Saturday With Fellow Blues

So this past Saturday I decided to drive south on the Pennsylvania Turnpike to Philadelphia to watch Chelsea v Newcastle.  I have had the desire to go to Philly to watch a match for a while now, mainly because I usually watch by myself as most of my friends aren't too keen to watch football from 8am-5pm.  I always figured there were pubs there where they showed soccer but I did not know where they were exactly. On my tour of Stamford Bridge in April, I saw a banner for the Philly Blues so I figured this was the best place to start.

I found the Philly Blues website and saw that they meet at a pub called Tir na nOg.  I went on Twitter to confirm that they actually met there every match day and they did.

I got to Philly around 10:15 am so I could watch Manchester Utd v Fulham before Chelsea.  At first I could not find the pub, but as I walked around a little while, I saw a blue sign for the entrance.  Located just across from the famous Love Park, Tir na nOg is a small pub located on a corner by a back alley.  If you were not looking for it, you would most likely miss it.

When I opened the door, I felt like I was back in the UK.  The lighting, the furniture, the sounds, the beer, everything felt right.  I ordered a beer from the bartender who was Irish.  I sat down and enjoyed the Man Utd match.  Towards the end of the match, Chelsea fans started flowing in.  What a sight to see! Finally I would be able to talk football with people who actually knew what they were talking about.

Beer was flowing, conversations left and right about new signings, old players, strategies, managers, anything and everything was football.  I had finally found a place to go to enjoy matches, have a few beers, and meet new people who I shared a common interest with.

It was great meeting new people and watching Chelsea stay atop the Premier League with a 2-0 win over Newcastle at the Bridge.  I will definitely be back more often than not to watch not only Chelsea, but other football matches.

Blue is the color!

Week 1 Review

I cannot tell you how excited I was for this weekend.  I have never been more ready for the start of the Premier League season.  Still on a high from the Champions League, I just wanted everything to get underway.  New signings, newly promoted teams, and anticipation of what 2012 and 2013 would have in store for us.  If week 1 was a preview for what we can expect for the next 9+ months, I cannot wait to see what is in store for us!

The first two matches I watched were WBA v Liverpool and Arsenal v Sunderland.  I could not have been more happy to not only lose, but to get humiliated by a middle to bottom of the table side in WBA.  Gera had a magnificent volley from just outside the box in the first half.  Suarez looked very good for Liverpool but was never able to put one in.  Agger's red card was a killer and WBA were able to capitalize on the man advantage.  It was also great to see Lukaku get a goal as a substitute.  I wish him the best and it seems he could have a great season ahead of him while he is on loan away from Stamford Bridge. 

Arsenal's lone bright spot was Santi Cazorla.  He had a few nice attempts on goal and always seemed to be involved for the entire 90 minutes.  It is clear that the Gunners lacked a presence up front without RVP.  A missed opportunity from Giroud late kept the score at 0-0 as both teams took 1 point.

Newcastle v Tottenham provided some excitement as well.  Demba Ba scored first with a great shot from inside the box towards to far post and into the side netting.  Spurs equalized with Defoe staying active in front of the goal and putting it past Krul after he made a nice save on the first attempt.  Ben Arfa was able to earn a penalty late in the 2nd half to put NUFC up 2-1 as that was the final score.  As expected, AVB keeps on losing despite his more casual choice in clothing.

Ah yes, Sunday morning.  Torres shirt on, scarf around my neck, I was ready for Chelsea to start their season.  We could not have had a better start to the year as Hazard stole the show.  A nice turn and pass  found Ivanovic down the right side and the Serbian slotted it home within 2 minutes.  Hazard was able to earn a penalty only a few minutes later and Lampard finished to make it 2-0.  We had a few more opportunities throughout the game.  Torres came close as he was able to get a touch on the ball as he was falling but it was cleared off the line.  Oscar made his Blues debut and took a shot that went inches wide.  Overall, I was please with the way we played.  Wigan had only 1 decent look at goal but it was headed wide. Our chemistry will get better as the season progresses and it is clear we will get better week by week.  Once our new signings become more accustomed to each other play styles, we will be extremely dangerous.

Man City played and exciting game against newly promoted Southampton.  Down 2-1, City were able to come back and get 3 points with a 3-2 win.  City did not play too well, or at least as well as you would expect from the defending champions playing a promoted side.  They seemed off a bit and will have trouble if they continue to play the was they did on Sunday.

Monday night gave us a highly anticipated match between Everton and Man Utd. RVP started on the bench and came on in the second half 10 minutes after Fellaini gave Everton the lead with a header.  Man Utd never gave Everton much pressure as the Toffees sat back after taking their 1-0 lead.  RVP had a nice pass to Kagawa but it was just out of his reach.  The game ended 1-0 as Everton stunned the Red Devils.  

