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El Bucket Hat Clásico Returns 🩵❤️

Plus, Rory Smith's 20 most interesting PL players.

Author

Tommy Stewart
September 12, 2025

Hail GFOP! 

Rog writes: I type with fingers filled with relief and wonder: The Premier League is back in our loving arms. The international break is (thankfully) over. What a weekend: the Manchesters collide in the Bucket Hat Clásico, winner gets a serviceable goalkeeper. Big Ange makes his quite complicated return, of course against Arsenal. And perhaps most romantically of all, Jack Grealish faces his original love, Aston Villa. He rides with us now, Tom Hanks… 

ii. It has been an incredible week which began in Columbus, reveling in that Fortress City, appearing live on stage with Clint Dempsey and celebrating the role that magical kingdom has played in our nation’s football history. If you want to feel motivated, listen to Frankie Hejduk’s interview at the end. Legend. I love that city and am elated that it once again lifted up our free-falling team when they needed it most. 💛

iii. Thursday morning, I was up at the crack of dawn to chat with Erling Haaland to talk through his 100 games mark, and the experience of treating the Premier League as if he has a cheat code. We also talked about what it has been like to watch Jack De Bruyne rise again, and the new players he feels he connects to the most on the field in this moment of transition. That debuts tomorrow at 11 a.m. ET on our YouTube. 🩵

iv. The highlight of the week for me was spending the morning with the architect of Everton’s new stunning stadium, Dan Meis, who told the story of his 10-year odyssey envisioning the Hill Dickinson, then bringing it to life. I found it incredibly moving to hear him relive the experience, especially walking on the field ahead of the first game and receiving a standing ovation in a way few architects ever do.  The loveliest line came when he overheard two stewards talking about their feelings about the new stadium. One simply said to the other, about the dozens of consultations Meis held with Everton fans, “He listened to us.” The highest praise. Dan is a truly inspiring human being. Watch him on the most recent episode of Running the Game. 🏟️

v. If you want a true joy, listen to Indiana Pacers’ cult hero T.J. McConnell talking to Larry Nance Jr. on the latest episode of Switch the Play, Presented by Olipop. The two great friends and co-Leeds United owners were a blast – here is T.J. talking about what it is like to trash talk Chalamet and a Jenner. 

Up next, we have former NBA MVP, the Philadelphia 76ers’ own Joel Embiid, who is proper, proper Arsenal, joining us on STP. Send us your questions for Joel here, we’d love to hear ‘em. 🏀

vi. The Champions League returns to our loving arms NEXT WEEK, and we will celebrate with a brand new episode of European Nights with Rory Smith, in which we dive deep into the the biggest stories across the continent. That drops Tuesday. And Wednesday, we will Do it Live! with the inimitable James Horncastle. That will be on our YouTube at 5 p.m. ET. Do not miss it. 🏆

vii. I have to go to England over the weekend. Watch out, London. Will be there for a swift curry, then back to break down all the football with Rory on Monday. 🍫🍊

PS - If you enjoyed the German shopping cart return competition from a few weeks ago, may I present the German TV show where contestants try to split things perfectly in half. 🌗

Courage,
ROG

MIB HQ Bulletin Board 📣

The Breakfast Club Collection: Celebrating the singular act of being a football fan in the United States. Dropping Sept. 16 with early access for Discord members. Sign up now!

To the Football 🍻

By Tommy Stewart

El Bucket Hat Clásico - Manchester City vs. Manchester United (Sunday, 11:30 a.m. ET, Peacock)

Other than the omnipresent local hatred between these two, there’s little narrative on offer at this embryonic stage of the season, but we’re firmly on goalkeeper watch because for the first Manchester derby in forever, no one knows who will don the gloves for either side. A lot has happened since the two teams last played a match, as United fans said a half-hearted “so long” to André Onana while welcoming (another) new hope, the inexperienced, 23-year-old Belgian Senne Lammens, who if starting on Sunday will be thrown into the deepest of ends without floaties. City have had their own shuffle between the sticks: James Trafford was signed to compete with enduring No. 1, Ederson, who’s since departed for Galatasaray, while Champions League holder, Gianluigi Donnarumma, who Pep seems rather… smitten with, has come in to presumably not sit on the bench. Expect a lot of attention paid to the first name on each lineup card come Sunday.

