As part of the Premier League Summer Series, our North American based writers have had the chance see Everton in the U.S.. This is Peter’s adventure to see the Blues in Atlanta!
When the Summer Series was announced earlier in the year I knew that I would be seeing Everton somewhere along the way. I saw that the final stop was in Atlanta and with a childhood friend of mine, Jeff Crosswell, living just outside the city, it was an easy decision for me. The ATL, A-Town, the Big Peach was where I was heading.
For those lucky Evertonians who live in England and can get to a match with some efficiency let me assure you that Evertonians who live in North America require planning, holidays and cash to book flights. I am thankful that the club decided to lessen the burden and spend some of their preseason closer to my home in Canada.
The first event that I was able to attend was hosted by the Atlanta Evertonians at the Limerick Junction. Jeff drove us into the city from his home in the ‘best city in America’, John’s Creek. We parked up opposite and saw a lineup at the door with Everton shirts on all of the waiting patrons.
Inside, it was wall-to-wall Evertonians and as we weaved our way through the crowd I was ticking off the list of Everton shirts that I had at home but couldn’t fit in my suitcase! It was so great to hear the many accents of people from all over the world chatting with each other with our common love for Everton tying us together.
On the way in I passed Everton Ambassador Graham Stuart who was in a heated discussion with another Evertonian. There was no room in the pub so I headed to the back and down a staircase into the patio area where another 400 fans were congregating. There was a buzz of anticipation in the air with many of the supporters who I chatted with coming from all over the U.S., Canada, the UK and several other countries . It was nice to see a Toronto Toffees shirt in the crowd.
I was able to spend some time with Leon Osman and thanked him for his work on the telly giving a unique Everton perspective. Needless to say there is not enough of that available. Chatting briefly with Darren Griffiths from Everton TV, I was able to tell him the story of the Everton shirt I was wearing which was a Graeme Sharp signed shirt from 1985 which was given to me by a great Evertonian, Mark Roberts.
Mark has been an Everton season ticket holder for most of his life. When he was diagnosed with cancer a few years ago, Graeme Sharp knocked at his door to help pick up his spirits. The visit included a signed shirt from the Everton legend. When I met Mark during my recent visit to Liverpool in March, we spent the evening talking about Everton and I told him how the 1985 home shirt was on my bucket list of shirts to get.
Incredibly, the next morning, Mark turned up at my hotel and presented me with THAT shirt. I was in shock. He wanted me to make good memories with the shirt. Wearing it in Atlanta was my way to honour him and create great memories wearing it. Thanks, Mark!
Jeff’s Diary – Part One
“The weekend kicked off at a pre-match pub event where I was shocked to see how many Everton fans are in Atlanta and across the United States. The passion for the club was palpable. I was even more impressed by the club legends in attendance. Graham Stuart and Leon Osman were incredibly friendly and approachable, mingling with fans and taking pictures.” – Jeff Crosswell
On the day of the match we were able to get into the city ahead of schedule and spend some time at the tailgate party organized by those same Atlanta Evertonians. A huge thank you to Bridget Bryson who was critical in the organization of all of the Atlanta events. She work tirelessly along with her team to make this an unforgettable few days.
There was food and drinks that required no payments but I was happy to make a donation to offset the costs….not that they were asking for it! It was another opportunity to chat with Evertonians and see the camaraderie with which the blue shirt connects. Kids kicking a ball around the area and the sea of blue showed that Everton was being represented with pride in Atlanta.
Jeff’s Diary – Part Two
“After an epic pre-game tailgate party outside of Mercedes Benz Stadium where fans partied together, it was off to the game. Witnessing my first live Premier League game was an unforgettable experience. The speed, physicality and skill level of the players were on a different level than MLS. It was something you could not appreciate from watching it on TV.” – Jeff Crosswell
As for the match, Everton played their best match of the Summer Series. They held their own against United and the return of James Tarkowski made a huge difference. His pull back on the penalty was given by the referee but it was nice to see an apology from the man in the middle at the end of the match.
United took the lead with the resulting Bruno Fernandes penalty. That lead was erased before half time courtesy of Idrissa Gueye who delivered a great cross into the box which was met by Iliman Ndiaye who slotted it home to tie the game.
The second half saw United take the lead again from a beautifully curled shot by Mason Mount. Everton didn’t crumble and when Fernandes lashed out at a marauding Ndiaye, Tyler Onyango continued forward and crossed the ball. Dwight McNeil had his shot blocked but it forced a mix-up between Amad and Ayden Heaven with the latter putting the ball into the back of his own net.
The final whistle blew and the Premier league summer series was over. Iliman Ndiaye was all action once again and created the greatest difficulties for the United. Beto was in the mix from the start, but seemed to create as many difficulties as he did opportunities. My man of the match would have to be James Garner, who showed composure and vision in the middle of the park. With all of the incoming midfielders, it will be interesting to see where Garner fits into the puzzle. On this day, he showed Moyes that he can do the job.
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