Postcard from Berlin - 19 June

Willkommen zum Fußball

BERLIN - Well, actually, they call that game Tischkicker, but whatever. The Welt Meister 2006 is definitely off and running here in Germany and the place is football crazy. What the untrained eye might miss in this picture is a church advertizing that it will be showing all the Germany matches. I'm planning on checking it out tomorrow night for the showdown with Ecuador.

I apologize if my absence has been a cause for concern for our readers. I assure you that I am safe and sound, and most hours of the day, sober. It has already been a wild ride these past ten days here in Berlin. So without further ado, here are some of the highlights.

What I've been Doing

The Fan Fest, or "Fan Mile" as they sometimes refer to it here in the German capital, is an outstanding place to take in a game as well as interact with other supporters. Teams which draw bigger crowds at stadiums obviously do the same thing at the public screenings, so the magnitude of the game and fan base go a long way towards determining the turnout.

My favorite match so far that I have taken in at the Fan Fest was definitely the Holland-Serbia and Montenegro match. There is just something to be said about watching football with large crowds of Dutch supporters. While Robben appeared to be the only player worth mentioning during the German broadcast, there were plenty of orange hats, shirts, pants, shoes, gloves, lion costumes, etc., worth a peek on what was a very hot afternoon.

I've been taking in most matches a bit closer to Bookable Offense World Cup Headquarters at local bars. My favorite bar had to be the Irish pub where I took in the England-T&T near-debacle with close to a hundred other Three Lions supporters. Ater that match, my biggest concern was that Sven would be encouraged by his substitution pattern by Crouch's goal. Why is Ashley Cole out there? I mean really. At least Carragher was involved in a positive way from time to time.

Other Match Notes

I don't care to speak about the events of 12 June 2006 ever again. I'm serious.

Another match I will discuss is the Germany-Poland match. While the Germans left it late to say the least, they certainly decided to party quite late into the next morning as well. As I mentioned after their opening victory over Costa Rica, the celebrations were timid and reserved at best. After Oli Neuville's late winner, the whole city seemed to erupt.

Cars were honking, people were screaming, graffiti was scrawled on walls, and no one but the heaviest sleeper was able to get some rest at a decent hour. Such was the country's joy in advancing to the next round, which shows how realistic most fans really are about the Germans lifting the trophy for the fourth time.

But really, is anyone not scared about playing Argentina at any point in this tournament? They just made a very good defensive team look like Malta.

Oh, and something has to be done about those Ukraine uniforms. I could have sworn there were ten men dressed as Wolverine out there against Spain last week. Didn't work too well for them either. Word has it that they are blaming the frogs near their hotel in Potsdam, but I would have a little chat with that equipment manager.

What's on tap

Now that it is almost time for the deciding matches of group play, my coverage will really begin to kick in. I will be in Leipzig on Wednesday to take in the Angola-Iran match. While my decision to pick the Iranians to advance now looks quite foolish, the Angolans can still do me a favor and knock Mexico out should both results go the right way.

Then, the next day I will be making the long and treacherous journey to Nuremberg to watch the US take on Ghana in a match to decide which team will continue forward in this tournament. I am hoping for an Italian victory over the Czechs (obviously tired from that thrashing handed out by their hardy opponents in their opening match) and a narrow victory for the Stars and Stripes. That being said, Eddie Pope will probably be in charge of driving the team bus that day and drive them off a cliff.

Lots of action coming up, and we'll bring it to you all.

Pics courtesy fifaworldcup.yahoo.com and Bryce himself. Keep your eyes open this week at the Iran-Angola and USA-Ghana games for Bryce and his flag. Email us at bookableoffense@gmail.com.