The loyal American fan is one of the most illustrious international supporters
Allen Dodson may have been born and raised in the US, but he has been one of the most charismatic Villarreal CF fans since the mid 2000s. He is a regular poster on and former manager of the Yellow’s largest English-language fan website, Villarreal USA.
Originally from Kingsport in eastern Tennessee, Allen now lives in the Sierra Foothills of California, in Murphys and says that the similarities between his home town and Vila-real played a big role in attracting the club to him: “I support Villarreal CF because of the small-town feel of Vila-real. It’s about the same size as the town where I grew up. I also love the club because of the impact it has on the local community. I also like the team’s history, with a number of fine players.”
In terms of players, Allen says it’s hard to name just one as his favourite player: “In terms of players I’ve loved, Diego Forlán and Marcos Senna were great in my early years of following Villarreal. I’d have to throw in Manu Trigueros too. I love to watch him on the pitch, but I also appreciate his dedication to getting his teaching degree and his obvious love for Villarreal.”
Living so far away, it is hard for Allen to get to Spain to watch the Yellow Submarine. He commented: “I’ve only been once to a home match. My wife and I saw us play an Unai Emery-coached Sevilla in March 2015. It rained pretty much the entire week, but we had a wonderful time in Spain.”
While he was in Spain, Allen even picked up tips for making a perfect paella and often makes the authentic dish to accompany watching the Yellows back in California, as well as commentary from local radio station, Radio Vila-real. A true groguet.
