When I became a soccer fan I remember having to hunt down grainy, laggy streams to watch my beloved Arsenal. For the past three seasons NBC Sports has held the Premier League rights and made it easy to watch HD quality football for the American audience.

I didn’t watch many other leagues because I had had a taste of the good life and didn’t want to go back to streams. I would usually watch the top teams in the Champions League and other big matches such as El Clasico.

However, I kept hearing all the rage about the Bundesliga and how it was the most entertaining league worldwide. It was difficult to watch because Gol had held the TV rights, but that all changed when FOX Sports blessed us by acquiring the TV rights for the Bundesliga this season.

My exposure to the German league consisted of watching Bayern and Dortmund in the Champions League and a half dozen times throughout the season, but now for just $99 you can get Fox Soccer 2 GO and have access to every single match as well as all Champions League matches.

I was able to begin my Bundesliga fandom on Friday, Aug. 14 as Bayern kicked off the season by demolishing HSV, 5-0. New boy Douglas Costa shined for Bayern, showing why he will probably be Munich’s next star winger. Although HSV are a pick to be relegated this season, this match was still brilliant to watch. If Bayern stay healthy this season (a big if) they will be worth the weekly viewing. 

On Saturday I signed up for a 7-day trial from FS2Go. As I began watching Dortmund vs. Borussia Monchengladbach it took only about 15 minutes to realize I wasn’t going to cancel my trial.  This match was the equivalent of Ray Velcoro snorting an eight ball of coke and chugging down a bottle of Jose Cuervo.  It was non-stop attacking football that was beautiful to behold. 

via english.ahram.org.eg

Last season was strange for BVB fans.  Just two seasons prior they had competed in the Champions League final, while in 2014-15 they were in the relegation zone for half the year. It looks like under new manager Thomas Tuchel the old BVB is back and better than ever. The Dortmund counter attack is brilliant to behold and might rival Barcelona as the most exciting in the world. This new system under Tuchel was a joy to watch and the squad absolutely bossed Monchengladbach off the pitch in a 4-0 win.

I also watched Bayer Leverkusen triumph over Hoffenheim, 2-1 and saw Wolfsburg edge Frankfurt the next day by the same scoreline.  From the four matches I was able to catch this first weekend it was much different from my typical Premier League viewing experience.

Teams simply aren’t afraid to attack and they won’t sit back and park the bus.  This league is thrilling and filled with high octane, end to end play.  I am fully invested in the Bundesliga and I cannot wait to watch it on a weekly basis this season. I suspect I will end up watching this league more than the Premier League with its accessibility on FS2Go and the fact match replays are readily available. 

For now I’ll pray to the old gods and the new that Wolfsburg are able to stop Manchester City from stealing star midfielder and reigning Bundesliga player of the year, Kevin De Bruyne. (This seems unlikely with rumors emerging from England that De Bruyne had agreed personal terms with City.)  The former Chelsea outcast recorded 10 goals and 21 assists last season as he pushed the team to new heights.  If they can ward off City and keep the Belgian in Germany the league only becomes that more fun to watch.

There is a high probability that Bayern will retain the league title this year, but that doesn’t mean this league isn’t a must-watch on a weekly basis.  So make your way over to Fox Sports and get a taste of the beautiful, free flowing Bundesliga.