This particular article definitely made me lose my cool. I consider myself a reasonably knowledgeable fan given that I scan 2 or 3 soccer websites a day and like to watch 1 or 2 games per weekend. The article had some decent insights but also included a few ridiculous errors. The article states early on that Jose Mourinho is the coach of Juventus (he actually coaches Inter) which is the equivalent of me stating that Bill Belichick coaches the Colts. If a Canadian paper had made that error about an NHL team, the writer or the editor would be fired in a heartbeat. It’s an indication of where soccer fits in the pecking order, which is hard for us true fans to comprehend.
As a quick side note, I refer to the game as “soccer” despite the rest of the world calling it football. It’s not that I have no respect for the rest of the world, but it would be pretty confusing here in North America since I also like to write about North American football.
Another example of the difficulty of following “The Beautiful Game” here is the lack of promotion for big games. This weekend, I can think of 2 titanic clashes that will be on TV and most people don’t even know they’re happening. Manchester United will play versus Arsenal in the English Premier League (EPL) in a clash of 2 “Big Four” clubs. On the peninsula, Inter Milan face AC Milan this weekend in the first of two Derby della Madonnina’s this year. Both clashes pit top 4 teams against each other in games that have major influence on how the big teams finish the season. The papers don’t tout the matchups, and since the major sports networks rarely pick up games, they don’t hype the clashes as much. With ESPN picking up some EPL games from Setanta sports, that may change.
Unfortunately, with the low media coverage and the lack of hype for the big games, most of us sports fans in North America never get exposed to soccer. I am 32 years old, an absolute sports fanatic and really never followed soccer seriously until 4 years ago. I was converted by a couple special experiences. In 2004, while in Portugal, my wife and I got a chance to watch a Portugal vs Estonia match for World Cup qualification in a small neighborhood pub in Oporto. Portugal won 4-0, but it was scoreless until the 75th minute. The crowd in the pub was more nervous than a mailman delivering to Mike Vick's house. If they suffered a draw versus Estonia, they might miss the big dance. Then, a young Cristiano Ronaldo erupted with a towering headed goal. The place went nuts. Ronaldo to Portugal was like Sidney Crosby is to Canadians, a hope for glory.
Later in the game, he terrorized the right wing with dribbles and faints, that left the Estonia left back in disarray, before unleashing a pinpoint cross into the box for another Portugal goal. The win was in the books. That game made me a soccer fan. Not because it was an epic clash between two titanic teams, but because I got to experience the intensity of a match with the fans it meant something to. Not only that, but Ronaldo was only 19 years old and not starting regularly for Man U, so I feel like I witnessed one of the formative performances of the best player in the world.
Given that my in-laws are originally from Italy, I have definitely had the inclination to follow the Italian Serie A. Talking soccer (it’s called calcio in Italy) with people who have watched it their whole life gives a different perspective entirely. Following the 2006 World Cup and cheering for Italy was absolutely exhilarating. Every game was tight, the Final came down to penalty kicks and the Italians pulled it off. I couldn’t ask for a better introduction to my first time cheering for a specific team and being completely invested in them. Fabio Grosso even earned the nickname “The Iceman” in our circle for his ability to draw the winning penalty versus Australia, to score the OT winner versus Germany and to finish off France with the final penalty for the title.
And finally, in 2007, I attended my first live European soccer match. It was in Berlin, at the Olympiastadion, where the 2006 World Cup final was played. I saw a match between Hertha Berlin and Werder Bremen. The experience was surreal and I recommend it to anyone. Fans sing and chant all game, they don’t need to be prompted by a jumbotron and the atmosphere is electric. Unfortunately for my experience, Hertha got pummeled, but I’m now a Hertha fan for life, despite the fact they’ve never won a title. The only sporting events I’ve ever attended with that type of atmosphere were both World Junior Hockey Championship games. The first was in Red Deer in 1995 pitting Canada versus Sweden and we had already clinched the Gold. Team Canada was playing for the first perfect record ever in the WJHC. The second game was in 2005 at the semi-finals versus the Czech Republic. Both of those games had ~10,000 people in attendance, the Hertha game had ~60,000. They’re not even on the same scale.Each major league has something different to offer.
The Premier League offers speed and strength along with very physical play up and down the field. Unfortunately, it’s one of the least competitive leagues top-to-bottom with rarely anyone other than Manchester United, Chelsea, Liverpool & Arsenal winning Champions League spots. That may change this year with the players Manchester City has brought in.
Serie A in Italy is very tactical, calculating and defensive. The league is dominated by Inter, Milan and Juventus but teams like Fiorentina, Roma, Napoli, Palermo, Genoa, Sampdoria and Udinese are all capable of stealing one of the coveted Champions League spots from the big boys.
The Spanish league (La Liga) is the least enjoyable, in my mind, due to it’s complete domination by two teams (Real Madrid and Barcelona) and the ref's penchant for calling so many soft fouls. This encourages a behavior referred to as "gamesmanship", which is a fancy word for diving.
As I wrote earlier, I believe the German Bundesliga is the best combination of offensive play, well-balanced teams and great atmosphere.
