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10/22 03:31 CDT How a US coach and little-known players have made Brighton a Premier League revelation How a US coach and little-known players have made Brighton a Premier League revelation By STEVE DOUGLAS AP Sports Writer The coach is an inexperienced American who is younger than some in his squad. The players are typically little known, cheap pick-ups plucked from all corners of the world. The owner is no sheikh from the Middle East or the lead man for some American venture capitalists, but an Englishman who made his money in sports betting. Brighton has, for some time, been one of the most fascinating teams in English soccer. Now, it is one of the best. The club from the south coast is the story of the Premier League so far, scoring more goals than anyone else --- 23 in seven games --- and putting up the biggest victory margins --- two 5-0s --- to rapidly become the most watchable team in England's top division. Brighton is in third place on 16 points, behind only Arsenal (18 points) and Manchester City (a maximum 21). With City's future shrouded in uncertainty after it was found guilty of large-scale financial rule-breaking, Brighton is well placed to deliver the best ever season in its 125-year history. The Seagulls, as they are nicknamed, are flying high. But can they keep it up? The next couple of weeks might give us an answer. On Sunday, Brighton visits Anfield to play Liverpool. That's before another daunting away game, at Man City, a week later. Those games might tell us whether Brighton, which has already steamrollered defending champion Arsenal 3-0, is the real deal. For now, let's just enjoy their mesmeric play under Fabian Hurzeler, a 33-year-old born in Texas but raised in Germany and who became the youngest manager in Premier League history upon joining two years ago, shortly after getting German hipster club St. Pauli promoted to the Bundesliga. Only Barcelona has more goals than Hurzeler's Brighton in Europe's five top leagues, in the wake of last weekend's 5-0 thrashing of fierce rival Crystal Palace that included a David Beckham-style goal from the halfway line by Diego Gmez --- a midfielder from Paraguay who joined as a 21-year-old with little fanfare in January 2024. Another scorer was Charalampos Kostoulas, a 19-year-old striker who arrived in May 2025 after just one season at Olympiakos and started only two league games last season. And another was Yasin Ayari, a Swede signed three years ago for 3.5 million pounds (now $4.7 million). There are so many examples in Brighton's squad of signings that have been identified by data-modelling, using analytics from firms linked to the club's owner, Tony Bloom. Undervalued, unheralded players join, often get sent out on loan to build up experience, then get integrated into Brighton's first team before becoming stars who move to top teams for big fees --- sometimes more than $100 million. The latest is midfielder Carlos Baleba, who recently moved to Manchester United for $95 million having joined Brighton as a backup for Moiss Caicedo, who transferred to Chelsea for $146 million in 2023 after being signed for 4 million pounds from the Ecuadorian league two years earlier. Brighton's star player this season is Pascal Gross, a 35-year-old fans' favorite in his second stint at the club after inexpensive moves from the German league. The list of shrewd acquisitions goes on. So, too, do Brighton's wins early in a season in which the team also is playing in the Conference League. That might ultimately bring fatigue to a group of talented players not used to balancing the demands of domestic and European soccer. Whatever happens, it'll be exciting to watch.

Key matchups Man City takes its 100% record to Aston Villa on Saturday, when Arsenal hosts Everton and Tottenham visits Chelsea for a London derby. Manchester United manager Michael Carrick is under severe pressure heading into the home match against Bournemouth on Sunday, with post-match outbursts from senior players leaving his position in real danger.

Players to watch Erling Haaland has scored in each of his last eight games for Man City, including his last six in the Premier League, and is the competition's top scorer on eight goals as he looks to win the Golden Boot for the fourth time in five seasons. He was rested from City's midweek win in the Champions League. Johan Manzambi has hit the ground running at Aston Villa, scoring in three of his last four games after a summer move from Freiburg following his strong performances for Switzerland at the World Cup.

Out of action Bukayo Saka is set for another period on the sidelines after injuring his left quadriceps during the draw at Bayern Munich in the Champions League on Wednesday. The England winger had hamstring and Achilles tendon injuries last season. Man City also has an injured winger, with Antoine Semenyo missing for up to eight weeks with a knee problem. Liverpool's Dominik Szoboszlai injured a hamstring again last week and is set to miss the game against Brighton. ___ See AP's full soccer coverage here

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