Who Do I Root For Now?

7:15am San Francisco, CA, USA and I�ve already ridden my bike around the city in search of a pub or cafe that�s open and that has cable TV.  I�ve been to one breakfast cafe and a standing room only Kezar Pub before settling at the Mucky Duck for the World Cup - USA style.

World Cup USA style?  Isn�t that an oxymoron?

Okay, I must confess that I didn�t actually ride all over the city, but perhaps a mile or two.  And I didn�t actually go to the Kezar Pub myself, but a couple sitting at the Rain Tree Cafe said they were willing to watch USA/Ghana on Rain Tree�s antenna powered snow white TV rather than battle the standing room only crowd at Kezar Pub.  Hmm, well I wasn�t willing to ride out to Kezar just to stand around for 2 hrs, nor did I want to eat greasy breakfast and watch USA loose to Ghana on a static tube.  However, I was willing to mosey down to the corner of 9th and Irving, a mere block away, to see if one of the many pubs on that intersection would be open for World Cup business.

Sure enough, I have a new favorite pub at 9th and Irving - The Mucky Duck.  The only pub at 9th and Irving with balls enough to open for the World Cup at 7am… and they were PACKED!

Unfortunately, we (the USA) didn’t make it out of our pool, finishing dead last, scoring only one goal the entire tournament (albeit a beautiful one), and generally playing uninspired football.

However, it’s been about an hour since the USA was officially eliminated from contention in the 2006 World Cup and I�m starting to come around.  I must admit that when it comes to being a fan of real football I�m quite green.  Still, I watched more real football this week than I have my entire life and I wasn�t bored for one minute.  Not even when watching team USA.  So, although we played poorly and are done, practically before it even started, I�m still on board the �real� football train, wondering how long the ride will last, and wondering who I should root for next.

I have friends loyal to Brazil, Mexico, England, yada yada.  Hmm, the World Footbag Championships, the 2nd biggest eye-foot sport in the world, are in Frankfurt next month.  So, who do I root for now that the USA is out but I�m still in?

The bars here in the USA, or at least some of them in San Francisco, were packed at 7am for the World Cup.  Perhaps real football yet has hope in the USA.

Hell, perhaps footbag ...  stop.