after day 2 - big day for the CONCACAF
After the arrival of Greg, an old Winchester soccer teammate and friend,
along with two of his college friends, we were able to truly enjoy the
World Cup spirit. At the time of their arrival, the England match
against Paraguay had already begun, but we were able to catch the end of
it downtown.
At Friedensplatz in downtown Dortmund, the World Cup Fan Fest has been
set up with a very big TV for fans to view all games of the tournament.
If time allows it, I will be trying to see as many as possible down
there. So far in the tournament, I have seen most of every single game too!
The three newcomers were thrown directly into the crowds of Swedish fans
as they prepared for their Group B match against Trinidad and Tobago
here in Dortmund. The yellow crowds greatly outnumbered any other group,
although there were some Trinidad and Tobago fans later.
After eating ice cream dowtown, we headed to watch part of the match at
Friendensplatz before going to the Stadium/Westfallenhallen to see the
rest of the match. On the way, we met an anxious T/T fan, whose plane
was delayed two hours. She asked for the score and we assured her that
it was 0-0 at halftime. She was relieved a little before running off to
the stadium.
The Sweeds were obviously dissapointed following a tie game. Heads down
and their faces in their hands. The game was obviously dominated by the
Swedish, but despite being a man down, the Trinidad and Tobago team
showed a strong defence and a relentless effort to deny the Swedish
strikers of a go-ahead goal. What a showing for the CONCACAF region!
With a strong T&T side, maybe a little more respect will comee from our
North American division. I guess we'll have to see how Mexico performs
today against Iran and the United States tomorrow against the Czech
Republic.
Before the Argentina-Ivory Coast match at Friedensplatz, the three
American visitors were able to rightfully enjoy Germany with a Donor
Kabap from Star Donor, only the best in Dortmund. Highly satisfied, we
complemented our dinner with some gelato ice cream.
At halftime of Saturday's final match, the sleep was a bit too much for
the newarrivees. We headed back to my apartment and settled in for the
night, while watching the rest of the match on my TV.
Today we are heading to Cologne for another Fan Fest and to see the
Portugal and Angolan fans partying around the world-class Cathedral.
after day 2 - big day for the CONCACAF
After the arrival of Greg, an old Winchester soccer teammate and friend,
along with two of his college friends, we were able to truly enjoy the
World Cup spirit. At the time of their arrival, the England match
against Paraguay had already begun, but we were able to catch the end of
it downtown.
At Friedensplatz in downtown Dortmund, the World Cup Fan Fest has been
set up with a very big TV for fans to view all games of the tournament.
If time allows it, I will be trying to see as many as possible down
there. So far in the tournament, I have seen most of every single game too!
The three newcomers were thrown directly into the crowds of Swedish fans
as they prepared for their Group B match against Trinidad and Tobago
here in Dortmund. The yellow crowds greatly outnumbered any other group,
although there were some Trinidad and Tobago fans later.
After eating ice cream dowtown, we headed to watch part of the match at
Friendensplatz before going to the Stadium/Westfallenhallen to see the
rest of the match. On the way, we met an anxious T/T fan, whose plane
was delayed two hours. She asked for the score and we assured her that
it was 0-0 at halftime. She was relieved a little before running off to
the stadium.
The Sweeds were obviously dissapointed following a tie game. Heads down
and their faces in their hands. The game was obviously dominated by the
Swedish, but despite being a man down, the Trinidad and Tobago team
showed a strong defence and a relentless effort to deny the Swedish
strikers of a go-ahead goal. What a showing for the CONCACAF region!
With a strong T&T side, maybe a little more respect will comee from our
North American division. I guess we'll have to see how Mexico performs
today against Iran and the United States tomorrow against the Czech
Republic.
Before the Argentina-Ivory Coast match at Friedensplatz, the three
American visitors were able to rightfully enjoy Germany with a Donor
Kabap from Star Donor, only the best in Dortmund. Highly satisfied, we
complemented our dinner with some gelato ice cream.
At halftime of Saturday's final match, the sleep was a bit too much for
the newarrivees. We headed back to my apartment and settled in for the
night, while watching the rest of the match on my TV.
Today we are heading to Cologne for another Fan Fest and to see the
Portugal and Angolan fans partying around the world-class Cathedral.
ecuadorian guests and a german victory
Just after the first day of the World Cup here in Germany, the Germans
are full of life wearing jerseys, facepaint, scarves, etc in a show of
nationalistic pride that I had not further scene during my time here in
Dortmund.
Last night, I got together with some local Germans and other
international students at the university dining hall to see the game on
the big screen. Every goal was met with a great applause from both
Germans and internationals alike.
Before the game, I remembered that I had a Costa Rican jersey at home,
but I decided it wasn't the best idea to wear that around due to my lack
of connections with the country. Although two goals were scored and
some doubt was cast upon the team, we were able to celebrate the 3
points in the group late into the night at a local student summerfest party!
For the second game between Poland and Ecuador, my hopes were completely
split. On one hand, I have been hanging out with Polish people here in
Dortmund for quite some time and I have even traveled around the country
a little bit. However, on Thursday evening, I received couchsurfing
visitors from England and Ecuador excited and ready to see Ecuador's
chances in the cup and not really expecting too much into further
rounds. I hung out with them most of Friday and I think the Ecuadorian
spirit rubbed off on me a little bit because I found myself excited each
time that Ecuador scored a goal.
After the Poland-Ecuador match, my Polish friends in Dortmund were
obviously stunned, upset, and fearful of the next game against Germany.
With their faces in their hands and their mouths open in awe, I couldn't
help but feel their pain.
When I returned home to my apartment early Saturday morning, I discussed
with Pablo (Ecuadorian couchsurfer) his experiences at the
Ecuador-Poland game. He was still livid with excitement as he had seen
friends and celebrities from Ecuador that he had not seen in about two
years.
He said after the match, the Polish were great sportsmen and
congratulated the Ecuador team and fans on the victory. He said he
traded away his Ecuadorian scarf for a Polish hat and all the other fans
were joining the fun during the exchange.
When I woke up this morning, I found an Ecuadorian welcome bag for me as
a reminder of their visit and a small token of appreciate for letting
them stay. In basically about one day of hanging out, I must say that
Lucy and Pablo were great guests, warm people, and I hope to see them again!
Now its time for day two.... Greg, a friend from Winchester is arriving
this afternoon with some other Americans and we have three games to see
today!
world cup blog inaugural entry
I know that its probably late to start a blog about the World Cup, but the first match hasn't begun yet and I thought of some things that I would like to write in this "world cup journal".
So why am I writing about the World Cup?
- I'm currently living in Dortmund, a host city to five games during the World Cup.
- I've been living here since last September and I've been able to see the preparations and the atmosphere grow into the big day tomorrow.
- As an exchange student, I have been around many different other international students and everybody is rooting for their team.
- I'm supporting the United States in Nürnberg against Ghana (I got lucky and got tickets).
- And: I LOVE THE WORLD CUP!
