2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup

[Locke]

Alright, so I got back early this morning from Edmonton and watching the Mexico/New Zealand and Canada/Congo games live! Man that was fun.

First, Edmonton. That was without question the worst organization I have ever experienced when going to an event.

This was their logical reasoning:

There is a large event taking place at the Stadium. Therefore, lots of people will be trying to get there.

Excellent. Well then, lets close the road to the stadium. Call it whatever you want (it has about 3 different names before it turns into 'Stadium Road') is closed.

If this wasnt bad enough, they had a Police Officer directing traffic at a perfectly functioning intersection, in front of said closed road. He then interviewed every individual driver and asked them where they were going. We are on Stadium Road, take a wild guess.

Idiocy Round 2. Police Officer asks whether we have parking passes. No, we're just going to pay for Stadium Parking (just like we all do when we go to the dome or McMahon). Cant do that. Have to have a parking pass (ie. Eskimos Season tickets). Go down an adjoining avenue and find your own parking spot. If you've ever been to Commonwealth Stadium (and its a nice venue) then you would know its sort of in a quasi-urban residential area. Small shops interspersed with neighborhoods and apartment buldings. Which all have big "No Parking for Stadium Events" signs. Precisely where the hell are we supposed to park? We finally found a spot, but we had to move the car every two hours, and we were late.

Idiocy Continued. After that, everyone has to walk about 10 minutes to Commonwealth Stadium. No problem. The entire stadium is surrounded by empty parking lots that are closed and the road around it is closed. So everyone in attendance could easily have parked in the Stadium lots, but no, they are for parking passes only, so they were completely empty. Why?

By this time I'm fairly pissed off. I've missed the first 15 minutes of the game because we've been screwing around with this parking situation.

The Games.

First of all I'd like to say, that for some odd reason Canadian fans cannot bring the enthusiasm and noise making ability that we have at hockey games to that stadium. It might be because it wasnt nearly at its capacity, but the Mexican and Congo fans were absolutely AWESOME! They brought drums and they marched around the entire building chanting, it was a really great atmosphere. We still had a loud cheer going on though, it was a lot of fun, and all the Canadian fans were out there in the pouring rain screaming and cheering, but you just could barely hear them over the really small but loud Congo contingent. I think it must have been because of the drums....

The Canada game was really unfortunate, we had all sorts of chances but just couldnt get that finishing touch, really, they could have easily won that game if a couple touches had gone the other way. The biggest prolem was they got y with all the posession and pushed their defense up to press the attack. Then Congo punished them on the counter-attack. Both Congo goals came on really good break out moves, they were fast and skilled and the defense couldnt get back in time. Really, really unfortunate for the Canadians.

By the way, I havent seen the televised broadcast of that game, but if any of you saw it, I was the soaking wet guy in the 8th row (Great Seats) drinking beer and wearing my Calgary Flames Jersey, as the only red clothes I own are all Flames-related, so I figured as a Canadian, the hockey jersey just seemed fitting.

Locke.

[BlackEleven]

I got tickets to the quarter-final in Montreal. $12! Can't beat that for live entertainment. I'm hoping Portugal makes it. If so, its going to be absolutely nuts at the game (very large Portugese population in Montreal).

[Addick]

Originally Posted by ernie

Clearly as a whole the canadian players are missing, for lack of a better term, that one-on-one skill. They just don't have the nifty little passes and other little tricks in their repetoire.

How much of that is do to footy not being part of Canadian culture. With hockey, much of that individual skill was developed on the backyard rink or playing shinny after school and on weekends. Unlike many of these other countries footy is not the first thing canadian kids think of when looking to have fun after school or on the weekends so beyond team practices and games very little skill is built up.

Just a theory.

You are absolutely correct! Those nifty tricks and moves are learned in pick-up games. We need as many kids on the small goal pitch as we have on the backyard rinks.

[Locke]

Originally Posted by BlackEleven

I got tickets to the quarter-final in Montreal. $12! Can't beat that for live entertainment. I'm hoping Portugal makes it. If so, its going to be absolutely nuts at the game (very large Portugese population in Montreal).

I know, the tickets are cheap. Mine were like $23 for front row center. The only problem is that Edmonton didnt really get any 'great' games. The only one I really wanted to see was the Canada game.

I might do it again depending on what teams are playing in Edmonton's last 2 games.

[GirlySports]

Originally Posted by Locke

I know, the tickets are cheap. Mine were like $23 for front row center. The only problem is that Edmonton didnt really get any 'great' games. The only one I really wanted to see was the Canada game.

I might do it again depending on what teams are playing in Edmonton's last 2 games.

Could be a USA-Brazil rematch in the Edmonton semifinal. That might be worth walking 10 minutes for!

[Locke]

Originally Posted by GirlySports

Could be a USA-Brazil rematch in the Edmonton semifinal. That might be worth walking 10 minutes for!

Indeed. If Brazil beat Spain on wednesday I'm buying tickets for their game in Edmonton on Saturday. The only bad part is that I'm spending that Friday night in Lethbridge, so that 3 hour drive becomes 5. Not cool. But it will definately be worth it to see a Brazil game.

Maybe they'll even let us park in the perfectly serviceable and completely empty parking lots across the street from the Stadium this time. I know its a lot to ask for, but heres hoping.

[Locke]

Oh, another funny little Edmonton anecdote from the other day. In true Edmonton class, they were confiscating people's umbrellas at the door because they could be 'weapons,' and said that the people could reclaim them after the game.

