Saturday, June 17, 2006

"Gee, we looked swell - full of that yankle-doodle-dum..."

Any game featuring Germany, England or Brazil – sure.
But Italy versus United States didn’t appear the most obvious target for ticket touts hoping to do big business.
Yet walking through Kaiserslautern today, I saw more people appealing for tickets than during any other pre-match afternoon hours this past week.
Of course, when seemingly every other passer-by is proffering a card saying “Need tickets / Brauch Karten”, the true entrepreneurs turn more emotive.
One burger-munching American dad had weighed down his young daughter under a sweltering Stars and Stripes felt hat, and a billboard bigger than herself.
‘Her’ message read: “I really need to buy four tickets for my family – pleeeease help!”
Let’s hope daddy dearest was at least prepared to foot the bill, rather than raid his downcast-looking daughter’s piggy bank.
The ticket-beggars seemed split between the Italians – whose players will hopefully maintain last Monday’s superb standards – and the Americans, whose players surely can’t play any worse.
Perhaps a clue to this match’s popularity should have been picked up, when it became impossible to book overnight accommodation afterwards.
Not even a Linton Travel Tavern-style “sordid little griefhole” is on offer for me tonight.
Instead, I’ll be either hanging around the poky Kaiserslautern Haupbahnhof – or, more likely, nipping onto the first Munich-bound train I can find, and catching whatever sleep possible.
Hopefully the match will prove worthwhile, for all concerned.
After all, the Americans appear to have taken their defeat to the Czech Republic rather badly.
Or, indeed, maybe not. Maybe one day...

4 comments:

Mike said...

Well, I'm sure that wasn't the game or result you were expecting. It's hard to think of the Americans as underdogs at anything, but they did well to hold onto the draw tonight. I still think Italy will do well though, as long as they can keep their tempers in check and a few more chances set up for Toni.

aidanrad said...

Agree on Italy, they usually get sterner and more effective as the tournament goes on, so starting with a win was probably more important to them than tonight's (mild) setback. Toni could be devastating, if only he remembers he's actually a rather big lad himself and might just as well stay standing and running through on goal when he gets the chance...

L said...

Stupid overly negative substitution before he'd even had a look to see what the extra threat level would be... no sympathy, Italy deserved nothing from that game for being so spineless... ericsson, please try and learn something...

aidanrad said...

To be fair to Lippi, the chances of an already-booked Totti lasting the full 90 minutes of that match were marginally lower than those of Gary Neville to score a hat-trick in the World Cup final - at least this way Totti got to depart the field with Italy able to bring on a replacement for him...