Euro 2008

I'm not sure how many people actually care about Euro 2008 here in the US (or even know what it is), but I'm lovin' it. For the first time ever, all the games are going to be broadcast on ESPN, in glorious high-def, so we here in the US can see it.

The Euro championship is basically a tournament just like the World Cup, except only national teams from Europe are eligible to participate. That covers just about every elite team in international soccer, save for Brazil & Argentina. It is basically the most prestigious tournament outside of the World Cup, and it only happens once every 4 years. Only 16 teams (4 groups of 4 teams) qualify for the group stage, which is what started on Saturday. I'm watching the Croatia-Austria match as I'm typing this, but I'm really looking forward to the next game involving the always powerful Germans vs. the team I'll be pulling for, the team of my motherland, Poland.

The favorites in this tournament are the usual suspects - Italy, Germany, France, Spain, Portugal and the Netherlands. I'm not gonna pretend to be an expert as to all of the teams in the tournament, though I've been following both club and international soccer pretty seriously for going on 4 years now. It's tough to follow it too closely here in the states, as none of the mainstream sports media really covers it, so you have to seek it out most of the time, through subscribing to Fox Soccer Channel, and GolTV, which show English and Spanish club soccer during the year. It's just nice to have all the games on ESPN this time around. Anyways, if you wanna read more about Euro 2008 itself, inlcuding an analysis of all the teams, I found a good summary here.

Unlike most of my friends and people I know, I love watching soccer. My dad loved playing and watching soccer, and always tried to get me interested in it. I would oblige and watch the World Cup here and there, but really, it didn't hold my interest. I first really started following it after I got a soccer game for my PS2 (Winning Eleven 7), and I got to know the names of all the teams and players. After that, I really liked watching the games on TV, because I was just more familiar with the game itself, and I knew the players and teams. Now I'm addicted to watching the English Premier League on Saturdays, and try to get in as much International soccer as I can. I do not watch the MLS. I guess it has gotten better over the years and I want it to succeed, but really the difference between watching the MLS and watching a class league like the EPL or Spain's La Liga, is like the difference between watching a high school football game and the NFL. No comparison.

Unlike most US soccer fans, I have no delusions of soccer becoming the "next big thing" here in the US. Sure the MLS has gotten bigger, but its still a 2nd or 3rd class sports league (yes, even with Beckham...). But I do think soccer is slowly and incrementally inching its way into America, and is slowly getting more and more exposure here. It will never be as big as the NFL, MLB, NBA, or even the NHL here in the US, but that's fine. It doesn't really make any difference to me if it does, b/c I'll enjoy watching it and following it either way. I'm also not trying to convert anybody into a soccer fan, but don't be surprised if you come over ot my house and I'm watching it, and then force you to watch a highlight of an awesome finish or an awesome goal from a game I have saved on my DVR....

Anyways, I hope you guys just give it a chance and watch some Euro 2008 on ESPN this month. It should be pretty good.

I will end this soccer-themed entry with a compilation of goals from my favorite player, Dimitar Berbatov, from my favorite club team, Tottenham Hotspur (located in North London). He's right below Berkman in my pecking order of man-crushes. The guy is just silky smooth on the field (the "pitch") and is just a cold-blooded finisher. Note: unless you really like techno dance music, just go ahead and mute it. I don't know why, but it seems like every goal compilation on YouTube is accompanied by some terrible techno music. I don't get it. Must be a European thing.