UPDATE: Groin pounding from the MLS game after the jump.
In a few hours, the Euro 2008 final will commence in Vienna with Germany and Spain renewing a rivalry that… okay, has never really existed. Both teams will be missing perhaps their best player (Michael Ballack for Germany; David Villa for Spain), leaving the outcome of the match in serious doubt. Therefore, as the kids say, you’ll have to tune in: same Euro time, same Euro channel.
(We’ll be snarking away like one of the gals here during the match, and then checking out the analysis here.)
We’ll also be taking in the undercard at noon ET, much to the glee of MLS: they’ve put the two most popular and famous teams in the league on national television just before the Euro 2008 final in hopes of reminding everyone that football soccer is still played in America and isn’t that cool and did you see we have David Beckham?
The L.A. Galaxy (David Beckham and the Galaxettes) will play in RFK against D.C. United in the matchup of the highest-scoring and most exciting team against the team with the most insane soccer fans in the United States. (Best of luck catching up to Toronto, Barra Brava.)
We don’t know if it will be the most skilled soccer (no, we know: it won’t be), but it will be up and down more than Sunday Mass and only slightly less fervent. This might be the best day of footie for an American audience in some time. So, y’know: c’mon c’mon c’mon c’mon c’mon c’mon check it out.
UPDATE: This is from the first two minutes of the MLS opener after a point blank ball-on-ball play. Seriously, you should be watching.
12:41 pm on June 29th, 2008
MLS is just shot in such a minor league way. Someone needs to get ahold of the FIFA, UEFA, or Prem League camera guys.
12:52 pm on June 29th, 2008
Prem League games feel more cinematic. I’m not sure how that translates to the technical team, but there’s obvious heft that’s missing from MLS work.
1:12 pm on June 29th, 2008
I still can’t get over that the Brits weren’t in Euro to get drummed out by Poland in the quarterfinals. Wasn’t the same.
1:14 pm on June 29th, 2008
Notes:
Ballack’s in for the match.
FIFA’s talking about expanding the European Championship to 24 teams. I hope they call it the England Rule.
It’s 2-1 D.C. United at the half and defense is optional.
1:32 pm on June 29th, 2008
Tuffy — nah, they’ll call it the Scottish Rule; as the Scots proposed it since they hadn’t made a Euro Finals since the early 90s or something like that.
I think it’s where they place the cameras and how the stadia are built. I sense the dimensions of European football stadia are different than our soccer-only and mixed use facilities. Overseas games just look better and have better angles.
Brooks - you’re right. International competition doesn’t feel like international competition if the English aren’t there to suck.