I went to a football (soccer) game 2 nights ago. My high school buddy's mom had an extra ticket for my hometown team's game, so I went to see it at Saitama Stadium. My hometown team is Urawa Reds. It was a beautiful stadium with a great seat....near the halfway line. This was the first time to see the Reds' game but unfortunately the team lost with their lacklustre performance.
Yes, I LOVE football since I was a kid. The first major game I watched on TV was the 1974 World Cup final between West Germany and the Netherlands. I was mesmerized by Johan Cruyff's play, and since then, I am a HUGE Dutch football fan. Of course I watched this year's World Cup. I was rooting for 3 teams from the beginning of the tournament...Holland, Germany, and Spain, especially the Dutch who had always shown entertaining football. But this time, they puzzled me. They were tough but didn't seem to have a flowing football they used to play. Most of the players were from Euro 2008 when they showed a great performance in the group stage but when the new coach took over, they changed their style. They almost played like the Germans, and Germany played like the Dutch. The result...we all know. I was happy for the Spanish team 'cuz they played beautiful football but I was a bit sad because Holland played a little dirty. Over all, though, I enjoyed the tournament. Now it seems like party's over, and I will have to wait another 2 years for the Euro 2012 and 4 years for another World Cup. It's gonna be a long wait.
It's because of you, Krix, that I got interested in soccer! I only watched 2 games in this year's world cup. I watched the game Mexico lost and saw glimpses of that beautiful, flowing style. It's magic. I thought: "I get it!" Now, I'll be watching more soccer.
ReplyDeleteI watched the final game between Spain and the Netherlands too, and hated the way they played! I won't forget that nasty chest kick. That game was more like a brawl than soccer. I'm glad to hear that it's due to a new coach. I hope. Or maybe I'm just an innocent?