With goals scored in every match, there was not a boring game all weekend.  Although it was only week 1, it seems there will be a lot of drama in store.  Top teams were disappointing, promoted teams looked amped and ready to go.  I cannot wait for what the next 37 weeks will provide us.

It doesn't get much better than having Liverpool and Man Utd lose in the same weekend!

KTBFFH

Why Chelsea?

A lot of my friends ask me why I like soccer so much.  They say, "You played football (American) and  all you talk about now is soccer and Chelsea!" This is a fair question, one that I ask myself sometimes as well.  6 years ago, I was a 16 year high school kid playing your typical American sports and the last thing on my mind was soccer.  I knew a few teams like Manchester United, surprise there, and Real Madrid, Barcelona, Liverpool, and Chelsea.  Pretty much all the big teams that most sports fans in American know.  That summer, 2006, was the World Cup in Germany and the beginning of my love for Chelsea and soccer in general. 

When I tuned into the World Cup, I really just wanted to watch the United States because I knew the majority of the players.  This was somewhat difficult because of the start time of games and what was actually on TV.  With little soccer coverage in the United States at the time, I was pretty limited on what I could watch, even though it was on ESPN.  I remember coming home from work to watch highlights and to catch the end of the later games.  This was when I watched the Ivory Coast play in the group stage and I saw Didier Drogba for the first time.

At 16, I was about 6'4", 260 pounds.  I knew that if I would ever play soccer I would have to play physically, and use my body to my advantage.  I saw this in Drogba and he instantly became my favorite player.  I did not know who he played for on the club level, only that he was an amazing force from an African country I could not even locate on a map.  I loved how he controlled the ball for being such an imposing player.  I remember I heard an announcer say he played for Chelsea and obviously that name rang a bell in my head.  As soon as I could, I went and bought FIFA and played with Chelsea.  I gave Didier the ball as much as I could and only tried to score with him.  I played tournaments with my friends throughout the World Cup and I did not even care if I lost, I just wanted him to score.  

Once the World Cup was over, my enthusiasm for soccer died a little but I continued to play FIFA which helped me learn who other players were.  With our lack of coverage of football in the US, there was really no other way for me to learn teams and players other than a video game.  There was no doubt in my mind that Chelsea was my team and as long as Drogba played for them, there was nothing that was going to change that.

In the summer of 2007, Chelsea had a tour in the US.  David Beckham had recently signed for the LA Galaxy so there was a lot of attention on soccer that summer.  Chelsea had a match against the Galaxy on ESPN and it was the first time I was going to be able to see Chelsea play on TV. I was pretty excited as I had learned who most of the top players were for the Blues at this point such as Terry, Lampard, Cech, Cole, and of course, Drogba.  I could not wait to see him play.  I can still remember Chelsea winning 1-0 with John Terry scoring the lone goal.  

With my interest increasing, I would check online every week or so to see how Chelsea was doing.  This was how I followed the team for the whole 2007-2008 campaign.  The next match I got to see on TV was the Champions League Final against Manchester United.

In the US, primetime matches come on at 2:45 PM EST.  We got out of school at 2:41.  I ran to the parking lot with my friend and drove to his house and turned the game on instantly.  I was glued to the TV the whole match.  I knew that this game was big, but at the time I did not realize how big.  When it went to penalties, I was nervous and excited at the same time.  I knew this was going to be a dramatic ending to an important match.  I was jumping all over the room for each shot, as each player stepped up, hoping, praying, the boys in blue would score and next that Cech would make a save.  Unfortunately, we all know how this game ended that rainy night in Moscow.  I could not believe Terry's miss.  Then Kalou scores, and of course, Van der Sar's save against Anelka.  I was so upset.  Of all the teams to win it had to be Manchester United, the biggest bandwagon team in America.  

The next campaign I followed closer than ever.  By this time, ESPN was beginning to broadcast more games on TV.  Most of these games were only big matches between bigger clubs like Liverpool, Arsenal, Manchester United, and Chelsea.  Although I was only able to watch a handful of games, I was really beginning to catch the "Chelsea Fever."  My interest grew and grew and my emotions started getting involved more and more with each match I watched.  The big match this year was against Barcelona in the Champions League Semifinals.  I do not even know where to begin with this match.  This was the first time I truly felt anger after a game.  I never felt this way about an American football, basketball, hockey, or baseball game.  This anger was on the verge of rage.  I remember creating a Facebook group about Tom Henning Ovrebo. This group had over 2,000 people join within 24 hours.  I was pretty excited to see all these people join a group I created.  I noticed that the members were from all over the world. This was the first time I realized how global this game really was.  All of these people tuned in at odd hours just to watch one club; Chelsea.  

I didn't just feel like the players were done over, but I felt that I was as well.  I was beginning to realize how fans are truly part of the club.  From this point on, my love for Chelsea grew.  

