Sam where are you in the US? I too play a ton, several times a week, and live in a statistically good market for the sport amongst other US cities.
Most everyone here is an epl fan, sometimes people just straight up ask “what’s your epl team” rather than your fave team in general. I sometimes see Hispanics wearing Milan shirts, and I met one guy I played with that was a serious Milan fan. A lot of fans look down on serie a, but I think it’s growing and more people know about it lately. Ronaldo to Juve brought more eyes to the league and some have stayed because of how dramatic and exciting it’s been, even with Ronaldo gone.
My Milan fan story kinda sucks lol. I am in my upper 20s so didn’t get fully introduced to watching until the 2006 World Cup. I loved watching Italy even before they won, I chose them in the group stages and particularly loved pirlo and his style of play. Really hate that he of all players drew me to the club lmao. What a shithead in hindsight
I'm on the East Coast. The country is gigantic, and you can live in the same city as someone and have a completely different experience, it all depends on your social circle. There are a lot of Latin fans, and I've seen several teams who use Milan kits in our league.
Serie A fans have been quiet, but they're there. I would echo
@omer486 that in New York, Philly, and New Jersey, where there are Italian-Americans, there are a lot of Milan fans. DC has a big contingent, and I think the SempreMilan guys are from there if I'm not mistaken?
I don't really experience the "Serie A is bad" vibes from anyone. Maybe because the EPL fans who talk the most are Chelsea, Man Utd, and Arsenal fans and no one credits their CL win, lol, and they're now a "disgraced" club, because I've
never met a City fan, not once. Liverpool fans are oddly respectful.
But I think the US market is still up-for-grabs. I think white fans are inclined towards to the EPL for unspoken "cultural bonds" between America and the EPL, and I think a lot of their comments about Real and Barca, or the Italian national team, reflect biases that they might have. However, I help out with coaches and the kids are way more focused on players than clubs, my nephew has a Chelsea shirt, a Milan shirt, a PSG shirt, kids tend to be more agnostic and really fixate on players.
I think the key to undeveloped markets like America's, for Serie A in general, but also Milan, is that you leap from good money to super money from casual fans, and you do that by winning, stars get young kids, and I would hit the Italian-American community
hard to create a base of support. That Serie A is only starting now, is honestly, pitiful. If I was in charge of Serie A, I would start subsidizing English-language podcasts/youtubers about Serie A, and it'd probably be smart to create a "Serie A TV" channel where people can listen/watch debates about Serie A like they do with ESPN or FoxSports, you have to make sure there is content. Make sure there is controversy, because that's what builds brands, rivalries, reasons for people to tune in, they talk about this QB and his IG account, who wants a trade, this is what fuels interest in a league. You have big personalities in Serie A, you have Ibra, you have Mourinho, you had CR7, and you didn't take advantage.
I'd also say that the EPL has put themselves in a tough spot with American fans, because I think the EPL has pushed this "social justice" vibe and I imagine the EPL puts out stories to shit on Spain and Italy about racism, they take the knee, which gives nice liberal Americans a further incentive to watch the EPL. Chelsea with Abramovich and the dissection of what he's used the club for, then you have City being owned by Abu Dhabi, then you have Newcastle now owned by the Saudis, only Liverpool fans are happy because their team has Muslims and diversity and they don't spend stolen tax revenue, while Arsenal and Man Utd, who are just well run (economically) are shitty, so the EPL's biggest focus is on the fact that the money that fuels the league is mostly dirty. Not just as big clubs, but like...
at Everton.
Again, if I'm President of Serie A USA, then I hit that point
hard (not directly, but via journalists, like the EPL do it, because I don't want to scare away investment) and if Investcorp happens, I would say "they are just a fund, they aren't the sovereign wealth fund of
a country." I would play up American ownership, and I'd create a program to get American talents into Serie A like those who went to Germany.
Damn, this is long. I really am retired though. I'm making an exception because people are being thoughtful so I want to respond in kind.