I think it’s nearing a point where we can say that soccer fever is sweeping the nation. Certainly, not everyone cares for it, but again, not everyone cares for hockey or baseball, for example. Heck, Eric and myself absolutely despise the NBA.
One of the nice things about soccer, is that there is that there are so many events year in and year out, and you can care about them based entirely on your local affiliation. Other fans just want to go where the soccer is at it’s best.
Domestically, you can cheer for a town team, which doesn’t really make much sense in the States, because it’s not really a local game, so I cheer for the team of my grandmother’s hometown, Rosenborg. You can also cheer for the international competitions. Here, I root for the good old US of A in the World Cup (of which the qualifying is set to begin tomorrow against Antigua and Barbuda). This summer, however, instead of the World Cup, we have the European Championships, or the Euro, as it’s colloquially known.
This would be a case of going to where the soccer is the best. This is why I follow the EPL, because it is some of the best, most competitive soccer in the world. This is why, if you are a soccer fan, you are watching the Euro. It is the best international competition in the world this year.
European teams are usually some of the best in the world, and the two finalists in 2010’s World Cup, the Netherlands and Spain are going to be involved this year. My pick is for the Dutch to top Spain in a rematch of the World Cup. Whatever happens, from tomorrow’s first game between Greece and Poland to the very end of the tournament, you will be rest assured of some top level soccer. If that’s your thing, then you should probably try to catch a match or two. I know I plan on it, even if I don’t really have a rooting interest in mind.
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