Alright, lads.
This is my long-overdue first post. Thank you for waiting. With 23 days to go until the opening game of the World Cup (!), I've got barely enough time to bring us all up to speed on the state of the Beautiful Game.
Speaking of the Beautiful Game and its nicknames, I want to talk about language for a moment. I'm going to call the game I love "soccer," "football," "footy," and anything else that occurs to me. Unless I specify "American," I don't mean gridiron football. I'll probably also say "boots" instead of "cleats," as well as "kits" instead of "uniforms," if I don't catch myself. Just bear with me.
(By the way, in case any Brits get nasty about the name of the game, remind them that "soccer" is their word. To distinguish what is now football from the other forms of football, such as rugby football, developing in mid-19th century England, some of its early fans abbreviated its official name - "association football" - to "assoc. football" and finally to "soccer.")
As you prepare for July 11th, I recommend reading some real news and processing as much of it as you can. The best place to start is ESPN's Soccernet; they won't overwhelm you with detail or drop obscure soccer references on you. Here is the web address: http://soccernet.espn.go.com/?cc=5901
Ignore the editorials, but try to read a few of the "Headlines" every day. I hope this blog will be all you'll need to become comfortable following and discussing the game, but that might help to fill out your soccer knowledge and keep you up to date.
Okay, that's it for the introduction! We're going to have to move fast in the next few weeks, so hang on and look for daily posts. Please chime in with questions or comments and tell your friends to read. The next two months will be an absolute joy ride for soccer watchers. A little background knowledge will just sweeten the deal.
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