Where were you eight years ago?

I was in my near east side apartment in Madison, WI. The alarm sounded sometime after midnight, I dragged myself into the living room and turned on the TV.

I was joined within a few minutes by my wife (then girlfriend), then shortly by two of my Celtics teammates, Brandon and Dan. Both lived in the neighborhood and didn't have cable.

We sipped OJ and ate doughnuts while watching the USA defeat Mexico 2-0 in the quarterfinal of the 2002 World Cup. Goals from Brian McBride and Landon Donovan had us cheering and dancing through the night.

Today the USA is back in the quarterfinals. The opponent is different - Ghana. The menu will be different - brats, potato salad, and brownies with the OJ replaced by beer. The group will be a different mix - four sleepy adults replaced with parents, kids in tow.

The vibe will be the same, a good group of people drawn together by the beautiful game, ready to cheer on the red, white, and blue. Win or lose we will have a good time and be proud of the men wearing the crest of the USA.

This is just one of the reasons I love, love, love this game.

Oh the Hypocrisy...

One week ago I posted how easy it was to root against the French without Zidane in the line-up.

Well that lasted about one week until kick-off of their game against Mexico. Theoretically I should root for the USA's CONCACAF brethren, but I just can't do it. I really, really, really dislike Mexico. Apparently more than the French.

Oh well, back to the game.

Edit/Update...

Well that stunk. Mexico needs just a tie to advance to the knockout stages. France is in deep, deep trouble.

Two takeaways from opening day...

Very tired and a bit under the weather, however in brief:

(1) With Zidane no longer playing it is so very, very easy to root against the French. I could never muster too much disdain for them when he was involved, however it was a joy to watch their frustrations today. I especially enjoyed the occasions where five French attackers would stand around and watch a sixth (usually Anelka) try and dribble/bull his way through multiple defenders, inevitably turning the ball over.

(2) Mexico does not discriminate when it comes to post match subs. I've always assumed it was a special hatred for the USA that caused the national team to leave the pitch without shaking hands with their opponents, especially following a disappointing result. Well, tonight they proved me wrong, snubbing the South Africans. In pointed contrast were the Uruguay and French teams embracing and exchanging shirts after their match.