Falling in Love with City: The O'Connor Family

My journey with Manchester City began with David Silva. While I played football growing up, I wasn't keen on watching it on TV until the 2010 World Cup. I fell in love with the Spain team, especially David Silva. Silva was one of the few players I knew was either about to join or had just joined City, alongside Carlos Tevez and Yaya Toure. Since then, my bond with the club has only grown stronger.

We usually watch most games at R&D Brewing in Raleigh with the local supporters' group. Depending on the game times, if there's an early kick-off, we'll watch from home, and I try my best not to cheer too loudly and wake up the baby.


We've had so many incredible moments over the past 15 years, from Aguero's unforgettable goal to Vinny's strike against Leicester, the thrilling Villa game, and, of course, winning the Treble!

However, my favorite memory is my first visit to the Etihad ten years ago, a 4-1 win against Southampton during the 2013-14 season. I have a feeling this might change to the day I get to bring my wife and our boys to the Etihad for the first time. I can't wait for that moment.


Having City play locally is everything! I couldn't believe the news when it first came out. It was surreal seeing the posts about their arrival in Raleigh.

Meeting other City fans from supporters' groups who came from out of state was also fantastic! My son has always wanted to see Haaland in person, and it made his day when we saw him at the open practice and the game!

Billy O’Connor

Growing up in Brazil, soccer was everything. I went to São Paulo games with my brothers. It wasn't until I did an exchange student program and met Billy (now my husband) that I got into the Premier League.

He introduced me to City, and I fell in love with the club instantly because they had my favorite player of all time, Fernandinho. I've been following the team ever since.

I have so many amazing memories! The Treble is unforgettable. Aguero's 93:20 goal is historic, and winning the Champions League was extremely emotional and one of my favorite memories.

Having City here means everything! They played right in our backyard! Seeing Haaland, Grealish, Pep, and my Brazilian goalie Ederson was incredible.


As part of the official supporters' group, we participated in exclusive events where we took pictures with the Premier League trophy and met former players. It was just amazing. Our five-year-old was super excited and worked hard on his little signs for Haaland, his favorite player.

Billy and I loved seeing the young guys on the pitch. It was a great experience having the club in North Carolina. I will never forget it.

I hope we can make a trip to Manchester soon to watch City play at the Etihad. We are excited for the season ahead. Let's make it five in a row