Saturday, June 25, 2011, 3:18 pm
American futbol
Earlier this month I went to my first international soccer match since attending World Cup matches in Orlando in 1994, and it was the first time I’d ever seen the U.S. team.
Despite the relative lackluster stature of both the CONCACAF Gold Cup and the Panamanian side the Americans were playing, I couldn’t wait. At 2 a.m. the day of the match, Danny Klein and I went to Walmart to get an American flag. At the stadium, we draped it over the wall, which we pounded when Landon Donovan came to our corner to take a kick.
Naturally, the U.S. lost, 2-1, its first-ever loss in the group stage of the Gold Cup.
But it was an incredible scene, even for a Gold Cup group stage match against Panama in Tampa. Panama had thousands of fans, chanting, waving flags and blowing whistles. The American supporters club was throwing flares onto the pitch. There were a few near-fights in our section, instigated largely by Americans who didn’t appear to be true soccer fans — more like guys who wanted to go to a stadium and drink beer, regardless of who was playing or the sport.
After going down 2-0, we were deflated, losing hope with every missed chance. Then, when Clarence Goodson connected on a header in the middle of the second half, the place went wild. In my celebration I accidentally hit my friend Mike McCall in the head. There was hope again.
And though the game ended with more talk about Bob Bradley losing his job, the team has rallied, beating Panama to get to the final against Mexico tonight. What I wouldn’t give to be at the Rose Bowl for that game, win or lose.
