Cups, Alexis and Juve Fans

A whole whack of stuff!

Okay, let's start this again. I am feeling a bit better today so I decided to write and catch up on stuff.

1. Gold Cup
2. Women's World Cup
3. Swiss U21 Team
4. Alexis Sanchez
5. Juve fans

Gold Cup

I never really admitted this, but I really enjoy the Gold Cup. I think because I always have good memories watching it. Not, you know, good memories of the actual tournament (offsides and all), but good memories of enjoying the watching process.

Maybe it's because it's in the summertime, games are in the evening, and it's low key enough that I don't have idiots trying to wrongly discuss it with me (a lot of my problems with soccer stem from guys trying to talk to me about it and failing miserably, believe me, it's a lot more annoying than you actually think), but I love it. The Gold Cup, that is. Also, there's players (and, well, teams) that I don't normally get to see play and I enjoy seeing how they do. Because I'll be quite frank: watching Barca gets boring after a while.

And now that I had recently become a Canadian fan (for real!), I was looking forward to seeing their performance as well. Well, alright. Let's talk about that for a second.

Look, I'm a TFC fan, hell, I'm an Udinese fan (I know they've in vogue this season with Alexis, but there has been many, many, many, seasons of mediocrity prior to that); I know disappointment. I know what it's like to watch a team and honestly question (out loud, to the television), “what the fuck are you doing?” Especially with TFC. Don't get me wrong, I love them, I will always love them. Every game I think they will win. I have never gone into a game thinking, “they'll lose.” I mean, I am not totally shocked if they do, but I am still gutted. Wait-- I'll do a TFC post later.

Anyway, so Team Canada. I keep telling people, “no seriously, they're not bad.” Especially when all my Gold Cup memories have either been good, or have been, “well, we were robbed.” However, this year things changed for me. Now, I don't know if it's because I am now “fan” (I have watched Canada with the same enthusiasm as, let's say, Mexico in previous years, as in, I hope they do well, but I am not bothered if they don't), but this year I have become a bit more critical.

It's hard to watch something you like fail.

Not even fail, fail would mean that they were terrible. They weren't terrible, they just... I don't know... didn't do anything. I can't get angry with them, I can't get upset with them. I can just stare and go, “Huh. That's it then, eh?”

I watched the game against the States with my mum and dad (and Wieners). Now, this is the second game my mum has ever watched. Ever. In her life. The first was the postponed TFC – Van game and the second was this. She has avoided every World Cup, every Euro, every UCL, etc. game that has ever played in the house (despite the people who tend to show up for them and find their way in front of our television), and she decided to sit through these two.

Anyway, my dad and I keep trying to come up with excuses (well, okay, I was, my dad kept yelling how they were garbage and then a bunch of things in Italian) of why they weren't, I don't know? Winning? Doing what they were suppose to? But it wasn't as if the States demolished them. It's just that, well, Canada didn't really do anything.

I really can't explain it. And I couldn't explain it to my mother.

Maybe it's because I am still new to this, but the Canadian National Team baffles me. What, exactly, are they doing? I don't expect an answer, I'm just lost. It would just be so much easier if they were just plain bad.

Oh well, I suppose I have the rest of my life to figure that out. Go (still doesn't sound as nice as hopp) Canada! There's always 2014!

Women's World Cup

Oh, man am I excited! Morace is going to own! (With the team, with the team). I'm extremely excited for the match against Germany, Hopp Canada! (shh... leave me be). (More will be added on to this once the WWC actually starts).

Swiss U21

And on to the last major tournament right now (note: the Copa is too far away for me to think about yet). I know, I know, I'm biased, but holy shit have the Swiss been kicking ass. I like youth tournaments, I like seeing new talent that I don't realize I've been watching until Barca tries to buy them years later for a bajillion dollars:

(Sorry, they're really bad quality, it rained like a sonofabitch that night).

(also, probably, in that picture: Isla, Di María, and Agüero, among others. Probably).

Anyway, long story short, I am really enjoying the Swiss play right now. They actually kind of remind me of Udinese: not really that structured but young raw talent breaking through (and the ability to attack when historical/geographically you're a defensive team). Now, I don't think the Swiss will do very well in 2012, but I think they will give their group a run for their money in 2014, especially when this squads “grows up.”

I'm hoping for the a Swiss – Spain final. We have a good track record of beating the Spanish in major tournaments. (Fun fact: the Swiss aren't really good, just bad luck. The French also could not beat us in the group stage in 2006, and they went on to the final).

hopp Schweiz!

Alexis Sanchez

Please don't go to Barca. Please? Thanks!

Juve Fans

I don't like you.

Hopp,

scm.