Pittsburgh Steelers likened to Liverpool FC

The Yanks Are Coming's Jon Levy recently completed a two part series on soccer clubs and their NFL counterparts (Part II linked).

Interestingly, he listed Liverpool as the counterpart of the Pittsburgh Steelers. The comparison actually makes a good deal of sense.

From Levy's article:

"Perennial contenders, competitive even in down years, immense championship history, snazzy but not outlandish uniforms, a tremendous homefield advantage, and a city that prides itself on being blue-collar but also increasingly modern and young. They even have loveable leaders alike in Steven Gerrard, one of the finer players of his generation, and Troy Polamalu, one of the finest defensive players of his generation."

From a cultural standpoint, the water is critical to the city's identity in both cases. In addition, in the same away Liverpool and Manchester are often seen as rival cities so too are Pittsburgh and Philadelphia. The rivalries bitterly carry over to sport with Manchester United and Liverpool engaging in several historic contests; the Philadelphia Eagles and Pittsburgh Steelers also battle for Pennsylvania bragging rights.