Saturday, June 10, 2006

World Cup 2006 BEGINS...

I feel like I'm not going to get a lot done in the next month. No, no, no, that's the wrong way to think. I will get ALL SORTS OF STUFF done this more. It will just include watching a lot of high-quality soccer... I can't help it, I love World Cup.

Right now I'm watching it at home on a rainy day (why, rain? why?), but yesterday I caught the first game (Germany v Costa Rica - 4-2) at a cafe near my house. I got there with time to spare, so got a drink and a seat in direct view of the big screen. (I was just writing about this on Midnight Poutine too, as it got me thinking about the uniqueness of watching World Cup in Montreal, where there are fans for EVERY team, I'm certain.)

Oh, the excitement. I was reminded of 2002 and the fervour, the getting up waaay too early to watch games before work (I was living in Vancouver), the drinking of too much coffee in Cafe Roma on Commericial, the mayhem of the Korean cultural centre during the second round, the post-game karaoke drunkeness and, okay, that doesn't have much to do with soccer, but at the same time it does.

World Cup soccer kind of becomes a focal point of life for a month. I'm not sure how it works that way, but it does. I mean, I enjoy sports, I like exercise, but I don't watch a lot of sports on tv (okay, none) and I don't keep up with sports news or anything. I'm all about the high-quality sports, I will admit my elitism. e.g., I also love the Olympics, especially the winter ones.

So who am I going to root for this time around?? I'm still deciding, but for some reason I'm feeling it for Argentina. I know there are reasons why not to back this team, I know it'll get heated, but I like 'em this time around. But I'm also into S Korea, for sure. hmm. And I have a friend, Deb, who's spent a lot of time there and dances a mean tango, so perhaps that's part of my "reasoning." We. Shall. See.

So while I love the sport itself - the skill, the athleticism, the playing field, the GAME - I also love that it's about the WORLD, and that while countries are competing, they're still all together in one place, and so are so many of the fans. I am a giant cheeseball, it's freakin' true, yeah yeah.

back to the game. see you at olympico/green room/socialclub/random cafes/my house/d'internet/etc.

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