The Downer Effect

I am going to keep this short. I am really dreading Sunday, the final matchday of the English Premier League this season. This will be the first time in a bajillion years that Manchester CITY (not United) will be taking home the title. As a United fan, this is devastating for me because this is the first time in a long while that United will not be taking home any type of silverware.

A few months ago, both City and United famously crashed out of the UEFA Champions League before knockout rounds even began, and they were ridiculed for this failure. No matter who won the EPL, the season was marred by the failure to advance in the most prestigious of club competitions. Then, both City and United fell out of the FA Cup, leaving them to only fight for the EPL title. No matter who won, it was an ugly year for both and neither was going to leave completely satisfied with the season.

Now that we are approaching the final game for every team, City is set to face Queens Park Rangers to secure their first title in a gabillion years while United and all their glory are snubbed of a title. I will not lie, this is painful to swallow. United has long been the only team to come through for me, as my other favorite sports team reside in Ohio. However, soccer will finally also leave that familiar sour taste in my mouth as United will go home empty-handed. (Oh, and the fact that Chelsea beat Barcelona and is now set to play for the Champions League title does not really help).

I do not want to be a complete downer in this rant. The EPL had an exciting year because finally, teams that are not included in the “Big Four” were able to stay near the top. Newcastle United and Tottenham gave us a lot of fun and were able to knock out Chelsea and Liverpool from top-four status.

This season sets up what should be a very interesting summer. City will be coming off of their first title in FOREVER and will try to strengthen weak spots without really knowing how to act like a champion. United will be coming off their most disappointing season in years and will try to infuse youth in a team that relied heavily on older players. Chelsea and Liverpool will be forget about what went wrong and the upstart teams will try to keep their star players so they can contend once again.

No matter how depressing this season has been for a United fan, I have complete faith in their ability to rebound and I know that Euro 2012 will give me a chance to forget about the past season. Plus, I can always count on the MLS, right?