Euro 2008: Day 2

"When he is in perpetual motion like that, he is a constant threat." -- Germany coach Joachim Löw, on Lukas Podolski.


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.

Euro 2008: Day 1

"It's not easy to play with Portugal. They have world-known players and they're one of the favourites of the tournament." -- Turkey coach Fatih Terim, after his side lost 2-nil to Portugal.



Some day, I may actually get to watch the European Championships, or World Cup, or both, in person. But for now, I must settle for enjoying the action as best as possible from fun locations in the area. This is a running diary of the experience.

Day: Saturday, June 7

Location: The Field

City: San Diego

Game(s): Czech Republic 1-0 Switzerland, Portugal 2-0 Turkey

What we drank: Bloody Marys, which were excellent, thus furthering a hypothesis to conclusion that Irish pubs make the best Bloody Marys.

What I ate: Bangers and eggs, which would be a delighfully delicious recurring theme for the weekend

Player of the day: Servet Çetin, a defender for Turkey who sports a "don't dare meet me in a dark alley" look. Fans of his club team, Galatasaray, call Servet "Ayibogan," which translates appropriately to, "a man who could choke a bear." It didn't take long for Servet to make his presence felt. Just 30 seconds into Saturday's match, the really mean looking Turkish defender gave Cristiano Ronaldo -- the concensus choice for the title "best footballer in the world" -- a healthy shove to the Stade de Genève turf. Prior to the game, ESPN studio announcers insightfully predicted that Ronaldo would be the most fouled player in the tournament.


The scene: Oh, to have the iron tolerance of somebody who just turned legal drinking age. A group of fellas, who wouldn't pass the eyeball test of any bouncer at any bar anywhere, sat through both games. Then, after we spent the afternoon at the San Diego Zoo, only to return to The Field hours later for one more tasty, fermented beverage before embarking off to Petco Park to watch the San Diego Padres eventually beat the New York Mets 2-1 with a walk-off homer in the 10th inning, these young lads were still on hand, in the same seats, continuing to drink pints of beer. It is estimated that this group was there for at least nine hours. The Field had that sort of feel of a place where you could feel at home and hang comfortably for an extended period of time.

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.