On the Ground in Frankfurt

It's been a bit delayed but here I am on the ground in Germany.  The Cup has been top notch so far and today may have been one of the most satisfying days of the tournament.  The Argentina team put in a masterful experience en route to a 6-0 victory over S & M.  That was the best any team has played for a full 90 minutes. The terrifying thing is that Messi and Tevez came on as subs.  After watching Brazil in Person on Tuesday I can tell you that Argentina would have beat them in the form they showed today.

The Brazil v Croatia game in Berlin was spectacular for two reasons.  The first, watching the talents of Brazil in amazement with 72,000 others speaks for itself.  Especially when the 20,000 or so Croatians showed there amazing capacity to cheer there team in a loud voice for 90 minutes.  They really put Brazilian fans to shame.  It was also interesting to see the Croatian players applaud there fans and walk over to them after the game, while the Brazilians just walked of the pitch lacking to acknowledge there fans.

The second thing is the true class of the players in Yellow for Brazil. Ronaldinho is brilliant and his skill before the game was something unbelievable.  He managed to juggle the ball with his chest...  He also managed to juggle by kicking the ball 100 feet up in the air and then control with one touch before kicking strait back up. Kaka showed his class and should really be given the ability to pull the strings for the team.  Whatever he was involved in was exciting to watch.  Emerson was the most impressive to me in his defensive midfield role.  He reads the game so well and impresses all in attendance.  Before leaving the topic of players I must mention Ronaldo and the fact that he was terrible.  He barely ran on the field and looked disinterested all match. Regardless of speculation I would drop Ronaldo for the fast moving Rubinho.

Changing gears, after the disappointment of the US losing to a good Czech team we get ready for the the battle with Italy. I will be at the game with my friends and look forward to an amazing experience.  I hope as fans that we can create the type of atmosphere we witnessed in Dortmund  during the Germany v Poland game.  I will say this once, I have never ever seen the people of one country unite and support their team in such a way.  I thought the city of Dortmund was going to crumble to the ground after Germany scored to win in the 89Th minute.  It was euphoric and you had to feel blessed to see SO much joy and happiness come out of the German people.  They all completely lost themselves in the game and the moment.  It was the one of the greatest experiences of my life. 

Every man, woman, and child in that city was wearing German colors and singing their songs from 8 hours before the game. We watched the game in a World Cup viewing area on a 30 foot high jumbo tron.  10,000 Germans must have been in this plaza area where we watched and they all sang and cheered for 2 hours before the game and 2 hours during the game and I am willing to guess for 6 hours after the game.  I have never seen any group of people have that much pride or passion in something.

Sorry to end this little session like that, but I must sing off and get ready for the big game tomorrow. 

The Ramp Up to the Cup!

Hello Everyone!  I am now counting down the days (43 of them) till I depart for Berlin.  I will be in Germany from the 10-19th of June this year and bouncing around different cities in what I think will be the best World Cup host in recent years.

The Stadiums and environment of Germany will be perfect for the World Cup and I hope my experiences there will reflect that in my postings on this site.  I want to remind everyone to read my pieces as they will be the most accurate and honest accounts of what is REALLY taking place in Germany.  I will give you accurate accounts of the games and Very accurate accounts of the partying. 

Let me justify my knowledge of the game and give you some background on why I know what I am talking about.  I grew up in Detroit and began playing at the age of four.  From there I continued to play and was fortunate enough that my goalkeeping skills landed me scholarships at Hartwick College (NY) and later The University of San Diego.  I continue to live in San Diego and play soccer a few times a week.

Besides understanding the game from a players perspective I also watch an outrageous amount of soccer on TV.  I have digital cable for 2 reasons; (1) the Fox Soccer Channel and (2) ESPN Deportes for Champions League Games.  I don't watch TV, I watch soccer and generally catch 5-7 games a week on TV from the various leagues of Europe. 

While watching all of these games I do have two primary focus and that is the performance of Manchester United and that of the US men's national team.  I will be supporting the boys from the States in Germany and look for my notes from the Italy game. 

That is a decent overview of my passion for soccer and now let me give you a brief idea of who I will be traveling with and why I will give you the best accounts of the social scene in Germany.  I am traveling with my 3 best friends who are possibly more obsessed with soccer then I am.  The entire crew played college soccer and we all support Man United and are proud to be American and support the US team. 

With supporting soccer comes passion and excitement about life.  We will be staying up late and mixing with the locals.  I will give you the best accounts of bars, plazas, and what to drink when over in Germany.

Stay Tuned....