Slightly closer to a proper football (i.e., soccer) match
This weekend, I attended a soccer match between
Chelsea FC
and
Celtic FC
at
Seahawks Stadium Qwest Field.
The game was the opener of the 2004
ChampionsWorld Series, wherein some of the top
soccer teams from Europe tour North America to give
us yanks a chance to see how football is done for real.
From reading the team's web sites before the match,
you'd think that Chelsea had already thrown in the towel,
because
even before the game started, they were making excuses,
blaming jet lag for their loss.
The excuses weren't necessary, though, because
Chelsea dominated the match and ultimately won 4–2.
It was interesting comparing the two teams' styles.
When Chelsea scored a goal, you could watch it develop.
A through ball, a man open, a pass or two, and the ball is in
the back of the net.
Celtic's goals were more of a
"And he's got the ball, and... hey, how'd he score?"
It all happened so fast it was over before it began.
Attendance was 30,000, only half the capacity of
Seahawks Stadium Qwest Field, but
a decent turnout I think for a sport that is still
considered fringe here in the States.
Here's Raymond's checklist comparing the match to what
he figures a "proper" British football match to be like.
|
| What
Raymond
Experienced |
A Proper
British
Football
Match |
|---|
| Segregated cheering sections | • | • |
| Singing | • | • |
| "Neutral" cheering section | • | ? |
| Post-game riot | | • |
| Alcohol sold during match | • | |
| Police officers around pitch | | • |
| Streaker interrupts match | • | • |
One aspect of the British football divisions that I find
fascinating is
relegation, wherein the worst teams of the year are demoted
to the next lower league, replaced by the top teams of that
next lower league.
This doesn't happen in U.S. sports leagues (at least not any of
the major ones).
In fact, in U.S. sports leagues,
the team that has the worst record is rewarded
with an early draft pick!
How's that for reverse incentive.
