The man that made me love Arsenal.

Tough to beat this bloke for pace.

Did you miss the 25th Anniversary episode of Eastenders? No worries, my cousin Sam (an actor, dancer, and Fulham fan) offers a brilliant synopsis of the action…

READ THE FOLLOWING IN AN EASTEND ACCENT!!

Well, that old bloke Archie only went and raped his daughter and put a bun in stacy’s oven! Bradley and Stacey got  married in the previous episode and he found out about Archie then ’supposedely’ murked him. The old bill go and find Bradelys DNA on the body so therefore go and pay the Ginger cunt a visit – but he and stacey clock the fact the boys in blue are after them so attempt to do a runner to Cyprus or somewhere. They get in the bleeding taxi, and Brazers (the fucking plonker) only went and left the particulars (passports) in his gaf! He goes back but gets spotted by the pigs and gets chased up some stairs onto the roof of the Queen Vic and fuckin stacks it over the edge and fall to his death! After all that malarky (the audience still not knowing who killed Archie) Stacey tells Bradleys Dad “it was me…. I killed him” Finally the famous da da da theme song kicks in! I was so fuckin gripped throughout – my dead milky cuppa remained untouched and went luke warm! That’s a first!

My friend Adam never fails in convincing me to use up any vacation time to travel to a sporting event. With that, I found myself in Utah on the way home from Vegas and at Rio Tinto Stadium on Saturday to watch a second USA qualifying match.

These two matches have been worthwhile experiences. Many of the (Americana) people I know talking big about trips to South Africa next summer are clueless about the US team. This truth I find troubling. Yes, I am all for excitement over the World Cup, but I’m not a tremendous fan of belt notching trips. To go to the World Cup just to say you’ve been, and not to be part of the support seems ridiculous. (I won’t go unless I land England tickets).

Saturday at Rio Tinto was the first time I’d seen the US on home soil in over a decade. The last time they played Scotland on a high school field in New Britain, CT. Reyna was captain. I don’t even remember the result.

Times have, you might imagine, changed. There is significant, if not massive, support. Sure, Rio Tinto was filled half with El Salvadorians. But, American fans were loud. And, better yet, they were knowledgeable. Many in the crowd were Real Salt Lake faithful, relishing the chance to see the national side in their own place.

For what its worth, the Stadium itself is also a gem. Compact, built for football, and nestle wonderfully into the mountains. What it lacks in true character, it makes up for as a site that works to help form a new US soccer tradition.

A final thought – Landon Donovan. Don’t like the guy, but he was terrific on the night. Bradley should give him the captains band.

Now, some images.

Quick note: The seats were filled, but I wasn’t too interested in taking more photos after kick-off.

For this blog I am going to keep to a few consistent themes – American history, American foods, and football (this time not American).

To begin, here are some snaps from my recent trip to Azteca Stadium. My first experience traveling to watch the USA play abroad.