My advice, if you’re interested, is to pick a league that you can see regularly on TV, pick a team for whatever reason you like (nice jerseys, possible vacation destination or just like some of their players) and follow them. You’ll get sucked in, trust me. It’s a great way to spend a Saturday or Sunday morning. Whether it's the first time you witness a beautifully accurate cross, a perfectly weighted through-ball, an ankle-breaking backheel or a thunderous, swerving volley, you'll be hooked.
The Premier League offers speed and strength along with very physical play up and down the field. Unfortunately, it’s one of the least competitive leagues top-to-bottom with rarely anyone other than Manchester United, Chelsea, Liverpool & Arsenal winning Champions League spots. That may change this year with the players Manchester City has brought in.
Serie A in Italy is very tactical, calculating and defensive. The league is dominated by Inter, Milan and Juventus but teams like Fiorentina, Roma, Napoli, Palermo, Genoa, Sampdoria and Udinese are all capable of stealing one of the coveted Champions League spots from the big boys.
The Spanish league (La Liga) is the least enjoyable, in my mind, due to it’s complete domination by two teams (Real Madrid and Barcelona) and the ref's penchant for calling so many soft fouls. This encourages a behavior referred to as "gamesmanship", which is a fancy word for diving.
As I wrote earlier, I believe the German Bundesliga is the best combination of offensive play, well-balanced teams and great atmosphere.
My advice, if you’re interested, is to pick a league that you can see regularly on TV, pick a team for whatever reason you like (nice jerseys, possible vacation destination or just like some of their players) and follow them. You’ll get sucked in, trust me. It’s a great way to spend a Saturday or Sunday morning. Whether it's the first time you witness a beautifully accurate cross, a perfectly weighted through-ball, an ankle-breaking backheel or a thunderous, swerving volley, you'll be hooked.
The other, extremely enjoyable aspect to European soccer is the UEFA Champions League. The top teams from each league are entered into a season-long tournament that pits them against the best teams from other leagues. There is a group stage where each team plays the other 3 teams in their pool twice and the top 2 from each group advance. Teams are then squared off in the knockout stages where they play a home-and-home against their opponents and the team with the most goals on aggregate over the 2 games advance. If it’s a tie, the team who scored the most goals on the “away” leg of the series moves on, so it definitely promotes being offensive.
I wish Canadian hockey would adopt some aspects of the way soccer leagues are organized in Europe. In most major leagues, there is a first division (like the NHL) and several lower divisions. In North America, we have the major leagues and minor leagues that feed players to the big league. In Europe, those minor leagues are independent and have the chance to get promoted to the big leagues if they finish high enough. Usually the top 2 or 3 teams in the 2nd division are promoted to the 1st division and the bottom 2 or 3 teams in the first division are relegated to the 2nd division.
Imagine how stressful it is to be at the bottom of the league near the end of the season or how euphoric it can be to be at the top of the 2nd division. What if we gave the top 3 draft picks each year to the 3 teams that were promoted? I don’t think you’d see teams tank for the top pick each year. What if a smaller city like Hamilton, Saskatoon or Kamloops got promoted? How great would it be for the fans in those cities? No more teams being relocated, they’d just get relegated. This could work for the NFL too, with teams in places like Portland, Oklahoma City, Columbus, Memphis, Las Vegas and Portland making a 2nd division instead of all these attempted breakaway leagues like the USFL, the XFL and now the AFL. Ok, I’ve digressed from pure soccer talk, but it’s something I feel strongly about.
Imagine how stressful it is to be at the bottom of the league near the end of the season or how euphoric it can be to be at the top of the 2nd division. What if we gave the top 3 draft picks each year to the 3 teams that were promoted? I don’t think you’d see teams tank for the top pick each year. What if a smaller city like Hamilton, Saskatoon or Kamloops got promoted? How great would it be for the fans in those cities? No more teams being relocated, they’d just get relegated. This could work for the NFL too, with teams in places like Portland, Oklahoma City, Columbus, Memphis, Las Vegas and Portland making a 2nd division instead of all these attempted breakaway leagues like the USFL, the XFL and now the AFL. Ok, I’ve digressed from pure soccer talk, but it’s something I feel strongly about.
Having the multiple divisions in European football means that every town has a team, whether they’re a first division powerhouse or a perennial contender in the 3rd and 4th divisions. It creates better local rivalries and more fan involvement, as well as an outlet for cheaper tickets, which is good for the fans who want the live experience.
For those that want to read up on the world of soccer, I would recommend Goal.com for general news across multiple leagues, but watch out as it can be gossip-driven. Football Italia is a great website for English speaking fans of calcio and the UK paper The Guardian is great for coverage on the EPL along with side articles about the Bundesliga and Serie A. Fox Sports also does a decent job. My latest favorite is The Bleacher Report, which is driven by writers like myself, as it will help you connect with real fans of the different leagues.
Now that the Serie A, EPL and Bundesliga are all underway, be prepared to see more articles on soccer. In the interest of full disclosure, I cheer for a very specific team in each league, so I’m sure I’m biased to some degree. In Italy, I cheer for AC Milan given that when I first started following soccer, I thought Andriy Shevchenko was quite possibly one of the most perfect strikers ever created. I cheer for Arsenal in the EPL because I think they play some of the most creative and appealing offensive soccer around and I cheer for Hertha Berlin in the Bundesliga merely because they represent my first live soccer experience.
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