Mark Madden: Pittsburgh gets to see some of what makes Liverpool FC special

I’ve lived in Pittsburgh my entire life. Pittsburgh believes that the greatest football team in the world plays at Acrisure Stadium.

Friday night, for the first time, that actually happens.

I’m not sure exactly where my devotion to Liverpool Football Club came from.

It definitely revved up in the late ’90s when more Premier League games became available on American TV. It wasn’t passed down through my family. It’s not plastic, like with so many American fans of English football. (Hello, Manchester City.) It wasn’t glory-hunting, though Liverpool always has been competitive and quite often better than that. (Nineteen times, six times, etc.)

I just know it happened and fairly organically. Sometimes the team picks you.

It’s fun to be part of something bigger than you, to be unconditionally loyal. To share something with a city in England but worldwide, too.

I don’t quite have that same vibe with the Penguins. Close. But my profession fouls that.

Friday’s friendly with Real Betis (not Jerome) won’t feature many Liverpool first-teamers. But the logo will be there. Lots of red. The electricity. Fans from all over.

Mohamed Salah, too. The Egyptian King. Unencumbered by the European Championships or Copa America, he might put in a shift. Few are better. An all-time great.

Friday marks the first game for new coach Arne Slot, succeeding the irreplaceable Jurgen Klopp. Big shoes to fill. But Slot has millions of supporters to lean on.

I could preview the season: It’s always going to be difficult to top Manchester City, which has won the last four Premier League titles. But, in Klopp’s nine seasons, Liverpool was the only team to keep up with City consistently. Liverpool won the league in 2020 and also finished second twice and third twice since 2019. (He delivered what he said.)

No playoffs in English football. It’s as real and legit as a championship gets. You play each team home and away.

I could conjecture about transfers, which is even sillier than American sports’ free agency. Players sold for hundreds of millions. Saudi money ruining the math.

I could hype monster talents like Salah, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Virgil van Dijk, Alisson Becker, etc., or burnish the legends of past greats, some of who are in Pittsburgh for Friday’s game.

Including John Barnes. I had Barnes on my radio show and did my best to not fanboy. Mostly succeeding. I think. OK, probably not. Barnes got the ball and slalomed through defenders. Check out YouTube.

I could rehash great moments like Liverpool’s comeback from 3-nil down to beat Lionel Messi and Barcelona, 4-3, over two legs of the 2019 Champions League semifinal. “Corner taken quickly …”

But where do you stop? It’s a club of countless great moments. More than one “Immaculate Reception.” Not necessarily all driven by luck.

But the main thing is that Liverpool is playing in Pittsburgh.

It’s just a friendly, but I don’t have to cross an ocean to see them. (I do that next month.)

The pull is hard to describe. Anfield, Liverpool’s home stadium, is ground zero. But the orbit extends indefinitely. Once you’re in it, you keep getting closer and closer. No half-measures. No fair-weather. We go again.

You’ll never walk alone, as you’ve heard it said.

I attended Liverpool’s home game vs. Sheffield United on April 4. Liverpool was battling for the top of the table. Sheffield United was in last place. The game was tied 1-1 late. Should have been easier.

At Acrisure Stadium, it gets surly if the Steelers trail Cleveland in the second quarter. Bench somebody, trade somebody, cut somebody, fire somebody.

Anfield held its nerve. Anfield didn’t shrink. It grew. The support never wavered. You don’t get that in American stadiums.

When Alexis Mac Allister netted the winner in the 76th minute, Anfield exploded. Over the top. Cody Gakpo added insurance. 3-1 final. The crowd earned that one.

That’s what makes Liverpool special. What makes Anfield special. What makes English football special.

That won’t be duplicated Friday at Acrisure Stadium. But it’s a small slice.

As my career winds down, I’ve been asked what I’m proud of. That’s a tough question. What I do is utterly disposable.

But I talk about Liverpool on my radio show. My devotion bleeds through, not least when Liverpool is playing while I’m on the air. I blurt, I babble, I emote.

Because of that, I occasionally have kids come up to me wearing Liverpool kits. They’re supporters because of me.

That means everything. It’s important. Because Liverpool FC will continue long after I’m gone.