The sun was still in bed when I hopped on a bus this morning for Fremont, an inner-northern suburb of Seattle, in order to watch the Premier League.
It was a vastly different day yesterday, when the sun beamed across Puget Sound, causing tourists and locals to relax around Pike Place Market with their Piroshky's and Starbucks.
This morning was what I was told to expect from Seattle. Wet and gloomy. So my expectations were understandably low as I trudged to the George and Dragon Pub to catch the morning's action. I didn't even know for sure whether the pub would be open given Google told me its opening hours begun at 11am.
Fortunately my growing faith in football fanaticism within the United States paid off.
The pub was open, and sure enough, sitting there were ten Chelsea supporters with eyes glued to the big screen in the corner at 7:30am.
Of course, the game had already finished. Chelsea had beaten Crystal Palace 2-0. The kind and spritely bartender Sarah assured me that nobody knew that, though. All those eyes dared not look at the neighbouring screen where the Chelsea scores casually flashed across while Tottenham took on Sheffield United.
I was keeping a big secret when the half-time whistle blew and those frustrated loyal fans took sips between pint and coffee. Yelling out "TAMMY ABRAHAM 52ND MINUTE!" might've made them happier.
I tucked myself at the bar and chatted with Sarah, who told me the George and Dragon was owned by a couple from Manchester and another gentlemen from London, all Arsenal supporters.
You would've been able to guess given its decor and breakfast menu, complete with a selection of butty's and full English, which was as authentic as they come.
The cheers came loud and proud for the small Blues contingent when Abraham fired in the opener, and then even louder when American sensation Christian Pulisic put his head on the second.
Being an Arsenal pub, the turnout was larger for their clash with Leicester. The less said about that the better, hey Gooners?
I was impressed by the commitment of these trans-Atlantic supporters, sipping on Guinness early on a Saturday morning. "It's very weird waking up with a hangover at 5pm", a Manchester United fan told me on Friday. But it wasn't the first time I'd witnessed fervent Premier League support since I arrived in the 'States.
I could hardly believe my eyes when I arrived at the Banter Bar in Brooklyn last weekend. I thought I had entered a portal to the north of England.
Having only just arrived from Los Angeles, I was still carrying my backpack and travelling clobber. It came off quick smart when I could hardly stand in the pub.
The screens littered across the pub walls made for some peculiar and peaceful factionalism. Liverpool vs Aston Villa, Manchester City vs Southampton, Arsenal vs Wolves, Newcastle vs West Ham and Borussia Dortmund vs Wolfsburg.
I couldn't have hoped for a better day of matches. City came from behind to beat Saints, Dortmund thrashed Wolfsburg and there was a surprise away win for Toon. (Lee Clark would've been happy!) And with Liverpool supporters dominating the crowd, I was deafened when Andy Robertson and Sadio Mane won the game for the Reds.
LIVERPOOOOOOOOL, LIVERPOOOOOOOOOL was bellowed out, complete with swinging beer glasses and emotional embraces. Where was I again?
It's clear that football has grown from the outer fringes of American sporting society to mainstream fun, watched just as passionately at home as in the local taverns.
When I asked Joe Tolleson - program director for soccer at America's largest satellite radio station SiriusXM - what was the reason, he credited the work of national broadcaster NBC, who took over Premier League rights from FOX Sports and ESPN in 2013.
A standard three-year deal was signed with NBC, only for it to extended by six-years in 2016. This could have potentially been due to the 74% increase in viewership of the Premier League across the United States since 2009.
In that year broadcasts averaged 262,697 across 30 games. The 2018/19 campaign garnered an average of 457,000, with 2.2 million viewers tuning in for "Championship Sunday" - the final day of the 2018/19 season - an increase of 19% on the previous year.
As one of the 'States biggest broadcasters, NBC raised the bar with their polished and insightful coverage. There are pre and post-match analysis and debate, goal highlights, live interviews and commentary from ex-Premier League players (Graeme Le Saux this morning!). They have also benefited from their parent company Comcast's acquisition of Sky Sports, which allowed them to synergise resources.
When I asked Sarah how packed the pub would be tomorrow morning, she said they would probably exceed their capacity. But not for the game I'd expected, Liverpool vs Manchester City.
The highly anticipated blockbuster will take second place tomorrow, in Seattle and Toronto at least, for the MLS Cup final at 70,000 capacity Century Link Field.
Sarah told me there are at least 150,000 Sounders supporters in the area and those without tickets would likely find a pub like the George and Dragon to watch the game
Debates were being had this morning over the price of re-sale tickets. Some are going for $500-600 a piece. It's the hottest ticket in town. And walking around the streets of Seattle it's not hard to see why.
The game between Seattle and Toronto on Sunday is a must-watch for football fans. While the standard of MLS is continuing to grow, nobody can argue with its entertainment value.
The Sounders defied everyone by beating the record-breaking LAFC at the Banc of California Stadium, only for Toronto to cause an arguably bigger upset by beating Eastern Conference top-seed Atlanta United in Georgia, thanks to a world-class strike from Nick DeLeon.
What makes the match even more intriguing is that this is the third time in four years these two teams have contested the MLS Cup.
The ledger lies at one apiece, with Seattle beating Toronto at BMO Field in 2016, only for the Canadians to exact revenge the following year at the same ground.
Don't expect a tentative final, one where teams fear defeat more than victory, not with the exceptional attacking talent on both sides.
Raul Ruidiaz and Jordan Morris have been unstoppable for Seattle, both with three goals apiece. And while Toronto will feel the absence of superstar striker Jozy Altidore, they have reached this stage for a reason, thanks largely to exciting former Swansea playmaker Alejandro Pozuelo.
Sunday's match, with 70,000 in attendance for MLS' grand day, represents another significant feat for football's growth in the States, following on from the turnout in Atlanta last season and the frenzied support behind the World Cup winning US women's national team.
The 2026 men's World Cup is also on the horizon, with the owner of USL franchise Phoenix Rising, Brett Johnson, telling me on Friday, "I just feel over the time the US as a place for fans of the sport, players of sport and investors of the sport, it's going to continue going up into the right." New England Revolution and former Chelsea defender Michael Mancienne concurred, stating: "It's an up and coming league and it's going to be a top league in the future."
From what I've seen over the past two weeks I certainly can't argue with either of them. Whether it is MLS, Premier League, Bundesliga or NWSL: football is here to stay in the United States. And whatever the result tomorrow, even if the hosts lose, I've been assured by Sarah that Seattleites can throw a party with the best of them - rain, hail or shine.
And they have even decorated the town troll for god's sake!
