This is the first of a running feature we’ll be doing from time to time, where someone with little to no knowledge of the game watches a match.
If you’re here you’re probably already hooked on the game, but at one point we were new to soccer. We didn’t understand everything that was going on the first time we watched a match, and sometimes that’s when a match is at its funnest. In we come to transcribe
Our first victim volunteer, is Saberhagendaaz, who you might know if you troll late night in the comments over at Deadspin. He was actually the one who thought the idea up, so he threw himself to the wolves on this one. I asked him to watch the Liverpool v. Real Madrid match last Tuesday, I was a little worried that it’d be a rather boring match, but I’m glad I was wrong, so read along as he describes his experience.
I moved around a lot as a kid, mostly in the Midwest, in places where soccer wasn’t much of a youth-sport compared to baseball, basketball, football, and even hockey (although it is more of a big deal in those places now). It wasn’t until my freshman year of high school that my school added a soccer team. At that point, the decision was controversial because it could (and indeed, did) detract from the football team. It was the summer after that freshman year that I, like many Americans, watched my first televised soccer matches, during World Cup 1994.
My reaction? Pure awesomeness. My friends and I lapped up every minute we could of that World Cup. All of a sudden, we were kicking a soccer ball around in the backyard, with the goals being opposite sections in the chain-link fence. We pretended to be Alexi Lalas and Tony Meola (the only two non-Beckham names I can even remember).
Then, that World Cup was over, as was my general interest in soccer. Sure, I’ve seen a match here and there and played some Playstation FIFA, but since that World Cup, my most memorable soccer experience has been dating the forward from our high school’s girls team who did a weird somersault-thing when she threw the ball inbounds.
Despite my limited knowledge or appreciation for the game, it’s always seemed like something I should appreciate and something that I’ve wanted to get back into. So, I foolishly offered the idea that Avoiding the Drop should run a post from someone who doesn’t know shit about soccer, but wants to get back into it. The lesson: be careful what you ask for.
I have basic understanding of the rules of the game, but that’s about it. Case in point, I have no idea what the Champions League is, or why a team from Liverpool is playing a team from Madrid in it. But I’m about to find out. Without further ado, it’s time for Liverpool vs. Real Madrid, March 10, 2009.
Match summary and analysis
Liverpool was very good. Exhaustingly good. When I started watching, I planned on taking thorough notes. This proved to be a difficult task. The level of action — specifically, the Liverpool attack in the first half — genuinely surprised me. It was all I could do just to pause the match to take note of the key events and/or pieces of information that stood out to this novice spectator.
Pregame. Several things to like in ESPN 360′s coverage here, For one, I think I want Adrian Healey to do the play-by-play if I ever visit Europe. In addition, several questions I had coming in were answered, ranging from how the Champions League works and the fact that Liverpool had a 1-0 advantage in the home-and-home series. This was completely new to me, but from the pregame (and discussion during the match) I was able to figure out that Liverpool simply had to play this match to a draw in order to advance in the tournament.
(Editors Note: I’ve always been kinda annoyed by the extreme detail that ESPN uses to describe whats going on before each match, but now I guess it makes sense why they do it.)
I also enjoyed the home crowd at Anfield. Between that, my appreciation for the red jerseys (kits?), and my dislike for the greasy longhair look of most Real Madrid players, and I chose to root for Liverpool.
First half, 0:00-16:00
Although Liverpool would continue to dominate the attack throughout the first half, and during a couple memorable sequences in the second, this is the part of the game that stands out to me. There was relentless attacking by Liverpool with virtually no counter by Real Madrid. Even before he scored around the 15-minute mark, Fernando Torres was absolutely all over the place.
I was equally impressed by Real Madrid goalie Casillas, who came up big in a couple spots after being left out to dry by his team. At one point, Healey referred to it as “shooting practice” for Liverpool, and I couldn’t agree more. This period would also establish my distaste for Real Madrid’s Gabriel Heinze for 1) a foul he committed on Stephen Gerrard, and 2) being a whiny prick.
The sequence leading to Torres goal was pretty sweet (Torres regaining possession in the box, then a quick give-and-go), even if it was aided by poor defense (according to the Healey and Robbie Mustoe). 1-0 Liverpool!
18:00-27:00
After the Torres goal, I thought the play got a little choppy for a few minutes, with perhaps the referee having too much an impact and calling too many fouls. At one point when Healey mentioned Liverpool’s “twelfth man,” I initially thought he was referring to the referee (he meant the crowd at Anfield, which is fair).
