For whatever reason, I’m one of those people who become a soccer junkie every four years when the World Cup rolls around. If it’s on and I’m in front of a TV, I’ll watch soccer pretty much whenever to begin with, but I get panicked in the year leading up to the World Cup, worrying about whether I’m going to have to miss anyone’s birthday or wedding because there’s an important match on that day.
All of this got really bad in the summer of 2006, shortly after my husband and I met, because we spent a week of the World Cup in Boston. I always put that week in my list of ‘how I knew he was the one.’ Anyone who would suffer through a standing-room-only brunch with me just so we could watch England v. Ecuador had to be someone special.
Needless to say, I was pretty excited that the World Cup would be happening again this year. So excited, in fact, that I was trying to make plans with friends back in early 2009 as to where we would watch the first match. So excited that one of the first things I said when we decided, in May of 2008, that we were moving back to Pittsburgh, was, “WE CAN WATCH THE WORLD CUP ON THE EAST COAST!”
And so it went on the list. And while the US didn’t get as far as we would have liked, we sure enjoyed the ride!
On our porch, getting ready to brave the impossible heat on the walk down to the South Side to watch the US v. England match.
The US ties it up (a crappy goal, but a goal nonetheless)! We watched this game at Smokin’ Joes on the South Side.
Our very dear friend Jon celebrates the tying goal in the US v. Ghana game in the second round.
A tying goal means we’re headed into extra time! Our hearts were destined to be broken, but we were going to hold onto every minute we had!