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Out of the Basement, Onto the Game: Soccer Edition
Inspired by the new book Being There, I've asked sports bloggers/fans for their favorite in-person sporting moments. The contributions range from heartfelt and triumphant to absurd and mundane, and they're sure to put a smile on your face. Previous posts focused on the NHL, MLB, college hoops, the NFL, WWF and NBA, while today's looks at soccer. The Feedback Edition is to come, so send your own Out of the Basement, Onto the Game moment to dcsportsguy@aol.com. It's almost sure to get posted.
Adam Littlefield, An American in Germany blogger and Blog Show producer
Being the Soccer Fanatic I am, my favorite in-person sporting moment has to involve the beautiful game. It’s actually a combination of two different sporting events, separated by almost 12 years.
Let’s jump in the time machine back to June 20, 1994. I’m thirteen-years old, and am lucky enough to have been given a ticket to the Holland-Saudi Arabia first round World Cup match at RFK Stadium (albeit a ticket sitting next to my mom and dad). Upon entering the old-gem of a stadium, we quickly realize that our seats are right smack dab in the middle of the huge throng of Dutch supporters who have made their way across the pond to cheer on their beloved Oranje. Long story short, The Dutch pull off a great comeback and win the game with a goal in the 86th minute, and I go home with “HUP HOLLAND” painted on my chest and totally emersed in the Dutch notion of “Total Football”. From that point on, I was a Netherlands supporter. I followed them on my television through the 1998 World Cup, where they reached the semifinals, ultimately falling to the mighty Brazilians in a stirring penalty kick shootout. I also went through the anguish of seeing them fail to qualify for the 2002 World Cup.
Fast Forward to June 11, 2006. I’m in Leipzig, Germany for the Netherlands first World Cup match since that painstaking loss in the 1998 semifinals. The atmosphere surrounding this match is something that will stay with me forever. The match was scheduled for 6:00 p.m., the Dutch pre-game party began 8 hours earlier. Over 80,000 orange-clad supporters (most who had made the journey across the border without tickets to the match) packed into a small square in this former East Germany city and sang, danced, and drank with reckless abandonment. It was then time for the march to Zentralstadion, where the Oranje would be meeting Serbia & Montenegro. Again, a mile long trek full of singing, dancing, and of course, lots of drinking. The atmosphere once inside the stadium, far-exceeded any expectation I had. At least 70 percent of the 48,000 seats were occupied by someone wearing orange, and once again, I was smack dab in the middle of them. We sang our beloved Oranje on to a 1-nil victory and all headed back to the City Center to celebrate the victory. It’s definitely something that I will never forget and something that I wish I could share with other people who will never realize the passion that surrounds this silly little game called soccer.
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10/21/07 10:50 AM