Men's Soccer 2019

[mountainred]

FWIW, I also like Rugby (Union) and Aussie Rules Footy.

No love for hurling?

[David Harding]

I was a soccer agnostic most of my life, but with my son adopting soccer as his favorite participatory sport (he's now a senior playing left wing on a high school team currently ranked #5 in Class A in New York State) I've come to really enjoy the nuances of the game.

The more I watch it the more I like it, just like hockey and cricket.

Wow.  Someone else who watches cricket!

We are a cosmopolitan bunch, aren't we?

Got into it because all our local Indian restaurants carry Willow.

I wish my cable did.  I didn't even know about Willow until I was visiting my sister last month during The Ashes. She has it on her cable (although I'm pretty sure it was the first time anyone ever watched it on her TV).  A couple years ago, Eleven Sports was carrying cricket, so I got to watch some, but it appears it's all moved to Willow.  And all our local Indian restaurants have Bollywood movies running, not cricket.

I discovered cricket back in 1993.  I was at a chemical plant start-up in Taiwan.  Our hotel only had three channels in English: CNN, BBC World News, and Star Sports (from Hong Kong).  You could only watch the first 2 for about 15 minutes before they started repeating, so that left the third.  There was some test series happening at the time that was on Star Sports every night when we got back from work. I put it on as background noise, but eventually started paying attention.  Fortunately, a British co-worker had explained the basics of scoring to me, so getting the rest of it came rather easy.

FWIW, I also like Rugby (Union) and Aussie Rules Footy.

My mother took me to a cricket match at Hoy Field somewhere around 1960.  Her father was from Australia and must have played, but he was long since dead by then.  If I remember correctly, it was mostly graduate students from around the Commonwealth.  We chatted with the a couple of the players on the batting team and got a feeling for the rules and the culture.  It was very interesting at the time and provided context for decades of references, but it didn't inspire me to play or follow the sport.  A distant cousin from Australia visiting last weekend with some friends found a Chicago bar where they could watch an Aussie rules football playoff game starting at midnight Chicago time.  
My daughter's boyfriend is a hurling player.

[Trotsky]

My grad school softball team had an OF who played cricket in India.  He played without a glove and way hilarious and amazing.

[Jeff Hopkins '82]

FWIW, I also like Rugby (Union) and Aussie Rules Footy.

No love for hurling?

You mean "Micks with sticks?"  Up Tipp!

[Jeff Hopkins '82]

A distant cousin from Australia visiting last weekend with some friends found a Chicago bar where they could watch an Aussie rules football playoff game starting at midnight Chicago time.  

That would have been the Grand Final - The Super Bowl of Footy.  It was a blow-out.  And my favorite team was eliminated in the semis.

I actually went to a game at the MCG in Melbourne about 20 years ago.  It was a blast.

[Swampy]

To be completely honest, I want to like cricket. I even tried to learn about it my family's 1974 World Book Encyclopedia. What I learned doesn't jive at all with what I see when I try to watch it.

My advice is put it on in the background and let it seep in.  It's sports wallpaper. Little by little it will start to make some sense.  Then it will become cool.  Then it will become fascinating.  As with any foreign language, just keep it running and let you head background process it.

I played cricket once. Best part was taking a break for tea at halftime. (Do they call it halftime?) Great tea and chocolate cake. Yum! -- Not at all like those shitty oranges they gave us at halftime when I played lacrosse.

[Trotsky]

Not at all like those shitty oranges they gave us at halftime when I played lacrosse.

They were out of passed out underage coeds?

[Swampy]

Not at all like those shitty oranges they gave us at halftime when I played lacrosse.

They were out of passed out underage coeds?

That was a different sport.

[ugarte]

really hoping the soccer team plays another game soon

[Trotsky]

Not at all like those shitty oranges they gave us at halftime when I played lacrosse.

They were out of passed out underage coeds?

That was a different sport.

I'll say.

[Al DeFlorio]

really hoping the soccer team plays another game soon

I was thinking that, too.

[Jeff Hopkins '82]

Just discovered the CU - Penn soccer Match on CSN Philly.  Currently 2-1 Penn with 15 mins left in the 1St half.

[Al DeFlorio]

Just discovered the CU - Penn soccer Match on CSN Philly.  Currently 2-1 Penn with 15 mins left in the 1St half.

Puzzled by the call giving Penn a penalty kick...and the lead.

[ugarte]

Just discovered the CU - Penn soccer Match on CSN Philly.  Currently 2-1 Penn with 15 mins left in the 1St half.

Puzzled by the call giving Penn a penalty kick...and the lead.

clear handball in the box. not exactly intentional but very clear.

[Al DeFlorio]

Just discovered the CU - Penn soccer Match on CSN Philly.  Currently 2-1 Penn with 15 mins left in the 1St half.

Puzzled by the call giving Penn a penalty kick...and the lead.

clear handball in the box. not exactly intentional but very clear.

Got it.  Thanks.  Had audio turned off.