• The Raven
  • Posts
  • The Premier League Is Back 🥲

The Premier League Is Back 🥲

Plus, Rog chats with Tyler Adams.

August 15, 2025

Hail GFOP! 

I type with fingers filled with anticipation and wonder. Happy New Premier League Season, dear Raven readers. Was it Camus who said, “We need the sweet pain of anticipation to tell us we are really alive”? Well, Camus was a massive football fan, and he would be buzzing today if he was still with us, because it is the best day of the year. Everything is still possible. The dreams we harbor are not yet dashed. No matter what team you support, everything is filled with a sense of expectation, hope and possibility. 380 games lie ahead of us, scattered over 283 days. Each an unknown voyage of discovery within which everything feels pure and attainable. 

As you read this, we can all revel in fantasy, but some of those fantasies will be made real:

Will Viktor Gyökeres barrel through all-comers and transform Arsenal into a lethally direct collective? Can Florian Wirtz make the Premier League look easy by twisting defenders’ brain cells with his movement and passing? Will Pep’s new No. 10 Rayan Cherki puff out his chest and ensure Manchester City fans do not miss KDB? Can Benjamin Šeško mind-meld with Mbeumo and Cunha to help United fans surge again? 

Which young star will thrive? Could it be Estêvão at Chelsea, 15-year-old Max Dowman at Arsenal, or Liverpool’s 16-year-old Rio Ngumoha, whose name we will all be singing by season end? (Narrator’s voice: It will be Jack Grealish’s though, right?)

We just don’t know. And that is the wonder of the next few hours until kick-off. Revel in it. The ability to suspend disbelief and listen only to your fast-beating heart which will assure you that the young Slovenian loanee who has just come in from Serie A will be the diamond in the rough your team needs to surge/reach the promised land of mid-table obscurity/cling on to 17th place. 

All of our season goals are different, but right now, whether your team is Big Six or New Three, all we can do is pray, raise a glass, and know there is No Sleep ‘Til Football. Remember this: life is very, very short. We do not have a moment to waste. Nothing should be taken for granted. Every moment, every game, every goal connects us to each other and gives us the opportunity to have collective memories that can last a lifetime. When you think about life and football like that, you realize we are witnessing fewer goals and wins or losses—but meaning and memories. And we should savor each and every one while we can.

ii. I have been blessed to spend the week on the road, on our Second Annual Football Holiday, crossing England with Producer JW, filming with the Premier League protagonists who will shape this season’s drama. Amongst others, we spent time with Mikel Arteta, who promised that Arsenal will erupt “like a volcano” this season, and Virgil Van Dijk, who smelled so bloody amazing and said it is unknown how long it will take this new-look backline to summon chemistry (He promised me they are “working hard,” I suggested to him he should think about not working so hard and take it easy).

We wrapped up at the Etihad with Pep Guardiola who was on genuinely sizzling, pugnacious form. It was 104 degrees in the room we sat in and we rattled through the issues at a fiery pace, going deep on the cathartic role of failure. We also talked a lot about Oasis and mustaches. I cannot wait for you to hear these interviews and am so lucky to all our friends at Yeti for making it all possible.

My big take away, having spent time in and around Arsenal, Liverpool, and City over the past five days (as well as Chelsea and Spurs), is that each club has a case to believe. Each has profound vulnerabilities and questions even they do not know the answer to: Liverpool, how the glut of new players will bed in; Arsenal, how the new Gyökeres bolt-on will change the balance; and City, whether the loss of aura of last season was just a blip or a true decline for Pep. 

Find these conversations on our YouTube:

Arteta - Watch it here 🐶

Virgil - Saturday ♥️

Pep - Tuesday 👑

Personally, for me—it was an honor to eat all the pies, the Sunday lunch, the chips, but the true highlight was to meet so many of the camera operators who have had to sit through hundreds of the interviews we have done via Zoom over the past few years. To be able to shake their hands, hear them laugh about what the experience is like from their end, and thank them for sitting through our crap was a true human joy. 

