ALL EYES ON THE AMERICAN WORLD CUP, JULY FOURTH

Did anyone leave a 4th of July gathering to watch some World Cup action?

France v Paraguay?

Canada v Morocco?

Me neither. I had to take my dog home before a bunch of kids filled up the backyard.

The games were already on.

I wasn’t at a ‘watch party’ house. It is a ‘watch party’ house for Oregon Duck football games, Red Zone, basketball finals pro and college, but not soccer.

Would a Frenchman leave a Fourth of July party to see his team play? I have no doubts.

The same with Canada, Paraguay, and Morocco.

They would have skipped anything to watch their team.

Americans? Still learning.

I did lots of learning coaching rec-soccer, starting from nothing.

The most important rule: second grade soccer is not the same as World Cup.

I learned this during first grade soccer watching the coach confuse the two.

After that psychological self-beat-down to not be the critical parent I volunteered to coach for the next six years.

I coached two teams each season, each fall, one for each kid, along with indoor soccer in the spring with other non-baseball kids.

My kids were soccer players for their introduction to organized sports, then moved on.

It’s kind of like writing. Everyone learns how to write, most move on.

 

Watch Party

I learned the basics of the beautiful game at coaching clinics.

Bring the ball up the middle with two players on the side.

Kick to the side when challenged in the center, drop pass to the second player on the side if the first gets challenged.

Swing the ball back to the center and move up.

Look for a shot, swing it back to the side if not, and move up for a crossing pass.

Kick it in the net for a ‘G O O O A A A A L L L L.’

Repeat. Click the YouTube link for the call.

 

I brought the dog home to avoid any more stress for the poor thing on a big day.

After a half day of tussling with the kid’s dog, a small herd of five year olds were on the way, along with their parents.

Two dogs were one too many, so away we went.

 

Kid: You’re coming back, right?

Wife: You’re coming back, right?

 

I was back after an hour of American World Cup.

Canada started fast against Morocco, faded after going down one, a little more after the second score.

The third goal was a gimme, which seemed like something a soccer hooligan would throw hands for.

Actually, the more I watch, the more I understand drunken riots at soccer game.

American football fans, and rugby in general, leave the violence on the field.

What should soccer do? More on-field violence?

Don’t do that.

 

Seattle Seahawks Super Bowl AND American World Cup Quarterfinals

This is a spotlight on Seattle. There’s been a few recently.

Would a true World Cup fan, a true soccer fan, drop everything to be there?

Yes, they would.

Did I drop everything to see the Cowboys play the Seahawks in Seattle?

No, I didn’t, so why would I go up for a soccer game?

Ditching a party for an hour to care for a dog, and catch some game is one thing, leaving town is a whole ‘nother thing.

As a blogger, a baby boomer blogger near Portland, what does this say about Portland?

 

 

Portland’s big claim to fame if you google ‘biggest international sports event in Portland history’ is hosting the Dream Team in 1992.

Pele played his last game here.

I’d add the World Indoor Track and Field Championships in 2016.

In terms of hosting big sports events, Seattle has the edge. A big edge.

They learned a big lesson up there when the Seattle Supersonics of the NBA fucked around and found out what happens if you don’t upgrade the arena.

Did the Sonics upgrade when they moved to Oklahoma City and renamed the Thunder?

 

PS:

The Portland Trail Blazers seem to be in a similar place at Moda as the Sonics were with Key Arena.

PSS:

If a city that loses it’s NBA team to Oklahoma can be trusted with the American World Cup, anything is possible.