Soccer Orb

Columnist John Kass really gets soccer...

In the pub, you'll see why Europe is in a fever pitch

Too bad that the Trib's sports page was filled with coverage of yet another meaningless, early-season baseball game the day after Moscow.

{I've moved to soccerorb.wordpress.com}

I watched the Champions League final at Fado, a pub in downtown Chicago. I hadn’t been there before, and didn’t know anything about the number of screens, nor how easy it would be to get a table with a good view. So I recorded the game and, happily, remembered to set up the DVR to record two shows afterward…just in case.

{By the way, Soccer Orb has moved to http://soccerorb.wordpress.com/}

I don’t usually watch games in pubs. Let’s see, there was last year’s Gold Cup final at Quigley’s and a Chicago Fire playoff game in 2006 at the Globe and…that’s about it. I am not very social about these things. I like to concentrate on the game, and freely express my wild and (usually) unfounded opinions to Steve. But I was persuaded that the first-ever all-English Champions League final should be seen in public, even though there would be Chelsea supporters there.

We arrived about ninety minutes before the start, but only one table was open. We snagged it. Things got a bit tight as the crowd grew, but everyone around us was generous about sharing space. I didn’t have a perfect view, but I did see every bit of the action. Some people in the group–Steve’s friend Jonathan and friends–elected to stand for a more direct view of the game. They don’t seem bothered by this, though.

The atmosphere at Fado was great. The place was jammed with serious supporters of both teams, although red shirts outnumbered blue. Each side was enthusiastic but mostly respectful. Best of all, everyone was really, really into the game. Any worries that I had about the presence of casual, quasi-fans who would distract from the match were completely unfounded. And after van der Sar blocked Nicolas Anelka’s penalty the party really got under way for the celebrating United supporters.

This evening I treated myself to a second viewing of the game. It was a delight to watch it without yo-yoing between numbness and high anxiety. Who can savor the drama of a penalty shoot-out right in the middle of it? Not I. All that disappointment when Petr Cech easily saved Ronaldo’s poorly-taken shot seems so excessive just now, knowing as I do that the trophy would still be United’s.

And John Terry’s misery? Just as awful to watch this time as the first.

"The top four next year will be the same top four as this year."

That was Kevin Keegan's prediction after Newcastle United's loss to Chelsea in the penultimate game of the season.  He grumbled that the league's evolution into an elite, uncrackable quartet plus sixteen also-rans meant that "boring" football was the inevitable result. 

Keegan's words unleashed a torrent of commentary.  Just google "Keegan Football Boring" and take your pick of the opinions that were offered up by everyone from Reading's Steve Coppell to every sports journalist in Britain to bloggers around the globe--except Soccer Orb.  That is because I'm not inclined to conduct an examination of the state of English football that is sufficiently thorough and comparative to analyze Keegan's assertions.  It is true that since I've followed the English game (1998 or so), the title has been held by only three teams--Manchester United, Arsenal, and Chelsea.  And the top four are nearly always those three teams, plus Liverpool.  However, Everton finished fourth as recently as 2005 and both Newcastle United and Leeds United--currently residing in the "where-are-they-now" file--made several appearances during the past decade. 

[By the way, Soccer Orb has moved to http://soccerorb.wordpress.com]

OK, I am straying off-point already.  I know that the rich tend to get richer in the world of sport, especially in European soccer.  Teams that regularly appear in the Champions League have access to cash flows that open doors that will forever remain closed to lesser teams.  Everybody knows that.  But does that make the EPL boring?  Speaking from an American viewpoint--not at all. 

I'm not talking about this year's nail-biting race for the title, nor the relegation drama at the other end of the table.  What fascinates me are the multitude of competitions that define the English (and European) football seasons year after year.  I was reminded of this by today's UEFA Cup Final match between Glasgow Rangers and Zenit St. Petersburg.   Though not as prestigious nor lucrative as the Champions League, the UEFA Cup tournament is a long, grueling tournament that's a real prize.  It's a competition that's been held for nearly forty years.  Eighty clubs participate in the first round; over the years the most successful have been Juventus, Inter Milan, and Liverpool. 

