Last Saturday morning at 10 o'clock, I met Jay and his wife Val at Slainte in Fell's Point, to catch the FA Cup final between Liverpool and West Ham. And even if it hadn't been an incredible match that, unfortunately, had to end in penalty kicks, it still would have been a good time. Four of the six goals scored in regular time were nothing short of amazing (the other two goals, eh, not so great). And if Liverpool's Steven Gerrard isn't the best midfielder in Europe, he's surely in the top five.
But even if the match had really stunk, it was still a fantastic atmosphere: full pub, 10 am on a gorgeous, sunny day, a view of Thames Street and the harbor, a nice corned-beef Irish omelette, four - yeah, four - pints of Guinness, all before noon! OK, the last pint was ordered before noon and consumed afterwards, during extra time, but still, a nice way to start one's Saturday. Although I was dragging a bit come midday, it was worth it!
647 teams entered this year's FA Cup, these are clubs from all levels of English football, and the draws are completely random (no seeds). This year, as in many years, two Premiership teams made it to the final. But the idea that the little guys can go up against the giants of the sport, such as Liverpool, is pretty much a foreign concept with any other sport but soccer. Maybe that helps to explain its globabl popularity; lots of team sports are skill-based, but I can't think of any that rely less on the sheer size of the players than does soccer. So why hasn't the sport caught on as much in our corner of the world?
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