World game #2- Chelsea FC

Chelsea FC vs Newcastle United February 8, 2014 Stamford Bridge Saturday was the start of a crazy Europe trip that included this soccer game, or as the Euro’s call it “football”, and ended with us in Sochi Russia for the 2014 Winter Olympics. I will talk more about that in another blog but for now will focus on this portion in London. Keli and I had 3 days in England, well actually more like 2 days as we were super jet lagged from our 17 hour trip. We could only muster the energy for the soccer game but planned to do all the touristy stuff the next two days which included the London Eye, Tower Bridge, Tower of London, Big Ben, Westminster Abbey and Buckingham Palace. My initial plan was to try to get an Arsenal game, but they were up in Liverpool. I also looked at Crystal Palace thinking they were a newer team to the Premier league and tickets may be easier to come by but it was completely sold out. Chelsea was a last ditch effort as I thought the seats would either be way too expensive or would be sold out as well…but all things considered $200 for decent tickets was a good deal. It was also nice because the Underground (subway) took you straight to Stamford Bridge and was only 20 minutes from Victoria station (I was a bit tired of all the “mind the gap” signs and announcements…means watch your step getting on and off the trains). I shouldn’t be surprised, the closer we got to the stadium the more blue jerseys stepped on the train. I only saw two belligerent Newcastle fans who were a bit loud on the train and only got worse as they made their way into the stadium. As you get off the train there is a sea of Chelsea supporters all heading to the venue. Honestly when we got to Stamford Bridge I thought I would be more impressed with the building but aside from the iconic team symbol you would never know it was a soccer stadium…looked more like a college library. But once we stepped into the stadium that all changed. The crowd was pumped, there were supporter flags from all over the world including America, South Africa, Japan, and even the small island of Malta. What also made the game a bit more interesting for us was that our seats were only about 10 rows from the Newcastle supporter section. They were a really rowdy bunch and the aisles were dotted with security guards clad in bright yellow vests who would not allow things to get out of control. Keli and I were not necessarily appalled by the cheers they were leading, but more surprised at their vulgarity. F-bombs were in just about every chant, they picked on specific players and coaches, and “bloody wanker” was used often. That group never quieted down even when down by 3 goals. As for play on the field it was surprising the level of skill these players have compared to MLS teams. Crisp, precise passing. The shots on goal came at crazy angles with untold speed and accuracy only to be matched by the amazing goalies. In fact, Chelsea has one of the more iconic goalies in recent memory with Petr Czech manning the onion bag and he did not disappoint with a shutout. Chelsea on the other hand manhandled the visiting team scoring three times including a PK all under the food of Eden Hazard giving him a hat trick for the day. The PK shot was a bit surprising as Frank Lampard could have made his 50th penalty shot goal, but he knew the day belonged to Hazard. There was also fabulous play by Samuel Eto’o and Ivanovic (two of footballs biggest stars). And with Hazard’s three goals that is how the game ended. Fabulous game, great experience, and now I can’t wait to come back for an Arsenal g