PS - New season, new way to talk with us and the entire community at MiB. Come and join our Discord channel. We built it as a way for all of you to chat with us, and each other, before, during and after games. Remember what Twitter was like circa 2014? A warm, creative, insightful place to deepen the experience of matchdays before the bots and the nut jobs took over. So the MIB Discord is a safe, open conversation for every game, grounded in pure camaraderie, joy, and football obsession. Early kickoffs? We’re all there talking it through. Your club scores a late winner (or suffers heartbreak?) We’re celebrating and commiserating together in real time. It’s all happening and it is free. Football is Better with Friends. To join, JUST CLICK THIS LINK and come be with us if you have an account already, or create one and you’ll be added once complete. 💙

This Week at MIB HQ 📣

i. Our English journey kicked off with a quick dash down to Bournemouth to spend time with Tyler Adams for the first episode of The Captain presented by Verizon. It was really meaningful to sit with him ahead of a season in which the World Cup is front of mind. Tyler re-lived the storylines and lessons from the grinding Gold Cup summer, talked about how Bournemouth feel in the post-Dean Huijsen/Milos Kerkez world, and answered your questions including, who is the American college equivalent of the Golden War Cherries? As we continue to build towards the 2026 World Cup in North America, we'll be partnering with Verizon to tell the stories that make the game connect so powerfully across our channels and bring fans closer to the biggest moments in the game.

ii. COME AND BE WITH US COLUMBUS: MEN IN BLAZERS LIVE IN THE FORTRESS THAT IS COLUMBUS, Sept. 8! 💛🖤 Clint Dempsey and I are coming to KEMBA Live in Columbus, Ohio for USA Matchday Eve: a night which will both break down the U.S. game, and also celebrate the history of the city of Columbus and the role it has played as American soccer’s fortress. We will be joined by fellow MiB Media Network host Herc Gomez—there will be some epic Crew appearances, including your inspirational manager Wilfried Nancy and iconic Crew legend, the king of vibes, Frankie Hejduk. Come and be with us to revel in it all in a night that will be a celebration of American soccer at the fortress, presented by our friends at Purina. 🐶

🎟️ Tickets are available here right now, come and raise a glass with us. 💛

iii. Rory Smith launched his new newsletter The Correspondent this week on our network. Rory adding his byline to our offerings is a really moving day for all of us at MiB. For me personally—I adore him. His writing is something I have long revered, and to have Rory partner with us is very moving. Sign up here and spread the word for the richest, most human insights into the game, and maybe even a few restaurant recs along the way. Read yesterday’s first issue here. 📧

To the Football 🍻

Liverpool vs. Bournemouth (Today, 3 p.m. ET, USA)

An Anfield that will be both in mourning and ready to roar on its defending champions – an emotional juxtaposition of human extremes. Diogo Jota’s wife and children will be in attendance for the minute’s silence before the game. Spending time at the club this week, it is clear how all of this profound public collective mourning will impact the players as they process their private grief. I wish everyone at the club strength and love as they navigate this loss which will exist as a parallel narrative to the football for the entire season. 

From a footballing perspective, brace yourself for the Premier League debuts of the Chosen One Florian Wirtz and new live-wire Hugo Ekitike. Liverpool should be electrically punishing in attack. The Community Shield suggests that the new backline featuring Jeremie Frimpong and defecting Cherry Milos Kerkez will take a moment to gel. Bournemouth though are akin to a trout farm who have been overfished, having lost Kepa Arrizabalaga, Kerkez, Huijsen, Illia Zabarnyi and Dango Ouattara. Tyler Adams though told me he can’t wait for the chance to tackle Kerkez as soon as the whistle blows…

Manchester United vs. Arsenal (Sunday, 11:30 a.m. ET, NBC)

Mikel Arteta’s most demanding season begins. There is little wriggle room. No excuses. He swore to me his team would bring the energy of “a volcano.” I asked him what data told him that Viktor Gyökeres could repeat his ecstatic Portuguese League scoring record at a higher level, and he told me, “looking in his eyes.” How Gyökeres’ arrival changes the Arsenal attack—expect more early passes into space as opposed to controlled build-ups—is going to be the story of this early season, which begins with an unforgiving first six games. Watch for Martin Zubimendi – his ability to break the lines with crisp, clean passing, could be the true Arsenal game-changer. 

Ruben Amorim is also under immense pressure. United have remained loyal to their radical truth teller. They have spent heavily to bring in battle-ready creators Bryan Mbeumo and Matheus Cunha to solve their constipation in front of goal. Their big striker purchase, Benjamin Šeško, was looked at by Arsenal. The 22-year-old is an athletic unit, yet still raw. His duel for the spotlight against Gyökeres is akin to a QB1 battle. 

More: Really good on Arsenal’s moment of opportunity and threat by Miguel Delaney.

Aston Villa vs. Newcastle (Saturday, 7:30 a.m. ET, USA)

Winner gets to keep Jacob Ramsey. Two aspiring teams gripped by existential doubts about their meaning, purpose and direction. Didn’t we almost have it all? Are we stalling out? Villa will draw strength from the fact they have not lost in their last 21 home games all comps. One bloke who will not be there: Alexander Isak, who is out of the squad. Asked whether there’s a chance the striker will ever play again for Newcastle, Eddie Howe just said, “Yes, I believe there is, but of course discussions and talks would have to take place in order for that to happen.”

