Tag Archives: Soccer
Friday’s Question
I’ve watched a lot of World Cup soccer (football) this past month on television. Even with Canada eliminated from the tournament, I find myself catching most of the games. There’s something special about an athletic contest at this level. With each game I have the same question. And it has nothing to do with the […]
Relegation
It seems more civilized somehow, but I can’t see it going over in North America. Our sports system is different. I went to a football (soccer) game in London. I figured while I was in the UK I should take in a Premier League game, arguably the best in the world. Many of the team […]
Shattered Dreams
Like most sports fans, at times my head and my heart are at war with each other. Never has that been more obvious than during the World Cup this year. Canada qualified for the tournament for the first time in 36 years. We finished first in our qualifying division, ahead of the US and Mexico, […]
A Sense of Normalcy
Admittedly there were only a thousand fans, which isn’t many in a 24,000 seat stadium. But, I hadn’t been to a sporting event since January of last year. Which made Saturday’s event special. It wasn’t even a game, just a practice – but a lot more fun than watching the Olympics on television. After not […]
What World Cup?
A year ago Germany was awash in patriotism as the nation cheered on the national team in the World Cup. It was like hockey in Canada only more intense. Business came to a halt during games. Church services were canceled. There were flags everywhere. Large screens were set up in public places to allow communal […]
A National Disaster
No rioting in the streets – Germans are too stunned for that. For the first time ever, the country’s football team has been eliminated in the opening round of the World Cup. It is tough for North Americans to understand just how big a deal that is. When I was growing up soccer, or football […]
World Cup 2018/World Cup 2026
The biggest event in sports outside the Olympics starts today, and unless you are Mexican, nobody in North America cares. Well, that might be an overstatement given that yesterday the 2016 event was awarded to North America, but Canada and the US aren’t playing this year. For Canadians that is nothing new. In our only […]
The Beautiful Game
Last time it was Rome’s Olympic Stadium and the cream of Italian soccer. Today it is Sulzburg, and I don’t know if you can sink lower than this. This afternoon’s previous match, which I didn’t arrive in time for, was between SV Sulzburg and SV Tunsel in the county C league – the game I’m […]
David and Goliath
If this is the big time, where are the fans? The stadium is empty. Mind you, Lazio is the ‘other’ Rome club in Serie A football (soccer), the top tier of the sport in Italy. Roma is much more popular. Still, on a Saturday afternoon, on a holiday weekend, I would have expected more than […]
Stadium Security
When the National Hockey League introduced airport-style scanners in their arenas I complained here. I thought such measures would make going to a game a hassle, and, like in airports, wondered if it was worth it. This past weekend I went to a football (soccer) game in Rome, Lazio versus Benevento. The security measures there […]
random thoughts from lorne 
Recent Comments