The next few years I was able to watch nearly every Chelsea match through Fox Soccer.  Not only was I watching every Chelsea match, but all the other Premier League matches that were on.  My knowledge of the league and the game grew.  I watched during transfer windows to see who was going where and who the young signings were for the Blues.  

By the beginning of the 2011-2012 campaign, I chose Chelsea over any other sporting event.  This was a first for me as American football had been my favorite sport my entire life.  Football was replacing football.  I bought my first Chelsea kit.  There was no doubt what name and number I would be putting on the back. Drogba, 11.  I wore my shirt for every match I watched.  When Chelsea would score, I found myself grabbing the patch that was over my heart and kissing it.  Not only did I feel that I was a part of the club, but I felt that this club was a part of me.  Blue was truly flowing in my blood.  

Fortunately, I was able to make a trip to London in the spring of 2012.  My trip had been planned around going to the Chelsea v Newcastle match at Stamford Bridge.  Unfortunately, the game was rescheduled and there were no other Chelsea matches during my stay.  I was able to take a tour of Stamford Bridge and what an experience that was.  I could not believe I was actually there.  All those games I watched, thinking that there would be no way I would be inside the Bridge, walking around the stands and in the locker room.  It was surreal.  While in London, I felt I needed to get to a match of some sort and I was able to make it to Loftus Road to see QPR take on Swansea.  What an atmosphere.  I was with the home supporters and the enthusiasm they showed towards their team was unbelievable.  True love was what I witnessed.  I knew that if this was what it felt like at a smaller stadium between two clubs that I had no real interest, Stamford Bridge would be amazing.  

From London I went to Cape Town, South Africa to volunteer for 6 weeks.  While there, I met a huge Newcastle supporter as well as a Crystal Palace supporter, both from England.  Once again, I saw the passion that they had for their teams.  It is unlike anything you see in the USA.  Don't get me wrong, fans are passionate in America but it is different.  Football fans are a part of their team.  Chants use the word "we."  When fans talk about their club they say "we won" or "we played well."  In the US, fans use the word "they" when talking about their team as if the team is some sort of third party, or outside organization.  Football captures its fans and the fans are a part of the club and sport just as much as the players.  This is what I love about Chelsea.

May 19th, 2012.  I will always remember this day.  I was still in South Africa at this point.  I had watched the amazing semifinal against Barcelona.  Torres' goal.  I could not wait for the final against Bayern.  May 19th started with me bungee jumping from 708 ft.  Such an amazing experience.  Then I got to see monkeys, rhinos, zebras, lions, giraffes, hippos, and many other animals on a game reserve.  As if this wasn't enough, we went to Knysna, a small town on the coast.  We went to Olde's Pub and Restaurant to watch the match.  I don't even know how to explain the emotion I was feeling.  I was anxious the whole game and when Muller scored, I still had confidence in Chelsea.  "They still have time to get 1 back", I told my friend who was rooting for Bayern just out of spite.  Then, in the 88th minute, Mata set up for a corner.  I turned to my friend and said, I feel like Drogba is going to get his head on this.  Then, like predicted, Drogba got his head on the cross and leveled the game to force extra time.  When that ball went in, I reached for the crest on my blue shirt with the number 11 on the back.  I was ecstatic.  Adrenaline was high and I felt that we were going to win.  Emotions ran high throughout ET.  Cech's save against Robben and then the penalty shootout.  Pure drama.  I saw flashbacks of 2008 and was praying that we would pull this one out.  Back and forth we went with Bayern and then Cech stopped Schweinsteiger.  If Chelsea score, we are 2012 Champions League Winners, and who steps up but Drogba.

I wanted nothing more than for him to score and I knew he would make it.  No doubt in my mind whatsoever.  Here was the man who was the reason I was watching this match, stepping up to win the ultimate title for the club I love.  I could not have been written any better.  The second that ball went in the net, I could not believe what happened.  Chelsea won.  WE won.  Champions League winners.  It really has happened.  I ripped my shirt of and ran around the bar to all the other Chelsea fans.  Here I was, an American in South Africa supporting a team from England, celebrating with locals.  I knew nothing about them other than the fact that they love the club I love and that was enough.  I have never hugged so many strangers in my entire life and yet it did not feel weird at all.  We were all Chelsea.  Chelsea was a part of everyone wearing blue in that bar. I had never been on such a high of emotions and I don't think I will ever feel that way again.  

Here I was, a fan for a measly 6 years, and I had never been so excited to see one of my teams win a championship.  I thought of all the supporters who have been cheering for Chelsea for years.  The emotion they must be feeling must have been infinitely greater than mine.

I can now say without hesitation that Chelsea is my favorite team in any sport.  I had questioned it sometimes, mainly because I felt that as an American there was no way that a soccer team could be my number one team.  But Chelsea is.  And I am proud to say it.  Chelsea has captured my heart and it will forever be a part of me.  

Carefree, wherever we may be...