Soccer is a sport that is gaining rapid popularity in the states, yet many who live as expatriates in Europe don't often take the opportunity to follow the competitions where they live. This is because it seems difficult to do. Language barriers make watching the games hard. The leagues work completely differently and may be confusing to Americans. Then, cable and satellite systems bring American sports overseas, so its simpler to follow the home teams 'back home'.

At the very least, having the various competitions explained could be helpful. That's the purpose of this article series -- to explain how soccer is played during the European soccer season, in the hopes of making soccer more accessible to expatriates. This is a multiple-page feature, click below to access a section directly.