Arsenal vs. Nottingham Forest (Saturday 7:30 a.m. ET, USA)

To Forest fans, Ange Postecoglou replacing Nuno feels unnecessary and impossible, like Robert California subbing in for Michael Scott in “The Office,” so when Nottingham Forest owner, Evangelos Marinakis, appointed his Greek compatriot, he knew he was disturbing the peace. Whether he was aware that Big Ange would be taking on his former North London rivals, Arsenal, in their own garden for the post-international break lunchtime curtain-raiser, is another question, but we’re here for the drama anyway. With Forest fans fuming, Mikel Arteta can capitalize on facing a club in disrepute, so he’ll welcome the muted returns of Ben White and Christian Nørgaard from injury, while still having to wait a while longer for the comebacks of perpetual match-winners, Bakayo Saka and William Saliba.

West Ham vs. Tottenham (Saturday, 12:30 p.m. ET, NBC/Peacock)

Graham Potter’s side looked dead and buried before the season even started, until they shocked everyone with a 3-0 magic trick against the Premier League’s most compelling soap opera, Nottingham Forest, before the international break. Meanwhile, Thomas Frank’s Tottenham reign started perfectly until they were humbled at home to Bournemouth in their last game, so he’ll be relieved that he can finally hard-launch $70 million signing, Dutch starboy Xavi Simons, onto the Premier League stage. He’s an exciting coup who was snatched from under Chelsea’s noses, and has the potential to be a big part of whatever the post-Levy era at Spurs holds.

Burnley vs. Liverpool (Sunday, 9 a.m. ET, USA)

After a summer spent on Eddie Howe’s cold shoulder, the $170 million man, Alexander Isak, should make his Liverpool debut in some form on Sunday. In him, Ekitike and Wirtz, Slot’s assembled $440 million of attacking talent in the transfer window, as well as extending the stay of Mo Salah, so the intrigue lies in who misses out. That said, Burnley’s heads should be up, and although this home tie against the champions could be seen as a free hit for Scott Parker’s side, they’ve already proven they can go blow for blow with the Premier League’s big boys after taking United down to the wire in an unlucky 3-2 loss before the international break.

Brentford vs. Chelsea (Saturday, 3 p.m. ET, USA)

Chelsea have only won twice in eight games against Brentford since the Bees returned to the top flight in 2021, and they’ll make the five-mile trip to the GTech Community Stadium on Saturday with Cole Palmer’s injury status still in doubt. Luckily for Enzo Maresca, his young Brazilian cheat code Estêvão looks ready to step in until Palmer returns to full fitness, having netted his first goal for Brazil last week, while landing one of the most unnecessary bicycle kicks ever in the process. Brentford are still figuring out who they are in the post-Frank/Mbeumo/Wissa era, which is great for the Blues as they look to remain one of only three undefeated teams in the league, alongside Liverpool and Palace. 

Everton vs. Aston Villa (Saturday, 10 a.m. ET, Peacock)

Rog writes: What a time to be alive. Jack goes Benedict Arnold on the Villa.  Everton are flying high in fifth place. What could possibly go wrong? Everton fans are very much like the last remnant of USMNT supporters who still exist. We have only two gears: 1. We are doomed. 2. We are going to win it all. And the switch flicks between the two in the blink of an eye.  

🗓️ Elsewhere in the Premier League:

Bournemouth vs. Brighton (Saturday, 10 a.m. ET, Peacock) 🍒🪽
Newcastle vs. Wolves (Saturday, 10 a.m. ET, Peacock) 🐦‍⬛🐺
Crystal Palace vs. Sunderland (Saturday, 10 a.m. ET, Peacock) 🦅🐈‍⬛
Fulham vs. Leeds (Saturday, 10 a.m. ET, USA) 🤍💛

Even More Football ⚽️

The Correspondent w/ Rory Smith: The Most Interesting Player at Every PL Club 🤔

Rory writes: There’s a tendency to see the first international break of the season as something of an intrusion. The transfer window has just closed. The club season is just gaining momentum. Players and fans and managers have all shaken off the ring-rust of summer and the year to come is just starting to take shape. And then, for reasons best known to FIFA, everything stops and England has to play Andorra. 

This is, obviously, pure Anglocentrism; its spread is evidence of just how much the Premier League dominates everyone’s thinking. This international break has been full of stories. They’re not all happy, as anyone involved with the USMNT would tell you, but they are fascinating.

Italy somehow remains in contention to qualify for the World Cup. Germany is in the midst of an identity crisis. Spain is not. Nigeria and Senegal, two of Africa’s powerhouses, may miss out. South Africa might return for the first time in 16 years; DR Congo has not made the finals since it was known as Zaire, but is in touching distance now.

We’ll return to some, or all, of those in due course – we have two more international breaks this year! – but in the meantime, I have a promise to keep.

