Palace Baltimore -

I am consistently bemoaning the fact that the United States lags behind the rest of the world when it comes to support of football. Soccer. (We even call it the wrong name.) And although my heart and my family's belong to the mighty Manchester United, we try to support our local teams, if only to offer our patronage and encouragement to growing the sport here in this country.

Of late, we've been attending Crystal Palace Baltimore matches. CPB is a small, professional soccer team that competes in the United States Soccer Federation's 2nd Division. It's a really fun club to watch, and while not on par with the skill & talent level of United, it's a great way for the boys to get to watch live football. It's also a small enough club that they are able to go meet the players and get their autographs after home matches.

CPB is the sister club of the English Crystal Palace Football Club. Unfortunately, we are now hearing that the American club is facing the same financial problems as its UK counterpart. However, here, the club's problems lie with their lack of support. They don't have very many fans, and they don't even have their own stadium. And, as CPB was only founded in 2006, they don't have the history of their sister club, nor the deep bond with the fans they do have. I find this situation to be very sad...although my family has only been to two matches so far, both of the boys loved every minute. Especially the Big Guy. It is simply amazing how moved and inspired he was when he watched live football. It is safe to say that it solidified his love for the sport and his passion for the beautiful game. Between his loyalty to United, and seeing football played "in real life" right before his eyes, there is no doubt that he will be a lifelong football enthusiast.

And that's what makes the woes of CPB even more regrettable and disheartening. It feels as though they weren't even given the tools or the opportunity to succeed. All I can do is continue to give my family's support for the club, and desperately hope for some miracle to turn things around for CPB, like the happy ending that arrived in Selhurst Park.

Crystal Palace is SAVED!!

As we all know, I am a die-hard Manchester United supporter. But, unfortunately, I've never made it to Manchester to see them. Last year, when my husband and I spent a long weekend in London to celebrate our 12th wedding anniversary, I insisted that we see a football game. (It was between this trip and the last that I had morphed from casual United supporter into a full-fledged footy maniac!)

Well, obviously, there was no way on earth that we would set foot into Stamford Bridge or the Emirates if United weren't the visiting team. So, we decided to head to south London and Selhurst Park to see the Championship side, Crystal Palace. It was actually quite a good fit, considering that our area in the USA has its own Crystal Palace -- Crystal Palace Baltimore.

Selhurst Park was amazing, the home supporters' pub was boisterous and happy, and the match itself was incredibly atmospheric and exciting. All in all, we had a marvelous time celebrating Palace's win and experiencing true English football.

Alas, this year has been a rough one for Crystal Palace Football Club. They have long been saddled with financial woes, and in January, they went in to administration (bankruptcy). With administration comes a deduction of 10-points, and the Eagles were able to play well enough to avoid regulation in spite of it. But, even the club's football skills weren't enough to put them in the clear: their huge debts (£30million) resulted in the threat of liquidation today at 3pm GMT.

But, happily, today turned out like a movie script! A group of London businessmen, called CPFC 2010, swooped in at the eleventh hour to save the proverbial day!! Crystal Palace is saved!! There are many grateful hearts across the world today - those who've loved Palace all of their lives, those in Baltimore who love Palace, and those who love the institution of football.