Then, when it started to pour rain like nobody's business they handed out garbage bags for people to wear because they couldnt give the umbrellas back fast enough.......

Fashion statement, Edmonton style.

[ricoFlame]

Originally Posted by Locke

Oh, another funny little Edmonton anecdote from the other day. In true Edmonton class, they were confiscating people's umbrellas at the door because they could be 'weapons,' and said that the people could reclaim them after the game.

Then, when it started to pour rain like nobody's business they handed out garbage bags for people to wear because they couldnt give the umbrellas back fast enough.......

Fashion statement, Edmonton style.

i noticed that the majority of the fans who were there migrated to the few rows under the second deck that were sheltered from the rain. i was thinking as i watched "why didn't they bring umbrellas and such if they knew it was likely going to be raining?" now i know. kinda funny.

[atb]

Originally Posted by Locke

Oh, another funny little Edmonton anecdote from the other day. In true Edmonton class, they were confiscating people's umbrellas at the door because they could be 'weapons,' and said that the people could reclaim them after the game.

Then, when it started to pour rain like nobody's business they handed out garbage bags for people to wear because they couldnt give the umbrellas back fast enough.......

Fashion statement, Edmonton style.

Actually had to do the same thing at the world cup in Germany, both at the stadiums and in the public parks where they had put up tv's.

[Resolute 14]

Difference is, Canada is not Europe where passions go overboard. But then, I guess having people get wet is better than the risk.

if I didn't have friends coming down from Grande Prairie this weekend, I probably would have headed up for the semi final. Ahh well.

[Nuje]

I got back at about midnight last night. That parking debacle was a joke. The parking guy was VERY impolite about it too. I asked where I could park around there and he's like "Nowhere. Park downtown and take the LRT". I was ready to get out and punch him in the face. If he had simply said "Sorry, but we have a parking problem. There are places downtown you can park near an LRT and take here, or you can park in a residential area around hear and risk a ticket" then I'd have much less of a problem with it.

[hereandthere]

If you park west of 97th street there are no parking restrictions. I usually park between 111 avenue and 110 avenue and between 97th and 101streets. There is a hughes station along the street. There is also a Wendy's at the corner of 111 avenue and 101 street. Along the street there is also a chinese restaurant called the Wokkery. It is a little farther south. From there it is about a 15 minute walk. As for the poor organization, a lot of the booths at commonwealth are run by service groups. It is possible that they didn't line up enough to do it. As for the umbrellas I went to the doubleheader back on the fifth and they said to my friend to keep the umbrella in his bag but they didn't confescate it from him. It should of have been better.

[ricoFlame]

mitchell responds to canada's showing at the tourney. http://www.tsn.ca/soccer/news_story/?ID=213245&hubname=

i agree with much that he says, but still, as the host team, it would have been nice to see them rise to the occasion just a little, despite being overmatched.

[Thunderball]

Originally Posted by ricoFlame

mitchell responds to canada's showing at the tourney. http://www.tsn.ca/soccer/news_story/?ID=213245&hubname=

i agree with much that he says, but still, as the host team, it would have been nice to see them rise to the occasion just a little, despite being overmatched.

Wow... I did not expect him to be that blunt.

He affirmed exactly what I thought of them... clearly out of their depth, and probably did not deserve to be there. That said, Canada does produce some decent defensive players and decent goaltenders (Begovic's gaffe notwithstanding) and once they learn to produce more creative players, they might leave the basement of global football.

Incidentally, FIFA really needs to re-evaluate the seeding process for this tournament. There are really far too many weak teams from less talented conferences. In particular, CONCACAF, AFC and the African conference were saturated with teams, and that lead to several uninteresting groups. Europe was definitely under-represented... perhaps it should be U-21 in the future so the big teams don't have to pick between the World Cup and the UEFA Championship.

[FlamingLonghorn]

Bad sportsmanship on part of Uruguay and US at the end of that game. I

[GirlySports]

Originally Posted by Sowa

Bad sportsmanship on part of Uruguay and US at the end of that game. I

Not surprising. Uruguay is always like that.

Figures that the 2 matches that started at 9:15!! would go to extra time.

The Japanese goalie is still trying to guess right on those kicks.. terrible.

[ricoFlame]

Originally Posted by GirlySports

Not surprising. Uruguay is always like that.

.

that's true, they love winning, but HATE losing, and show it very obviously most of the time. i guess they're passionate.

[Machiavelli]

Wow, anyone catch the crazy action in the Portugal/Chile game in the last 5 minutes? One of the Portugese players slapped/tackled a Chilean from behind, then got a red. Another Portugal player proceeded to rip the red card straight of the ref's hand, and is also thrown out.

Then, a Chilean who already had a yellow got a second yellow for delaying the game (wasting time) and is thus disqualified from the quarter-finals.

Simply digusting actions by the Portugese players. So much drama!

[Addick]

Originally Posted by Machiavelli

Simply digusting actions by the Portugese players. So much drama!

I can't believe the kid who got sent of for stealing the ref's card was crying uncontrollably after he got sent off. Honestly, wtf did you expect? When they showed the replay the look on the ref's face was priceless, you could see him saying, "Nooooooooooooooooooooooo!"

[ricoFlame]

Originally Posted by Addick

I can't believe the kid who got sent of for stealing the ref's card was crying uncontrollably after he got sent off. Honestly, wtf did you expect? When they showed the replay the look on the ref's face was priceless, you could see him saying, "Nooooooooooooooooooooooo!"

that was unbelievable, i can't believe that kid did that. he's nuts, honestly, such an insult to the official and the game. brutal.