Issue Date: 12/3/07
European Football Cup overlooked
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After a year of dramatic preliminary rounds, late last month the 16 participating teams were revealed. All the superpowers of soccer have qualified: Germany, Italy, France, Spain, and the Netherlands. The only surprise absence is England (losing to Croatia at home). No Beckham? No worries. There will be players with actual talent playing.
Yes, it is time to get over the lack of scoring and value it when our majesty, the goal does make its presence. It is because it solemnly appears that we must appreciate it.
What makes this Eurocup special? Most Americans may not know this but all Eurocups are special. As soccer commentators often say "the Eurocup is like the World Cup minus Brazil and Argentina."
Take the last World Cup for example. In the quarterfinal stage, six teams were European, the other two were Argentina and Brazil. This goes across the board when the World Cup is played in Europe.
The past World Cup has since intensified European rivalries. The famous moment when france's Zinedine Zidane head butt Italy's Marco Materazzi in the final game of Zidane's career in the final of the World Cup has made this match up a classic.
Another famous rivalry is the Netherlands versus Germany. The most memorable match up was in the semifinals of the 1988 Eurocup, after the Netherlands beat Germany, people took to the streets and chanted, "We got our bikes back! (The Nazis had taken the bicycles of the Dutch during the occupation). Think Raiders versus Chargers times 60 years of animosity.
If an underdog is what makes a match appealing, then the Eurocup will definitively spark some interest. The last Eurocup had Greece as Champions. Before this tournament Greece had never won a Eurocup game.
In the 1992 Eurocup, Denmark was invited to the tournament in place of Yugoslavia because of the civil unrest. Denmark won that tournament. Next year, I will be looking for the underdog, Croatia (formerly part of Yugoslavia) to take the Eurocup for that missed one.
The quality of this tournament is unquestionable; all soccer players around the world aspire to one day play in Europe. European Leagues are the most competitive in the world, and when these countries play it becomes a battle.
Is watching midseason baseball more thrilling than watching the whole continent battle it out like World War II? Besides let's face it the Eurocup is more global than the World Series.
For one month, next June, join the loyal soccer community as we watch world-class soccer.
What team should you support? This will be the only time when "I think I'm one eighth Italian!" will be relevant.
See you at the pub, viva Italia!
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