Monday, June 26, 2006
Tripleheader!!!
That was one glorious day of soccer. Three games spaced perfectly throughout the day...
A.M.: It's England vs. Ecuador to see who advances to the quarterfinals. Beckham valiantly dismisses my calls to bench him and turns back the clock with a classic free kick. Never mind that the Ecuadorian keeper looks like he just got his driver's license and might not be able to bench press 100 lbs, but he did make a decent effort for the ball once he realized Becks had the ability to bend the ball. And then Beckham throws up on the field just to make sure all the girls can see his devotion to the game.
Afternoon: After a perfect two hour break where I reconnected with the family and even cut the grass, it was Portugal vs. Netherlands. This was a watershed game, but for mostly the wrong reasons. With yellow and red cards flashing about as often as Mayor Daley denies there's widespread corruption in Chicago, it was compelling television. The Russian referee lost control early, and the beads of sweat on his face showed that he couldn't wait for the game to end. I was half surprised he came out for the second half. That being said, both teams played very physical and didn't come to play much soccer. After Portugal got their goal, they notched up the challenges as they knew the ref was in trouble and the bully could get his way. My son loves seeing yellow and red cards, so this may have been the game that made him a soccer fan for life. And this hopefully is the game where FIFA says enough with excessive cards. Or maybe they actually decide to put two refs on the field. Nah, that would make too much sense.
Evening: Toyota Park! The Fire grand open their new stadium for the second time (neat trick) and the place looks great. The cheese factor is a little high with an actual Toyota parked on top of the concession stand, but who's really complaining. Section 8 cemented their legend with one of the world's biggest banners. I was duly impressed. It was no surprise that the soccer wasn't as skillful as the previous two matches, but at least the ref let them play and both teams created plenty of chances. The sold-out crowd likely went home impressed with the Fire's 2-0 victory. (Bostrom)
