World Cup

I have to admit, I’ve never been much of a football (soccer) fan. I played (if you want to call it that) a little in my neighbor’s yard as a kid, I’ve had friends who played in high school and post college so I’ve gone to their games, but it was mostly to support them and go for beers after (at least post-college). I didn’t know the difference between a yellow or red card, although I knew red was worse. I never really understood how this magical extra time was added on at the end. I’ve rooted for both men’s and women’s USA teams the last few times either was playing.

But this fall, I’ve watched a lot of World Cup coverage. And I have to admit, I’ve gotten a bit caught up in “the beautiful game”. I’ve also had time to watch games, something I’ve never had during the World Cup before. I’ve been taken in by Argentina’s Lionel Messi and by the sit/start drama of Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo. I’ve admired the grit and determination of Christian Pulisic of team USA. I’ve been at the edge of my seat during games which went to shoot outs and, of course, cheered and rooted passionately for both the US and Portugal teams.

Now that both of my favored teams are out (too late for a spoiler alert, I guess, but if you’re reading this on publication date you probably know the outcome of those matches anyway) I’ll most likely be rooting for the underdogs. It would be fun to see Morocco be the first African team to hoist the Cup.

A few weeks from now, America’s attention will turn to the playoffs and college Bowl Games of the other football, but this fall, it’s been fun to get drawn in and all the watching has made us excited to choose a Portuguese Premier League team to get behind when we return next year.