I moved to Manhattan on the day of the 2006 World Cup Final. Spending the day in an Italian neighborhood in Brooklyn, watching Italy beat France, was my first real introduction to the passion that people had for soccer. A few months later when I was hired at an Irish bar that showed English Premier League games 24 hours a day I started paying attention to the game. Then, when a friend invited me to watch a Liverpool match a 7:30am at a bar that served alcohol and an Irish Breakfast, I was hooked.
Over the years my interest waned. I was no longer working in an Irish bar, and was no longer still awake most nights at 7:00am, when more beer and a greasy breakfast were irresistible. I will never be as die hard as some of my friends who bleed for clubs like Liverpool, Chelsea, and Manchester United. But I do like soccer and in an attempt to rekindle my relationship with the beautiful game I will be spending this rainy Tuesday afternoon watching the Champions League Quarter Finals pitting Manchester United Vs. Chelsea.
The Champions League features the top four teams from the previous season in each of the top leagues in the world. It is the most prolific tournament in soccer, other than the world cup, and is loosely similar in structure to March Madness, if it was spread out over months.
Man United Vs Chelsea is a great matchup for the casual soccer fan. It features two storied clubs with a few players that are easily recognizable, even if you don’t tune in every week. I will not pretend to know enough to give any sort of informed preview for today’s match. Instead I will be commenting on the game, as it happens, and publishing the commentary when the final whistle sounds.
Enjoy!
The match kicks off and the crowd at Old Trafford is old school Boston Garden loud.
Soccer fans sing songs and shout cheers throughout the match. It’s like fans a Laker game. Except for all the shouting and singing and caring about the actual game.
Not a lot of action so far, both teams feeling each other out like boxers in the first round of a big fight. A run down the right side by Wayne Rooney gets the crowd even more amped up but his cross bounces harmlessly across the middle.
At the 4 minute mark we get our first accidentally contact that results in a United player falling dramatically to the ground, and the United crowd acting wildly indignant.
Pretty back heeled pass by some guy named Park is cleared away by the Chelsea defense. United seems to be in complete control so far in the first 10 minutes.
Fernando Torres, the former Liverpool Striker who has been ineffective since his transfer to Chelsea, gets a header in the box that sails harmlessly wide. Two minutes later Torres finds Anelka for another shot on goal for Chelsea but it sails wide as well.
Rooney tries a shot on goal from Jimmer Freddette range and the Chealsea counter attack tests United keeper Edwin Van Der Sar who makes a sprawling save. Action starting to heat up at the 15 mark.
Chelsea has been in control for the last few minutes but a run by Rooney results in another United corner kick. Chelsea comes right back and earns a free kick but Frank Lampard bends it harmlessly over the goal.
Game has a punch, counterpunch feel to it, with Chelsea doing the punching. It makes sense since they are down 1-0 from the first leg. This means that if they score one goal today it would be tied 1-1 on aggregate.
23 minutes in and the crowd still singing!
Once again Chelsea is pushing their attack forward with United seemingly content to defend and counter attack when the opportunity. United’s methodical attack earns them another corner.
Goallllllllll!!! On a beautiful cross from Wayne Rooney.
But United was off sides and won’t count.
Nothing more anticlimactic in sports than a disallowed goal. BOOOOOOO
To their credit the announcers saw the off sides flag right away and didn’t get all Gus Johnson on us.
The attack did show how susceptible an attacking side can be to a skilled counterattack.
40 year old Edwin Van Der Sar with the play of the game so far! He came way out off his line, leaving the goal unprotected, and stole the ball from Chelsea striker player Anelka.
Another United counter attack draw a foul and a yellow card on Ramirez. They will get a free kick from just outside the box. It is cleared harmlessly away. One of the exciting things about watching soccer is that you can see the plays developing. You can see someone running down the sidelines and start getting excited about him getting the ball. With American football you see the quarterback throwing the ball up in the air, then the camera pans to the receiver. There is no spilt screen to see him shedding his defender with a beautiful juke, or throwing him to the ground in real time.
Pace has slowed down a little bit for the last few minutes.
At the 36th minute Chelsea has controlled the ball 56% of the time.
Not too much flopping so far. So we got that going for us, which is nice.
Another yellow card for Chelsea. Their third of the half. This time its for captain John Terry, who once bit off part of his tongue, got stitched and went right back onto the field.
GOOOOOOAALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL United
Just before the half they break through. This one won’t get called back and it puts them up 2-0 on aggregate. This means that Chelsea needs to score 2 goals in order to advance. Even though it would be tied 2-2, Chelsea would advance because they scored more away goals than United.
Half time. Be back soon with the second half, which I am going to attempt to cover live.
We’ll do it live!!
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