Who Are Ya! Who Are Ya! ...Cheering For?

Missed Ms FootyNut's first post? Find it here.

Photo: Simon Bruty/Sports Illustrated

I have officially been bitten by the World Cup bug and I'm infecting several people I work with. Huzzah!

Like World Cup die-hard fans I've been trying to keep up with all the games. I can't watch them at work, but I do scan the news feeds for updates and once I know what their uniforms look like, I'm pretty good at playing the game in my head - Pass, pass, pass, pass, tackle, ball out of play, throw in, pass, pass...you get it. You may ask, "How is that satisfying?" Usually I just keep hoping anyone and everyone will score. I think that stems from growing up in Hockey Town where games are relatively "high scoring".

But now that I know a little bit more about this game, and the teams, I keep myself interested by always picking a side. I am one of those people that if I don't have an allegience, I always root for the underdog. For me this is also true in politics - I voted for Nader in '08.

This most recent round for Group B, I was rooting for South Korea because Park Ji-Sung is on that team, but also plays for Manchester United - Mr. FootyNut's Premireship team. And in Group A I was rooting for Mexico because, well, no one should be rooting for those dirty cheating French.

During the Greece/Nigeria game there was a short discussion on The Guardian's Minute By Minute about how South African fans are rooting for any African team because to them, a win for that team equals win for the continent (according to the comments on the Guardian). This is not a phenom that we've seen elsewhere, particularly Europe. A win for Germany wouldn't necessarily be highly celebrated in Spain or even England. Would we be happy if Mexico won? What about Canada (if they'd made it)? I haven't noticed this African bias with the Algerian game, anyone else?

While Mr. FootyNut and I are on a media black-out today (so we can watch the Group C games uninterrupted later tonight) debate these questions with us.

What do you think about the African bias? Are there other allegiances out there I don't know about? Who do you vote for when "your team" isn't playing? OR, is that tempting fate and you secretly wish there was a lose-lose option for everyone else?

Sitcky Summer Ahead for Manchester United

Manchester United secured their third consecutive and 18th overall topflight title with a gritty draw against London rivals Arsenal today at Old Trafford.

Comments made by manager Sir Alex Ferguson as well as players Cristiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney were filled with sentiments of inexpressible joy.

But while the team basks in a well-earned threepeat of Premier League titles, a storm brews in the wings.

As the Premier league season winds down and all eyes turn to the stage of all club stages - the UEFA Champions League final in Rome on May 27th - transfer rumors abound.

Currently, Carlos Tevez, the 24 year old Argentinian striker is the center of a maelstrom of speculation over his future. His 2 year loan deal at an end, Tevez and his represntation are seeking a higher profile for the striker at Old Trafford with stoic signals coming from management.

On the other side, the wunderkind and FIFA World Player of the Year, Cristiano Ronaldo has been linked (via hearsay mostly) to a number of Iberian sides. However, if Manchester United win in Rome and Ferguson works his magic, it seems likely that he will stay at Old Trafford.

In the end, Tevez's fate is more than likely up to Ronaldo. If Ronaldo leaves, Feurguson will surely look to keep Tevez in a 4-3-3 setup of sorts. But if Ronaldo stays, then Fergie can certainly afford to let the selfish striker go.

Only time will tell.

... And the Game Goes On

When it came to my footy teams, it was quite the weekend for controversial officiating.

One call was in my favor, the other was not. Just the ying and the yang of the universe, I suppose.


First up was the Manchester United Red Devils against Tottenham Hotspur FC.

Coming off a mid-week win and in the glowing haze of both draws for Chelsea and Liverpool, Manchester United was poised to take a firm 3 point lead with a game in hand, starting with a win against Spurs at home in Old Trafford.

Spurs had not won at Old Trafford since God knows when, so the stage was set for Manchester United to get firmly back in the drivers seat for a third-consecutive Premier League title.

But with a 2-0 score in favor of Spurs at half-time, a tangible sense of doubt and fear hung in the air around the ground.

Coming out of the dressing room for the second half, Man U looked inspired, but could still not produce any goals.

That was until Carrick drew a controversial penalty (the live text commentator at ESPN Soccernet through a royal shit fit over the call, chalking it up to a blind love of Man U) and Ronaldo capitalized on it in the 57th minute.

From there on out, Manchetser United was a team born anew. The next 20 minutes saw a brilliant attacking display from the Red Devils, with FOUR MORE GOALS. By the time Berbatov netted his goal in the 78th minute, I can only imagine the best way to describe everyone in Tottenham and the the rest of the league as "shell-shocked." The final score? Manchester United 5, Tottenham 2.

Where the season goes from here is anybody's guess, but along with Macheda's wonder goal against Aston Villa, the penalty that ignited Man U will be looked back as an important moment of the campaign.

On the other side of the pond, Saturday evening found me at Columbus's Crew Stadium, eagerly awaiting yet another clash of the Midwest rivalry cultivated between the Crew and the Chicago Fire.

The Crew came into the game as defending MLS champions but without a win in their first five games. But with a beautiful night at home and an pulsating crowd, this seemed to be the night.

The game was many things, but boring was not one of them.

The Crew hit the ground running and for the first time since last November, they looked like a championship-winning squad. By the end of the first half, the score was 2-0 to the Crew, with a trademark goal by Chad Marshall and a brilliant display of composure in front of goal by Alejandro Moreno.

But just as in the Manchester/Tottenham game, the officials would have something to say about the night's outcome. This time it was in the form of a less than convincing straight red card to the Crew's left-back Gino Padula just before the hour mark.

What made the card all the more controversial was the referee's apparent lack of interest in a majority of fouls committed in the rest of the game. As a Crew fan, it felt like the referee saw Padula's tackle and suddenly remembered he had a set of cards in his pocket.

From there on out, the Fire merely wore the Crew down and equalized with two goals in the last five mintues of regulation time.

The hunt for a Columbus win continues.

Old But Funny

From British coverage of the 2006 World Cup: