World Cup
Like many of you, I am getting excited about the World Cup. I always liked soccer as a kid, and the 1994 cup hosted here in the US came at a time when I was really getting into following sports beyond the UNC-Dodgers-Steelers set that I've always loved. But I never cared as much about the World Cup until I experienced European WC madness in Wales during the 1998 Cup. That year, Wales had not made the Cup, and England was a outside favorite to win, so I got a quick introduction to the England-Wales rivalry (Wales would be bigger than England if it were rolled out flat). It was awesome to be in Europe with real, football-educated fans as France marched toward a homefield victory, but the most fun team I remember watching was certainly Italy, whose front line played a magical style of small ball that I had never seen before, much different than the boring long-ball strategy that I hope the US has left behind. Anyway, the US path to the cup will first pit them against the Czech Rep. (ranked #2 in the world) and if we get by Italy and Ghana with at least 4 points we might run up against #1 ranked Brazil. So, it doesn't look good for us, but maybe it's good for America to be humbled on occasion, and I'd rather us take our lumps on the soccer field.
I'm excited about the World Cup, too! Like Miles, I really learned to get into it when we were in Wales. Then the competition in 2002 in South Korea (?) brought me great memories because of all of the inconvenient start times (since I was on EDTime). I remember waking up to go to my friends' house in the wee hours of the morning to eat pancakes and watch the games on their cable TV. I also remember canvassing all of Durham for a bar that would be open and showing the 4 am US vs. Mexico match. Since it's illegal to serve alcohol after 2 am, it was incredibly difficult to find a place that would be open. There will always be a special place in my heart for the DownUnder pub on Main St. because they were open, showing the game, and serving breakfast. Sharing this zany experience with my friend Denise and her brother, and the completely unexpected outcome, made the time extra sweet!
Glad to see that someone else feels the way I do about US soccer. :)
What is this "soccer" that you speak of?
By the way, for all of the soccer fans out there, and for anyone else who loves an underdog story, the movie GOAL! is a very fun one. It's about a kid who comes to LA with his family from Mexico and gets an unlikely chance to go after his soccer dreams. It's PG; you'll cry and you'll cheer! (Re: a post from a while back: This movie will definitely move into my beloved sports movies list.)
allez les bleus!