Just when I decided to give the referee the benefit of the doubt… Penalty on a Heinze handball in the box! I was conflicted on this one because that didn’t look like a handball to my untrained eye. Sure enough, throughout the game Healey and Mustoe discussed it as an incorrect call. On the other hand, 1) penalty kicks are fun, 2) I was rooting for Liverpool, and 3) I had decided to despise Heinze. Goal Gerrard! 2-0 Liverpool!
27:00-End of First Half.
Despite Real Madrid finally getting a couple chances, Liverpool seemed to still dominate on the field as well as on the scoreboard. I was impressed by Liverpool as a team for not letting up and Pepe Reina, in particular, who somehow had managed to not fall asleep during the first thirty minutes.
Halftime.
This is a good place to note that I like the crowd/stadium atmosphere very much as compared to American sporting events. I’ll take singing crowds over blaring pop music during the action any day. I was also pleased that there didn’t appear to be any “kick-it-in-from-midfield” contests going on during halftime. Just some music from Liverpool’s favorite sons and a chance to grab a pint and take a piss.
46:00
Holy shit, that was fast! Gerrard scores again! It happened almost too quick for me to notice, but the replays showed a perfect cross by Ryan Babel and a great little chip shot from Gerrard. Kudos to Healey and Mustoe for their description of this play. It was impressive on its own, but I wouldn’t have noticed the intricacies of the play without them. 3-0 Liverpool!
47:00-90:00
I won’t lie, I got pretty bored watching the second half. That’s not a knock on soccer, I’d be bored watching a 21-0 (28-0, aggregate) American football game during the second half, too. If I regularly watched soccer, I probably would have tuned the second half out. Instead, I just tried to pick up on as much as I could.
I ended up enjoying a few things in the second half:
* It was nice to see Real Madrid go back-and-forth with Liverpool, even if it didn’t ultimately matter.
* I enjoyed Gerrard almost getting a hat trick and then leaving the game to a much deserved ovation.
* I enjoyed a mid-90s Trent Reznor lookalike blow a scoring chance for Real Madrid and then immediately getting yanked for a substitution around the 76:00 mark.
* I also enjoyed a couple lines from Healey: “Bending it in with an invitation attached;” and, “The bell isn’t quite tolling, but a man is putting in earplugs and heading up the stairs.”
And finally, around 88:00, I enjoyed one more great Liverpool goal, by Andrea Dossena on a cross from Javier Mascherano that seemed impossibly precise. Poor Casillas, he never stood a chance in this match.
4-0 Liverpool! The good guys win!
What did you think of the game?
Overall, I was highly entertained. Several things contributed, none moreso than the action on the field and Liverpool’s precise, attacking play. Most importantly to me, the announcers and the overall production of the game for ESPN made it easy for me to enjoy the game with very limited knowledge heading in. I was able to learn a lot about these two clubs and other contenders in the Champions League. I now feel actually somewhat knowledgeable about why Liverpool does well in one-off tournaments like the Champions League but doesn’t necessarily have the depth for making it to the top of the Premiere League. I’m going to stop now before I embarrass myself too much, but I enjoyed the match and have am going to try to keep up with it. Go Liverpool!
So what do you think? Did he miss anything? Have at it in the comments. Again a big thanks goes out to Saberhagendaaz who offered himself up for this one and certainly delivered.
Now if you have any friends you want to get into soccer, or you yourself would like to have a crack at recording your thoughts on one of your first matches, send us an email at avoidingthedrop[at]gmail.com
Fantastic write-up!
Before you get too excited about Liverpool, I’ve only seen them play like that three times this season…and two of those times were in the past week. They can be absolutely tremendous at times, but more often than not they’re playing some of the most soul-crushing soccer you’ll ever see (I’m looking at the Hull, ‘Boro, Man City, and both Stoke games here). And that’s coming from a fan.
I agree 100% about what he says with minutes 47:00-90:00, incidentally. It has nothing to do with the sport, I have a hard time watching a game when the outcome either doesn’t mean anything or has already been decided unless I’m also following the team; a Man United-Fulham game that has the Red Devils up by two at halftime is essentially over in my mind. It has nothing to do with soccer boring me; I have the same issues with football and baseball.
In a similar vein, I’ve also found it next to impossible to watch a game that I’ve taped if I hear the result ahead of time; the first leg of the Champions League was ruined for me because I was watching Chelsea-Juventus on a stream at work, and they cut in at 89′ to say that Benayoun had scored for Liverpool, breaking the 0-0 draw. Since I know what happens, every moment of potential drama throughout the game doesn’t matter; any theoretical penalty kick will be missed and any beautiful passing combination will go unrewarded (I still watched the Liverpool game to see how they played, but I know I wouldn’t have had it been a team I’m less interested in).