More: The damage Newcastle’s disastrous off season could do to the wider Saudi project.

Tottenham vs. Burnley (Saturday, 10 a.m. ET, Peacock)

The Thomas Frank era begins after a scintillating Super Cup performance against PSG—ultimately lost on penalties after a late collapse. But for 84 minutes, Frank had coaxed borderline alchemy. His Spurs were suddenly disciplined, obsessed with defensive shape and counter-attacking smarts, willing to adapt tactically to the opposition and score off set pieces. Then the collapse. PSG went a bit Wrexham on Spurs ashes, and Frank was cruelly, brutally introduced to “the history of Tottenham.” 

Let’s accentuate the positive though. Perhaps the most fascinating moment was that the entire team gathered to walk off at half time together to accentuate the collective. They came within seconds of shocking the European champions and probably their own fans even more so. 

Frank said post game, “It was like a special operation. In medical terms, the operation succeeded but the patient died. So not that good in the end.” The truth was, there seems so much to be positive about: the completely different style of football Spurs fans have in store for them. The naive, reckless buccaneering is a thing of the past. Frank has Spurs playing in a back three with Mohammed Kudus and João Palhinha working together in the middle like Doritos and cottage cheese, and Pape Matar Sarr choosing moments to break out in attack. Savor the sense of promise, Spurs fans. Those 84 minutes in which you were in dreamland, with Thomas Frank poised to have won as much silverware in one Tottenham game as Mikel Arteta had in five Arsenal seasons. 

Wolves vs. Manchester City (Saturday, 12:30 p.m. ET, NBC)

Let Pep’s City rebuild begin. I can’t wait for you to hear our Pep interview when it drops on Tuesday. Gent was on such frenzied form. He did not agree with me that this challenge—rebuilding a team that has fallen from their peak—is a new one in his career. But it will be fascinating to see how many of six new signings, including Tijjani Reijnders, Rayan Cherki and Rayan Aït-Nouri, could start. Pep was ecstatic when talking about Cherki, but his decision over whether to start returning prince James Trafford in goal, over Ederson, will be illuminating. Pep won his first title after signing the Brazilian, and changed the goalkeeper position in the process. We talked about how that position has since evolved into almost a midfielder who can use their hands—which would make it surprising to me if Donnarumma arrived—but City are a team of magnificent questions that only Pep and his brain in a bottle can answer. 

Leeds United vs. Everton (Monday, 3 p.m. ET, USA)

Football Gods getting their cruelty in early this season: Making me wait till Monday to have my heart broken by Everton Football Club. Also: Making us face Jack Harrison and Dominic Calvert-Lewin at a stadium which will be at feral settings, especially because the last time Leeds were promoted was during the fanless football of the pandemic. This game will feel like the Battle of the Bastards. 

Jack Grealish is gonna save us though, right? I am so unbelievably happy for Jack. He is a skill-soaked footballer who has fallen from the highest heights after becoming a maverick trapped in the complex demands of a system team. Like an outsider artist losing all sense of himself when forced to attend the Royal College of Art. Whether he can re-summon his natural poetry depends on his own mental state. He understands the city of Liverpool. He has heard the Goodison Roar. He knows what is expected. What does he want to be in more? The England World Cup squad, or the extra-curricular distractions on copious offer in Liverpool? I believe in him. He can make our hearts soar. 

More: I love this historic factoid about Grealish. Eli is a great follow if you are a Blue.

More Football, Did Ya Say? ⚽️

The Captain, Presented by Verizon 📺

USMNT captain Tyler Adams sits down with Rog in Bournemouth just before the Cherries kick off the new Premier League season against Liverpool. Tyler talks about player transfers, how Bournemouth will rebuild, and his expectations for the team and himself this year. Plus, he discusses the USMNT performance at this summer's Gold Cup, his take on the notable absences from the team, and how they are already preparing for World Cup 2026.

More Magical Must-Watch Football Around the World 🌎

Majorca vs. Barcelona (Saturday, 1:30 p.m. ET, ESPN2) 🇪🇸

As the confetti from your Premier League opening-weekend party poppers descends, don’t forget you’ve also invited La Liga around for the “welcome back, football” fiesta, and they’re knocking on the back door saying, “Hola!” Barcelona begin their title defense away at Majorca amidst an admin crisis, words that are unfortunately becoming more embedded in the footballing parlance year-on-year. With the season less than a day away, they’re scrambling for registration papers for new goalkeeper, Joan García, and the only Manc who can claim to have more eyes on him than Liam Gallagher, Marcus Rashford. As Wojciech Szczęsny stubs out another cigarette and says, “Ah crap, here we go again,” and Rashy pretends “this is fine” through gritted teeth amidst the fire, you can at least look forward to almost definitely watching Lamine Yamal, Raphinha and Pedri once again weave their magic on the scorching Mediterranean island of Majorca at the height of the Spanish summer. Muy caliente! 

