6/20/06 The BOSTON GLOBE reports ABC’s Italy-U.S World Cup match earned a 5.2 overnight Nielsen rating, the highest overnight rating for a World Cup match on the network since the 1998 Brazil-France championship match, which registered a 7.0. I watched the game in Rome surrounded by Italians, at a bar nestled next to the ancient Tiber river:

Also in the past 10 days, I endured the U.S.-Czech debacle in Germany in person, before stopping off in Prague for some sightseeing. Contrary to what you might think, most Europeans (on the continent at least) aren’t following group play that closely, save the fortunes of their home country. When the home team isn’t hitting the pitch, the group games are a casual diversion at best. The closest thing to the World Cup in the U.S. is the NCAA hoops tournament. Much like March Madness, the World Cup field features anonymous entries like Tunisia, Togo and Angola (don’t tell that to Mexico). And like American roundball fans, the only thing that keeps European footie fans focused on the early games is an office pool or friendly wager. But Saturday night, when the Italians strapped on their boots for The Boot, time stood still in Rome. The outdoor establishment where I witnessed the game was largely empty during the previous game that night, between Czech and Ghana. But moments after the final whistle to signal Ghana’s upset, hundreds of Romans started streaming down cement stairs to the river-banked bar. The crowd for the game was surprisingly subdued, exploding only when Italy scored its lone goal in the first half. Beyond that, fans were content to socialize and smoke the night away as Italy sleepwalked through a 1-1 draw with the U.S. The only thing worth noting that night was the high percentage of female fans in attendance. Stateside sports bars are sausage-fests when the big games roll around. But women made up nearly half of the gathering that night - and seemed just as vocal as their male counterparts. I guess that make sense, considering the most popular billboard in and around Rome features five of the Italian players posing in their underwear.