Day: Sunday, June 8
Location: Ye Olde King's Head
City: Santa Monica
Game(s): Croatia 1-0 Austria, Deutscher Fussball-Bund 2-0 Polska
What I drank: Guinness, which helped me put the five-pint rating I gave the Germany-Poland match to the test.
What I ate: Eggs with banger. Yup, just one banger. Nope, I couldn't substitute the banger for bratwurst, despite the fact that we were on hand to watch Germany play a game of football
Player of the day: Germany is loaded with talented goalscorers, but none may be more dangerous in this year's European Championships than Lukas Podolski, who scored both of Germany's goals against Poland. Podolski was born in Poland, which makes those two strikes even more devastating for the Polish.
Germany has never lost to the Poles, now having won 12 of 16 all-time meetings (with four draws). Pregame tensions were high, especially after a Polish tabloid published an illustration with Polska coach Leo Beenhakker holding the severed heads of Michael Ballack and Löw. This was a bit out of line, even by tabloid standards.
The scene: Unfortunately, the ESPN2 feed for Podolski's second goal was lost, thus creating quite a groan from those on hand at one of Santa Monica's most unique establishments. Fortunately, the ESPN2 feed came back in time to see Podolski celebrating his score with his happy teammates. High fives ensued for those on hand rooting for the Deutscher Fussball-Bund. Sorry, it's just fun to say "Deutscher Fussball-Bund." Deutscher Fussball-Bund. Fun. It really is ... really, fun.
For the first time ever, I witnessed a grown man sporting a Colorado Rapids jersey. Out and about in L.A., you might run into the occasional fan wearing Galaxy gear, especially since they brought on that Beckham guy, but not so much with the jerseys of other MLS teams. It was strange.
Why am I doing this? As is my custom during major international soccer tournaments, I will attempt to view as many Euro 2008 games as possible -- without jeopardizing employment -- from various places, namely sports bars. This is simply a breakdown of the fun for your reading pleasure.
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