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

So much has changed in the 43 years that have passed since The STōK Cae Ras last hosted a football match in the second tier of the English football pyramid. Wrexham itself has been promoted from town to city status, we’ve had seven U.S. presidents, three “Deadpool” movies and 17 seasons of “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia.” It’s too soon to know what state of health Phil Parkinson’s side is in, but they’ll be bouncing off the back of an EFL Cup win on penalties against Hull on Tuesday night and the record-shattering signing of Welsh forward, Nathan Broadhead, for $13.5 million from Ipswich. The Midlands’ West Bromwich Albion travel 70 miles west and over the border to North Wales following a solid 1-0 home win in their first competitive game under the stewardship of former Spurs midfielder, Ryan Mason. He’s just secured a bit of a coup in the loan signature of Manchester United’s Toby Collyer, a midfielder who’s still highly regarded at the club as someone who can become a key part of its future. In a season that will be full of history making for Wrexham, this is the first ever league match between these two clubs; the last and only time they’ve played a competitive fixture against one another was in the FA Cup in 1930! 

AC Milan vs. Bari (Sunday, 2:15 p.m. Paramount+) 🇮🇹

This is a sequel to the AC Milan starring Massimiliano Allegri movie, where he’s kind of the returning hero? The Italian manager left the club in 2014, won five Serie A titles with Juventus and returns with the acumen and accreditation that comes with silverware elsewhere. He finds a continuation of the mess he left, but he has at least retained the services of a well-rested Christian Pulisic off the back of his best ever season. Bari at home in the Coppa Italia should be a generous restart for Allegri, but the San Siro in all its architectural might with 76,000 baying fans, can be a lonely place if things aren’t going to plan for the main man in the dugout. With former maestro, Tijjani Reijnders, now at Manchester City, Captain America must carry more weight, and as Biggie Smalls famously said, “Puli Puli Puli can’t you see, sometimes your skills just hypnotize me.”

NWSL - KC Current vs. Orlando Pride (Saturday, 4 p.m. ET, CBS) 🇺🇸

Twelve points separate last year’s runaway winners with this year’s runaway winners as the two meet in Kansas City. The Current are 2/2 since returning from the international break, with star player (and Ballon d'Or nominee) Temwa Chawinga becoming the fastest NWSL player to reach 30 goals with her winner last week against Utah. Opponents Orlando have struggled to keep pace since doing the double last year, looking worlds away from the 2024 team that delivered the Current’s singular home loss since the side moved to the CPKC Stadium.

Introducing this Week’s Pet FC Winner: Paisley 🐶

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.

This week we’re celebrating Paisley, who is named after Bob Paisley, the famous Liverpool manager of the 1970s. Incredibly, Paisley was adopted the day that Liverpool won the title in 2020. You’ll Never Dog Walk Alone ♥️

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.

MiB Mad Libs 📝

This week’s phrase is:

“My team, ___, will have a ___ Premier League season because ___”

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

There were a lot of brilliant entries this week, but there can only be one winner:

David Kleeman: “Son Heung-Min will make America know the difference between mocking a goalie and makgeolli.”

Big Dave. Gamsahabnida. Email me your postal and you get a patch.

Not Football and All the Better for It 📖

A GFOP Writes… ✍️

Rob Wittig wrote this lovely, gracious message: Rog, hi! I am SO happy for you that the amazing, Grealishian Calves of Legend are striding into your club! And selfishly happy for myself in anticipation of another season of brilliant, witty commentary from you! Thanks for the sanity in a pantomime world!! Rob AKA The Burnley fan in Duluth

Rog writes: Rob, I am blown away by your kind words and big heartedness. I am praying for you, J.J. Watt and your boys, by the way. May you experience joy together, and may we all find three teams worse than ours. Your letter is a reminder though, of why I believe that the American football community is the best in the world. It is football fandom based on love and a real mutual appreciation of the singular football passions and cultures of the different football journeys. I grew up in the 1980s when English football was a parochial backwater. Mostly an excuse to fight fellow fans from neighboring cities. To be part of a community that appreciates the game with such positivity and a full heart is the joy of my lifetime. No matter what team you support. No matter which player moves you. Savor every second.

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

Fact-based news without bias awaits. Make 1440 your choice today.

Overwhelmed by biased news? Cut through the clutter and get straight facts with your daily 1440 digest. From politics to sports, join millions who start their day informed.