Manchester City are back in Houston again, and from their first few days in the USA, it's clear to see why they keep returning - and may well do so again.
This is City's third time in Houston in seven years, and even a storm that postponed one of their friendlies in 2015 hasn't put them off coming back to Texas for a week-long training camp this year.
From the moment the 40-degree heat and sticky humidity hits you when you step out of the air-conditioned terminal at Houston Airport and you rush into a taxi, the city's love for football is evident. Definitely 'football', not 'soccer', as my driver was proud to point out.
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He was well informed about the Premier League, football in the US, and knew straight away that this was the week City were visiting again. Maybe his knowledge comes from playing with Argentina international Ramiro Funes Mori as a child - a relationship that he says saw him take Sergio Aguero and Lionel Messi on a night out once.
Aguero was good company, apparently, while Messi took time to come out of his shell but enjoyed himself. This, one of many chatty drivers dispelling the myth that Americans are not interested in soccer.
When City's pre-season activities got underway in Houston, a visit to the Houston Sports Park saw Riyad Mahrez and Aleks Zinchenko surprise children of the Texas Special Olympics, with both players getting fully involved, letting the youngsters score past them, and then giving out free tickets for the friendly vs Club America.
Zinchenko was still part of the squad at that point, before leaving the posh team hotel to join Arsenal, but there was no evidence of hard feelings over his impending move to Arsenal as he took any opportunity to battle Mahrez one-on-one in the small goals as the heat saw everyone else retreat into the shade.
At one point, Zinchenko was shouting over a fence to another pitch, where Bernardo Silva appeared to be filming something. 'Bernardo, did you train today? I didn't see you?' he joked, knowing full well Bernardo had trained. Another adjoining pitch had a local match going on, that promptly stopped when they realised Mahrez was there, and some wandered over for pictures.
When Zinchenko left the team hotel, Pep Guardiola said he was able to say an emotional farewell to his teammates, and Rodri went out of his way when speaking to reporters to praise Zinchenko for his contribution to City and insisting he will be missed. When some players leave clubs, there may be some animosity, but there appears to be only goodwill for Zinchenko, as well as for Gabriel Jesus and Raheem Sterling.
Across town from the Sports Park, a number of other players took part in a barbeque competition, and answered questions from official supporters groups in Texas. While these tours are mainly for commercial benefits (City have been at NASA and at a car drift event to promote their new kit and make a video for one of their sponsors), it's easy to forget the growing number of dedicated fans in the US who may never get to see City play aside from events like these.
One fan wore a t-shirt at the Q&A event, saying 'Prem Soon Come', showing players like Cole Palmer are becoming just as loved by fans as any new signings, and that local connection to US-based Blues is just as important as events involving Erling Haaland or Kevin De Bruyne.
However, a perfect week was tainted slightly for these fans, as the anticipation of seeing Haaland's first game in a City shirt was ended when he remained on the bench vs Club America.
They did get to see Haaland with a ball at his feet once, as he was the star attraction for the fans watching training at the home of Houston Dynamo FC. New striker Julian Alvarez spent most of the first ten minutes of the session chatting away with Pep Guardiola, and it was Phillips who was the 'loser' of the warm-up games, earning a forfeit that he took with a smile.
As game-day finally descended on NRG Park - with City's clash advertised alongside the World Series of Dog Events at the venue the following day - it felt like a proper matchday, with the 61,000 fans making a decent atmosphere.
Unlike in the Premier League, where media are restricted to the press box, there was a rare opportunity to go pitchside for the warm-ups - although there was some confusion over the kick-off time that was 40 minutes later than advertised as the organisers attempted to get fans in the ground as early as possible. It wasn't ideal for those staying up in the early hours in the UK.
That delay gave us some extra time to witness the warm-ups close-up, with Stefan Ortega making some good saves on a questionably-relaid pitch, and a shooting drill that saw only one effort find the back of the net before the media were moved on - up eight storeys to the mile-high press box that made identifying players rather difficult at times.
As Jack Grealish got kicked all over the NRG Park all night, the Mexican fans present booed his every touch, so the natural choice of the British media in the press box when given the chance to pick a Man of the Match was to lean into the pantomime and swing some votes in his favour.
That attempt failed, as Kevin De Bruyne rightly got the award, but Grealish was on good form in the tunnel after the game as he explained how the physical treatment only spurs him on.
The fans in Houston may have been hoping for Haaland, but City have shown they have enough superstars without him. They now turn their attentions to Green Bay, where they will face a tough test in Bayern Munich, at the home of the iconic NFL side the Packers.
If their stay in Houston is anything to go by, the Wisconsin locals will be in no doubt that the proper kind of football is in town over the weekend.
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