MGF Blogs the World Cup Final

Big day soccer fans! Congratulations to the Azzurri (that’s Italy to your soccer newbies) on their victory over the French at the 2006 FIFA World Cup! Nobody likes a penalty kick situation but, as we say here in the States, a win is a win. Drink it up Italia!

(On a side note, thank you for winning! I would have had to hear poor FJ cry about it later!)

Being only casual soccer fans, Lenny and I probably represent the typical American watching the game. We both have an appreciation for anything the magnitude of the FIFA World Cup. But we are nowhere near the fanaticism of fans from countries that take soccer seriously. And yes, I am insinuating we in the U.S. don’t take it as seriously. It’s probably because we suck at it. And by law, if we suck at it, it must not be a real sport.

Anyway…next point.

Watching today’s final match was thrilling. And knowing my viewing audience, I won’t bore you with the play by play. I’ll leave that to the professionals. Instead, tonight, here are the rambling observations of a novice fan watching the world community’s biggest game:

Take it like a man – Just a quick note to Willy Sagnol: If you’re going to sell it to the referee that you didn’t commit the foul, dropping to your knees in pain 20 seconds after the whistle blows for play stoppage isn’t the way to do it. And let’s not forget Monsieur Zidane! As Lenny put it, that head butt is the equivalent of Michael Jordan hauling off and punching Karl Malone at the end of Game 7 instead of scoring the winning shots in his last year with the Bulls. You had a shot at immortality – too bad you lost your cool!

Tall, dark, and in a blue uniform – Hey, ladies! Italian forward Luca Toni can only be described in three letters. And those would be H-O-T. Do yourself a favor and hit Google hard searching for his pic. It’ll be worth it.

How is this different from American sports? – It seemed that every other player I was watching was sporting some ink. And I’m not talking about some small tattoo, I’m talking about art that covers an entire shoulder blade or forearm! For a second there, I thought I was watching an NBA squad and searching for bling!

Yellow and Red Card Bonanza – How cool would it be if we could issue yellow and red cards in real life? Lenny and I tested this out. I issued him two yellows for some questionable jokes during the game. I got a yellow card for chest bumping him in the kitchen before halftime. That yellow was a total blown call. I merely brushed passed him – the drama queen.

Thank goodness for TiVo – I had to leave during the 85th minute of the game because I had a massage appointment. THANK YOU TIVO! I made Lenny NOT tell me what happened, so when I got back, I could watch the game with the same anticipation as everyone else.

Damn you TiVo – Because I didn’t know how the game ended, I couldn't pull up the internet or talk to anyone until I finished the game!

We’d like for you to meet someone – During the penalty kick phase of the game, French forward, David Trezeguet missed his kick and sent it just a bit too high. It was the only kick that the French missed, and it was the difference in the game. The first thing I wanted to do was tell Trezeguet not to worry. Eventually, the Buffalo Bills fans forgave Scott Norwood for missing that 47-yard field goal in Super Bowl XXV. Wait…did they? Oh well…you could always play here in the U.S., David. Half the country was watching a NASCAR race when you biffed it.

Go home ugly Italian – Alright. I get that you won and you were happy after playing 120-minutes on the run, Italy. You scored the most points, you deserve the win. What I don’t get is how American’s get nailed for being “too American,” when you guys showed up to the trophy ceremony looking like a hot mess scrambled up! By my count, three players wore their flags as a cape and a bonnet. One guy came up to the podium for his medal in an Italian tri-color hat ala Cat in the Hat. Why do people make a big deal about us?

Thanks to my experience with this year’s World Cup, I think I’ll be following more closely the next time around. I can’t help but feel like we’re missing something by not being bigger soccer fans! You can tell me that it’s not real football – but I’ll just tell you one thing. If a sport can unite millions of people living in their part of the world, temporarily stop war, or even give fans just a few hours of happiness, it’s worth a look.

So – another tournament in the books. Next up is 2010 in South Africa. I can’t wait!