There's something in the air, can you feel it? Do you smell the fresh cut grass and hear the kids cheering on their teammates? Its spring time and that means balls are flying through the air down at the local...soccer field? That's right, I'm talking about that funny little game that most American adults claim to dislike yet somehow all their kids are playing nearly every day. I used to be one of those haters, turning up my nose at the mere thought of watching a match and clinging to my love of a real sport, like baseball. Now the Dodgers are a disgrace and I'm embracing my love for football, the kind that's really played with the feet, not the kind with helmets and bone-jarring tackles.
It took a long time for me to see the light. Back in 1994 when the World Cup final came to the Rose Bowl, I joined up with some fellow skeptics to watch the match between Italy and Brazil at a local pub. The game ended 0-0 and Brazil won the title on penalty kicks. In other words, the perfect example of why most Americans don't like soccer. Low scores, deliberate play and lots of flopping around on the field. It would be ten years before I watched another match.
By then I had a new job and a new co-worker named Kelly. Her love for soccer rivaled my once-passionate affection for the Dodgers. She had discovered the game late in life and was determined to watch and play as much soccer as possible. In 2004 she and her husband invited me over to watch the Euro Cup final between Portugal and Greece. It was another low-scoring game but something was different about this match.
Portugal was heavily favored to win on its home pitch and I became familiar with the names of such greats as Luis Figo, Deco and Cristiano Ronaldo. Despite the star-power of the host team, Greece kept the game close thanks to the goal keeping of Antonios Nikopolidis. In a few months, Greece was going to play host to the Olympics, and they looked woefully unprepared for the task. When their team won the Euro Cup 1-0 it seemed to energize the country who ended up staging a wonderful Olympics.
Like any sport, it helps to know the players and the more I learned the more I realized I needed a favorite team to sustain my interest in soccer.
In 2005 Kelly and I watched the Champions League Final between Liverpool and AC Milan. I'd been to Liverpool before and toured all the landmarks associated with my beloved Beatles. It looked bad for "The Reds" who were down 3-0 at the half but they staged a furious comeback to tie the match 3-3. Its been called one of the greatest comebacks in sports history and when Liverpool won the title on penalty kicks I was hooked. Liverpool was my team and I was now a genuine soccer fan.
When I discover something new I tend to get a little crazy with my passions. I started out buying soccer movies to whet my new appetite for the game. The one every knows is "Victory" (1981) with Sly Stallone and Michael Caine. Its a fun movie with marvelous footage of soccer great Pele' in his prime. Then came the little known "A Shot At Glory" with Robert Duvall and soccer star Ally McCoist. This one takes place in the Scottish league and I learned a lot just by watching the opening credits. Later I discovered "The Longest Yard" was remade into a soccer movie called "Mean Machine" with former player Vinnie Jones. My favorite turned out to be "Fever Pitch," the original film version of Nick Hornby's book about growing up in England as an Arsenal fan.
One of the things I love about soccer is the brevity of the game. Most matches take only two hours to watch and except for half-time its non-stop action. I read once that an average NFL game features around 12 minutes of actual playing time and it takes over 3 hours to complete! So even if the soccer match turns out to be a boring "prawn sandwich" it doesn't take up an entire afternoon. My favorite time is the 8am Sunday telecast of the English Premier League. In my bed with coffee in hand I cheer for my favorite player, Steven Gerrard, and root against such powerhouses as Chelsea and Arsenal. I'm already looking forward to watching the Champions League final taking place in London on May 28th. This is a rematch of 2009 when Barcelona won the title behind the magnificence of Lionel Messi, perhaps the best player in the world. They beat Manchester United and Ryan Giggs, perhaps the most beloved player in the world, and the Red Devils will be ready for revenge at Wembley Stadium. It should be a helluva match!
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