Longer-term readers may remember that one of their number, Dan Everett, wanted to know each Premier League team’s equivalent to Jack Grealish: a maverick talent, a compelling character, someone who provides a particular reason to watch. And this is, first and foremost, a public service newsletter. So, with the caveat that this is my list so I can make up the rules as I go along, here they are…

The MiB Fantasy Premier League Is Here 📊

Join the official Men in Blazers Fantasy Premier League presented by Adobe to play against thousands of fellow GFOPs—including Rog—and create your team’s very own badge with Adobe Express. Fueled by Firefly generative AI, you can whip up your own Fantasy Premier League team badge in seconds: just type a prompt, tweak the style, and voilà—your unique badge drops right into your fantasy squad to rep your club’s vibe, all thanks to Adobe Express. Etch your team’s badge into MiB History, sign up now.

More Great Football Around the World 🌎

🇮🇹 AC Milan vs. Bologna (Sunday, 2:45 p.m. ET, Paramount+)

Massimiliano Allegri has sounded his budget “Avengers, assemble!” siren on his AC Milan return, with Luka Modrić and now his former soldier, France international Adrien Rabiot, both arriving at the San Siro on free transfers. They also, of course, have Christian Pulisic, who despite not starting in their last Serie A match—a 2-0 away win against Lecce—came on to score. Bologna beat Como in their last fixture and are level on points with Milan, who they most recently faced in last season’s Coppa Italia final, where they delighted most of the nation with a 1-0 victory. Their manager, the wonderfully named Vincenzo Italiano, has started to forge a strong identity with Bologna, but Milan will still have the taste of that defeat on their tongues and will be set on revenge.

🇪🇸 Real Sociedad vs. Real Madrid (Saturday, 10:15 a.m. ET, ESPN+)

Real Madrid are three in three at the top of La Liga in Xabi Alonso’s first year managing the club he achieved so much at as a player, and while the style that won him so many admirers at Leverkusen hasn’t been fully implemented yet, the perennial prime objective at Los Blancos is to win. While Jude Bellingham remains injured for the foreseeable, fellow galacticos Kylian Mbappe and Vinícius Júnior are both firing, so a trip to the Basque country to visit winless Real Sociedad will be a welcome opportunity to inflate their personal numbers. With Dani Carvajal back to challenge Trent Alexander-Arnold at right-back, Alonso has the luxury of rotating his team ahead of the return of the Champions League, where they’ll welcome Marseille to the Bernabéu on Tuesday.

🇺🇸 NWSL - KC Current vs. Washington Spirit (Saturday, 7:30 p.m. ET, Ion)

One team has already clinched playoff qualification (regular readers can probably guess 👀) as we head into week 20 of the regular season. Five sides remain in the race for this year’s shield, with playoff-bound Kansas City seeming the likely winners, but the Spirit, Wave, Thorns, and Pride are not mathematically out of competition yet. However, victory for KC against Washington on Saturday would leave the Current one match away from a record early Shield Win.

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 WSL Week Two - Goodison Is So Back!

STOP THE COUNT! After a huuuge 4-1 victory in the derby last weekend, Everton sit second in the WSL table behind leaders United only on goal difference. The Blues make their WSL debut at a revamped Goodison Park this weekend, hosting a Spurs side who also opened their 25/26 season with a win (Sunday, 9:30 a.m. ET, ESPN+). Meanwhile, down south, London City will hope to put their 4-1 loss to Arsenal behind them (PLEASE watch Olivia Smith’s debut goal), as they welcome Man United to Hayes Lane (Sunday, 7 a.m. ET, ESPN+).

More: Everton’s Ornella Vignola pulled off a first at Anfield in 94 years.

Introducing Pet FC’s Goalkeeper: Ronaldo 🐶

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.

Named for CR7, of course, the Chiweenie and his Portuguese/American family hail from Quakertown, Pennsylvania, where Ronnie has established himself as the Greatest Goalkeeper on Four Legs. Some have even called him the next Yashin. 🧤

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: “___ and ___ would play Ange Postecoglou and Evangelos Marinakis in a buddy cop move that would be called ___”

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

There were TONS of incredible submissions this week, but there can only be one winner:

Michael Soto: “Alexander Isak will be to Liverpool what 11 is to Nigel Tufnel.”

Michael, it’s such a fine line between stupid and clever and thankfully you’re just about on the clever side of it with this winning submission. Email us your postal address and we will zip off that patch. 💙

Not Football and All the Better for It 📖

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