A few years ago, the Premier League were widely derided for a plan that became known as "the 39 steps", wherein they envisaged playing an extra round of games across myriad international cities. It was quickly abandoned when it was exposed as the money-grabbing, competition-altering farce it is.
The mantle for such absurd ideas has since been grabbed by La Liga, who have started to direct their gaze outward in the last few years. This year's Supercopa, for example, was randomly held in Tangiers, Morocco.
While that is strange, it at least is a game that doesn't really matter.
That's not the case with today's announcement, however.
The League, along with Relevent Sports, the organisation body behind the International Champions Cup, have announced their plan to stage a regular season game in the United States for the next 15 years.
As to which teams will be involved is unclear, but the first game to be staged is expected to happen this season. It is expected that more and more games will be played in the U.S. as the years pass.
This fundamentally alters the ancient, beautiful rhythms of the home-and-away 38-game season, and further distances the game from the locals that give the clubs the identity they like to sell abroad.
This also adumbrates what other leagues will likely try to do in the future.
All together now: Ugh.
