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I swapped blood and thunder of the English Football League for family-friendly MLS.. and I loved it

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I REMEMBER running down the wing at DC United when I first joined the club in 2006 and I heard an unusual roar at the other end of the pitch. 

Whenever that happened in England it tended to be that a fight had broken out in the crowd. 

Steve Guppy (left) joined Nashville SC as assistant coach in 2020Credit: Getty
The ex-Celtic star joined Martin O’Neill’s coaching staff at the Republic of Ireland in 2014Credit: Sportsfile – Subscription
Guppy has played for the likes of Celtic, Leicester and WycombeCredit: PA:Press Association

When I looked up it wasn’t a scrap but a giant teddy bear mascot catapulting sweets into the stands.

I chuckled to myself and thought wow this is different from my time playing in the blood and thunder of the English leagues with the likes of Wycombe, Port Vale and Leicester!

The MLS is very family oriented which is what I love about it, and I cannot wait for the season to start tomorrow.

Before matches, fans often get together in the car parks early, have barbecues, play games and really make a day of it.

You don’t have to worry about people swearing as much in the stadium. I’m not saying the language is horrendous in England, but it is different and now as a father of a family I do appreciate that.

Those were the main differences I noticed as a player and that has continued to ring true as the first assistant coach at Nashville SC.

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I teamed up again with my ex-Wycombe team mate Gary Smith who is the head coach.

This is our second stint together in MLS having worked together at the Colorado Rapids.

And we are hoping for a repeat things turn out the same way this time around after winning the MLS Cup with them in 2010.

My journey with Nashville began when they were a new MLS franchise in 2020. 

We came into the league at the same time as Inter Miami CF and obviously they had a massive profile and a lot of press because of the David Beckham connection so we were under the radar.

But it turned out to be a really great couple of years, we made the Eastern Conference Semifinals in the Audi MLS Cup Playoffs both years on the spin which is pretty unheard of when you look at new clubs. 

Phil Neville came in under difficult circumstances at Inter Miami when he was appointed in January last year.

After a year getting to know the ins and outs of the league, I think he will do well this year being able to mould more of a team and philosophy that he wants. 

Whenever we played them it was always nice to see him, he’s a really down to earth guy.

We always have a drink with him and his staff after the games so I’d certainly wish him well in the Eastern Conference. 

Phil Neville has suffered a tough start to life at Inter Miami
Jorge Mas and David Beckham are co-owners of Inter Miami

Nashville has been bumped into the Western Conference this coming season so we will be racking up more air miles this year than most MLS teams in history. 

It will take us an eye-watering five hours to travel to our first game at Seattle Sounders.

There is also a two-hour time zone difference which doesn’t help our game preparation so it’s going to be an incredibly challenging year. 

But I can’t wait to see the exciting crop of players in the league this season. 

It’s no surprise that Neymar recently said that he’d like to play at least one season in MLS before retiring.

The lure of living in the US and the lifestyle it offers goes without saying but now we have such a diverse, exciting mix of stars from particularly South and Central America that want to play here.

Two players to look out for here at Nashville are our current U.S. international defender Walker Zimmerman and German forward Hany Mukhtar.

Fans should also look out for Columbus Crew’s Lucas Zelarayan who is a midfield maestro and tricky to play against in a number 10. 

And I reckon Polish striker Adam Buska, 25, will be in redhot form for New England Revolution this year following a scintillating campaign.

Our fans at Nashville SC have a special year ahead to enjoy these players at the new Nashville SC Stadium, which at 30,000 seats, will be the largest soccer stadium in the U.S. and Canada.

I cannot wait to see what this season brings with our new home and hopefully another run into the MLS Cup Playoffs and who knows, maybe a title at the end of it.

LIVE SKY MATCHES

Saturday – Inter Miami v Chicago Fire, Sky Sports Football, 11pm

Sunday – LAFC v NYCFC, Sky Sports Football 10pm

Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk

Tagcloud: FootballMLSSport

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