Volare, cantare
07.09.2006Technorati tags: soccer World Cup
The World Cup is over; long live the World Cup! The semi-finals were rather bitter for me, w/ all my favorite teams knocked out by the quarterfinals. But the final match today between Italy & France was fun to watch. I ended the Cup, like I started it, at Wicker Park's Small Bar. It was a mad, packed, loud crew.
I passed the not-yet-open pub around 10:20 am, and headed off to get coffee a block away. By the time I returned (about 10:35), only one table was left. I ended up watching the match standing up.
France played some decent games, but never quite as good as some of the other sides. Was France really "better" (not just luckier) than Spain? Brazil? Portugal? Germany? Argentina? Decidedly: Non! But Italy didn't give me much to root for either. Yeah, they play a great defensive, conservative game. But they lacked the speed & gusto of Spain, Germany, Argentina.
In the end, I decided to root for Italy. For a few simple reasons: 1) it's the birthplace of moped & scooter culture; 2) they have better food; and 3) they're actually our allies (not our pretend allies). After Zidane decided to go out of his way to head but an Italian player, brutally & unnecessarily (since the ball wasn't even in play), drawing an immediate red card for the hot-headed elder French star, I knew I made the proper choice. I mean, what a way to end your soccer career! (Zidane had already announced his retirement.) Trés stupide!
The Italians won on penalty kicks. A fitting end for both teams, I suppose.
Posted by Miguel at 07:21 PM
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