Goal!!!!!!!

That was the first goal scored by the Palestinian football team on Palestinian soil. First recognized by Fifa in 1998, they didn't play their first match on home soil until 26 October 2008. The match, with Jordan, ended in a 1-1 draw.

The Ball is Round

I'm currently reading David Goldblatt's thus far excellent The Ball is Round: A Global History of Football.* In the section about the game's spread to South America there is this report from a Brazilian journalist watching one of the first organized games in Rio de Janeiro:

"In Bom Retiro, a group of Englishmen, a bunch of maniacs as they all are, get together, from time to time, to kick around something that looks like a bull's bladder. It gives them great satisfaction or fills them with sorrow when this kind of yellowish bladder enters a rectangle formed by wooden posts."

Not really too far off, was he?


*In North America it's published as The Ball is Round: A Global History of Soccer. That said, the publishers did not change the text to read soccer in lieu of football each time.

Alton Ellis R.I.P.

Levi Stubbs R.I.P.

Champions!

The Vancouver Whitecaps are your 2008 USL champions!

They beat the Puerto Rico Islanders (we hate them!) 2-1 on Sunday, thanks to two second half goals by Charles Gbeke, in what was, by all accounts (well, by my account) a thrilling encounter.

Some photos from the day:

We all dream of a team of Justin Moose!


There's only one Eddy Sebrango!


And finally...the trophy. And the Moose! (And Me!)!


Bring on the MLS!

Credit Crunch?

This American Life is an excellent radio show on National Public Radio in Chicago. Another Frightening Show about the Economy is their attempt at explaining what is going on with the economy right now. It's worthwhile listening, as are all of their shows which are, thankfully, available as podcasts.

Souvenirs

This photo, taken by photographer Michael Hughes, is from a series of images of various types of souvenirs photographed in their original context. Here is the flickr pool from whence they came. I'm just not sure if my favourite is Don Quixote or the pickle.