I need hardly mention the magnitude of the Champions League.  Most American sports fans couldn't imagine an extra-league competition that runs simultaneously with the domestic league schedule (for fun, try suggesting this to an NFL or Major League Baseball fan).  And even though the CL format is a daunting one, where truly the best of the best slog through months of competition, it's not as if Champions League glory has always been reserved for a domestic league winner.  Liverpool finished in 5th place in 2005, yet won a great victory over AC Milan in the Champions League final. 

Then there's the FA Cup.  True, it lacks the prestige of Europe and the top English teams often field youthful, inexperienced players in the early rounds.  But Manchester United and Chelsea fought tooth and nail in the Cup final last May, if you'll remember.  Winning a "Double" is so difficult that it's been done only ten times since 1889 and just one team has ever won the Premiership, the FA Cup, and the Champions League.

I don't see a shortage of meaningful competition in English club soccer.  The relegation/promotion system that governs the many layers of competition in England guarantees that things get shaken up often enough in the lower half of the table to keep things interesting.  It's obvious that the top of the Premiership strongly resembles a very stable oligarchy, yet this doesn't trouble me.  Why?  Because real achievement seems to be measured by multiple trophies these days.  Those top clubs are held to higher standards that are more difficult to meet.  Doubles and trebles are rare and likely to remain so.  Moreover, competition among those top clubs is keen.  Were any supporters of Manchester United, Chelsea, or Arsenal bored this season?  I doubt it.

I understand that the examples I'm providing here don't really speak to Keegan's point, which is the unlikelihood of second or third-tier clubs breaking the top four's stranglehold on Premiership glory.  This is probably true.   And it won't change unless the FA bans its clubs from participating in lucrative European competitions.  Until that happens, those Brits who find the Premiership boring are welcome to take a trip across the pond.  Maybe they would like to see a baseball game...perhaps between the Chicago White Sox and Kansas City Royals.  Both teams were hopelessly out of contention--for anything at all--weeks before the 2007 season was over. With no threat of relegation, why did the fans even bother to show up?  To drink beer, eat hot dogs and peanuts?

Here's the new address:  http://soccerorb.wordpress.com/

I'm in the process of moving old posts, but I hope to start blogging for real again soon.

I'm going to add a couple of links to my list of fellow supporters. 

The first is Albion Road.  I'm not sure how long it's been around, but it's a terrific reference site.  There are extensive profiles of football clubs and leagues from around the world, as well as articles and book reviews.  And I am smitten with this site's name.  According to Wikipedia, "Albion" is the most ancient known name of Great Britain, so it's perfect for a website that's all about that sceptered isle's greatest gift to the world.  (And yes I am including Adam Smith, the Magna Carta, and Shakespeare among those gifts)!

I've recently discovered billsportsmaps.com, and it is just amazing.  You can pull up a map of pretty much every country with a pro league, click on one of its highlighted cities and see a display of basic info about the team's history--date of inception, number of titles, etc.--and a little graphic showing the team's colors.  This is not just limited to football/soccer.  There's American football, baseball, and even Negro league baseball.  I have just learned that the Chicago American Giants played from 1910-1952 and won two Negro world series titles.  And the Kansas City Monarchs played until 1965???  I had no idea that segregation in baseball lasted so long. 

Getting back to football...Bill also has attendance figures, pictures of grounds, and all sorts of other tidbits about various leagues (attendance in Ukraine, for example).  Oddly enough, there's a great map of the North American Soccer League, but none that I can find for Major League Soccer.  Not sure if that's an oversight or a Freudian slip of some sort...

One of these days I will make good on my promise to create a new, non-MSN blog...I really, truly will.