In some ways, though, he was spoiled by this game. The best one for him to have watched would’ve been the first leg of the Man United-Inter game, where there was fantastic dominating play by one team for most of the game, yet it still ended in a scoreless draw.
I feel the same way, I can’t pay attention when its out of reach. I watched until about the 70th minute of this one but it was pretty boring after the 3rd goal.
I wish he could have watched the 1st leg too. I wanted him to watch the 2nd leg of that one, but thanks to ESPN’s uncertainty with it, I decided to have him watch this one.
That first leg was great because you kept waiting for a goal that never came; I watched that entire thing. Hell, my WIFE was riveted, in spite of not knowing anything about Inter and hating Ronaldo; there’s no way you can deny how much he dominated that entire first half. I remember watching his feet in slow motion and still being mesmerized…fantastic stuff.
Outside of that game, though, this was probably the other one to watch (maybe the second leg of Arsenal/Roma, because it went to PKs, but it wasn’t that interesting outside of that).
If you like Adrian Healy, find a way to get yourself some Ray Hudson (Gol TV).
Hey guys, great idea! I loved the write-up. I can’t watch a match if I already know the outcome. It takes away from the drama of live play. One thing I like about FSC is that if they’re showing a match delayed, they don’t reveal the outcome when they discuss results from the day. ESPN ruins everything with the live score scroll at the bottom of the screen.
I may be a little biased, but I would have gone with the 2nd leg Chelsea v. Juve match. Lots of drama, lots of drive from both teams, a disallowed goal that CLEARLY went over the line, and you had to watch it until the end to see the outcome because it could have gone either way. But I’m only a little biased… Haha ;o)
Must concur that this is a great idea, and good on ya for doing it. I’d have loved to see the reaction to Liverpool/ManU, as well.
Thanks guys. Bluesfan, If I could have, I would have had him watch Juve v. Chelsea since it was down to the wire, heck I was wishing I could be watching it at the end of the Pool game.
ESPN usually is good with not revealing the score when they have a game on at 5 EST on classic, if you’re recording it on Setanta, sucks for you.
But honestly I’ve never been able to hold off on knowing the score of an Arsenal game, so I rarely record them.
I’ve been able to hold off on Liverpool games if I know for sure I can watch them later…but I can only hold off for so long, and I’ve learned the score accidentally a couple of times (FIFA ’09 has a widget that pulls real-life stories off of Soccernet for your favorite team; if you play after a Liverpool game you haven’t watched yet, you’ll probably get the score).
great idea. wish i had thought of it.
great idea. and nice write up.
very original idea, and also a very good article. but thefuseproject…Ray Hudson? ugh
I’m with Joep on Ray Hudson.
I watched Atleti – Barca with an Atleti supporting roommate, and while I myself have a soft spot for them, my team in Spain has always been and will always be Barcelona. Ray Hudson made me emberassed to be a Barcelona fan.
LITTLE TWINKLETOES!!!!!
argh.
is this item going to be run with CL games only, or are you gonna make some lucky soc-cer? fans happy by having them watch some bottom material?
I watched that game; he was particularly awful then, I agree. Every once in awhile his co-commentator will insinuate that the goal that was scored was not 100% due to the striker’s interstellar awesomeness but may have been helped by, say, crappy keeping. Hudson’s responses to that are always fantastic.
I wouldn’t rule out bottom material at some point, although availability can become an issue; the CL games are nice because they’re on ESPN (for now).
Of course. May I suggest this charming fella for your next round? Bayern – Barca should suffice
We already called him, he said no, he didn’t want to miss the Liverpool v. Chelsea match, He’s a big Fernando Torres fan.
“I wouldn’t rule out bottom material at some point, although availability can become an issue; the CL games are nice because they’re on ESPN (for now).”
Yep. And this very blog post drives home exactly why this (apparent) FSC deal is such a bummer. With the CL matches on ESPN, soccer is steadily making its way onto the radar of the American public. Here we have a guy who was able to watch a CL game — and potentially start his journey into soccer fandom — simply because the games are broadcast by the biggest U.S. sports network.
The news actually makes me sort of angry at Fox. It’s like they’re throwing a monkey wrench into soccer’s progress here, even if unwittingly.
Sorry Howdy, your comments got eaten by our spam filter for some reason. Normally first time commenters get a wait for approval thing but since the filter tried to eat yours it gave you nothing of the sort, in the future it won’t do that to you.
good idea..thanks