Sister Resents You.

xii. If you've become a lifelong fan of women's basketball over the last months, this cover story from Kate Fagan is necessary reading: Don’t Look Away (2021). 

xiii. Huge loss this week: Faith Ringgold Dies at 93; Wove Black Life Into Quilts and Children’s Books.

xiv. I love this Song: If you saw Civil War, you probably have been listening to this all week too. Breakers Roar by the Mighty Sturgill Simpson. PS. I do love Fontaines DC.

That is it for today. I am off to get some chips and curry from Chris’s in Rose Lane. Walking the streets of my hometown — which my kids love as if it was Disneyland — is a memory-soaked experience. I love this place. There is nowhere like it. A hard land, filled with hard people who are born of tough lives, blessed with big hearts, and the human superpower of easy laughter.  

Big Love

Courage,

ROG