The World Cup… an unbiased (read: clueless) person’s opinions:
The two or three games of the last World Cup that I caught were actually quite interesting, so I decided to give it a shot this year. We’re two days in, and I think I’m going to be an addict. So far I’ve only seen Germany v. Costa Rica and England v. Paraguay, but it’s been great! So far two different guy friends have stood me up for watching the games, so I’m going to see if female friends are any more reliable. What’s really grabbing me is the viewing atmosphere. I’m hoping to check out a bunch of different bars/coffee shops around town over the course of the month.
Since I’m new to this, and don’t know a thing about soccer, I’m having to feel out the scene as I go. So far I watched both games at Brit’s Pub in downtown Mpls. I was surprised that that the turnout today for England v. Paraguay was five times the size as the Germany v. Costa Rica game yesterday. That was the first game! I guess I shouldn’t be surprised that the English turned out in force to a pub called Brits to watch their team. But why are Americans more into England than Germany? Germans are so much cooler! Maybe not in soccer. But I found myself wishing there were a few Paraguayans there. I don’t know anything about them as a team, maybe they’re nasty folks, but I was really impressed that the replacement keeper, Bobadilla, coming in the third minute of the game, didn’t let a single goal through. The Brits didn’t seem to appreciate this.
Ok, this is embarrassing, but as of today I have a favorite football player (from the 4 teams I’ve seen so far). Crouch. And I haven’t even seen the robot dance yet! Enough said. What’s this deal with yellow cards? Is it true that if he’d gotten a third one he’d have been out for 4 games? That doesn’t make sense. Will the two he’s got be accumulated upon in future games?
One more thing: I dreamt Thursday night that Brazil’s keeper made just an idiotic mistake in the first few minutes of the game, and they never recovered from it the whole rest of the Cup. I have been known to have prophetic dreams, so those of you who have money on this, take note!
Comments
I'll watch the games with you.
I HATE England (the team) and will always be a dedicated Germany fun.
Also, I have discovered that watching the matches from UNIVISION is much more entertaining, particularly when it involves Latin American countries.
Posted by: Eleni | June 10, 2006 4:43 PM
Two yellow cards=red card. If you get two yellow cards (even if they're in different games) it equals a red card. Once you get a red card, you're out for the remainder of the game, plus you can't play in the next game.
Oh, and if you like Crouch because he's hot, wait until the U.S. plays Italy on Saturday. All the women love Totti and Toni. I like (not love) Totti because he plays for AS Roma, my favorite club team.
We should watch a game together. I used to be a keeper so I could help clarify some of the nuances of the game.
Posted by: John | June 16, 2006 12:21 PM