Back when I was on Cayamo in February, I was watching a band on the pool deck when a man walked by, wearing a soccer jersey in the color that we’d call Carolina blue here in the U.S. I knew what it was. “Manchester City!” I shouted.

He came over and decided to take pity on the American. In a very British accent, he carefully explained to me that City was the real Manchester football club — not those posers who played for United. He used a lot of small and simplistic words to explain to me the importance of this — not knowing that I’ve watched the Premier League for the last several years via cable sports networks.

United probably is the most famous sports team of any type in the world, and City has spent whole decades playing a very distant second fiddle to the Red Devils. But not this year. This year, United and City stand 1-2 in Britain’s Premier League, and if City beats United on Monday, City will take the league lead with only a couple of games remaining. Considering that City stomped United 6-1 on United’s home field earlier this year, City’s chances look good.

You can watch Premier League games almost every day if you’re lucky enough to have Fox Soccer Channel available to you. On Monday afternoon, the big boy in the room — ESPN — is going to broadcast the game live. It’s certainly the biggest club soccer match since United met Barcelona for the European team championship last spring. If you’re a sports fan who’s had little exposure to really top-notch professional soccer, this is the game you want to see.

P.S. — I’m a fan of the Blues, although I’m also a fan of Wayne Rooney’s remarkable hairline.

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