A Maple Leaf in a Bear's Den

Tonight was an evening that I've been awaiting for a few months. Some time ago I was given the chance to buy tickets to either two CONCACAF Gold Cup semi-final games or the final game. I opted for the double header, 8 rows up and just off midfield. It was pretty cool!!

Joining me for the evening were Naperville Greg*, his wife Kleveland Kim and Ms. Maria*. We met near NG and KK's home south of Roosevelt on Michigan avenue, a short walk from Soldier Field. We met at some nautical themed bar called Weather Mark Tavern. It was actually not a bad place at all. Dry Dock, you'd love it!! In the bathroom was a nautical map of northern Lake Michigan which included Beaver Island, a summer vacation haunt of mine growing up in and around Detroit.

First up was USA versus Canada. After going up 1-0, the US team was awarded a penalty kick after a cheap shot by the goalie on one of our players on a break away. Donovan successfully converted the kick to go up 2-0, a virtual blowout by soccer terms. Canada came back with a goal in the second half to make it 2-1 and that's the way it ended. The stadium slowly filled throughout the game, but even at the end of the USA game, the stadium was no where near as full as it would get.

The second game started at around 9:00 and showcased Mexico and Guadeloupe. By game time of this second game, the stadium, while not completely full, had way more fans than for game 1. The Mexican fans were out in droves!! One cute little section of Guadeloupians (that's what I called them) were just a section over from us. I was all set to cheer for Guadeloupe, until they read off the name of the lineup. They were all Frenchies!! Lord knows I don't like the French...or French colonies.....or French territories....or French fries!! Ugh. I still cheered for them a bit as the massive underdog, but I wasn't happy about it.

Since we weren't going to get out until late (11:30ish), my assumption was that NG and KK, both of whom had early wakeup calls potentially, were going to leave early and possibly not even see the second match. We were having so much fun though, their leaving was never an option. They are fun to hang out with, so I was happy they stayed!! I knew Ms. Maria was going to hold out until the end as she's a Cubs season ticket holder so she's used to attending sporting events until the bitter end.

*I was remiss in wishing both Naperville Greg and Ms. Maria a "Happy Birthday" here on my blog, so while it is belated, it is still heartfelt....Happy Birthday!!!