Eintracht (red/black shirts) plays FC Bayern in an U-19 game
Hi everybody, I'm back! Yes, it has been a while since I've written anything new for the blog
and I won't bore you with the reasons for my prolonged absence. It's also been a while since I went
on an Away Day to Frankfurt am Main and wanted to share with you the joys of celebrating promotion
with my favourite German club Eintracht Frankfurt.
On Monday I knew that I could wake up and forget about work for at least another 24 hours as it
was a public holiday. Therefore I decided that I would go to a football ground in my home city that
I'd been meaning to go to for quite some time.
The Arriva Stadium, at one time known as Rossett Park before the ground was sponsored by the
Arriva bus company, is the home of Marine AFC and lies in the outer Liverpool suburb of Crosby.
Rafa's 1998 Heemskerk Disco Dancing Champion medal was still very much at the forefront of his
mindApologies for the lack of posts in recent days. It's been fairly non-stop ever since this
blogsworth returned from Blackburn at 1am on Monday morning. Yes, that's right, it's not all dodgy
Internet streams and crowded pub visits to watch games for me.
The first thing that will jump out to you about newly-renovated BC Place is the
roof. This focal point of Vancouver Whitecaps FC's new building provides a sense of space unrivaled
in any MLS venue. It's a suspension-based structure that is retractable, much like a few of the new
European venues seen in Germany.
Some photos from my first trip to Philadelphia's PPL Park. We played the Union last season in
the club's inaugural MLS match, but that contest was hosted at Lincoln Financial Field. PPL Park
was a much more intimate environment, and like its European predecessors, the venue rises out of a
working class neighborhood (Chester, Pa.
It was good being back in the Emerald City, a place that in many ways still feels like home to
me. Though United's result against Sounders FC left much to be desired, I had a
great time catching up with family and friends. Here are some of the snaps from my walk around
town, our training session at Starfire and the club's pregame routine at CenturyLink Field.
Much has been made of Sporting Kansas City's newly-constructed LIVESTRONG Sporting
Park. I won't repeat what has already been written it's a beautiful facility. From a
communications perspective, I was particularly impressed with the club's post-match media setup.
Inside a glass-enclosed press room, commentary from both head coaches is delivered to an an
adjoining membership lounge via surround sound.
After the trauma of Eintracht Frankfurt's relegation on Saturday came a little bit of light
relief on Sunday. Frankfurt's second club is FSV and it was to their Frankfurter Volksbank Stadion
that I went to in order to see their 2. Liga match against Erzgebirge Aue, a club hailing from the
east of the country.
Things really have gone from bad to worse for Eintracht Frankfurt since the winter break. Only
one win in 16 games going into their final game of the season away to the newly-crowned champions
of Germany saw the club who occupied seventh place at the winter break start the day in second
bottom and were involved in a real relegation dogfight which hadn't looked like coming at
Christmas.
Denver is a funky place. The last time I was in the Rocky Mountain city I was 12-years-old, on
my way to a family vacation in Steamboat Springs, Colorado. In many ways Denver reminds me of
Seattle without the constant presence of water. There are beautiful vistas on all sides of you,
with the mountains looming large over the city.
Intense, gritty, and downright volatile. These are the adjectives that have come to define the
blood rivalry between D.C. United and the New England Revolution in MLS. Saturday's match at
Gillette Stadium was the latest chapter in this storied feud, with controversial officiating,
player scuffles, and an ejection all factoring into the day's festivities.
The 2011 preseason is upon is, and United's March 19 season opener against Columbus is rapidly
approaching. Camp in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. is coming to a close, and below are some of the best
shots that I have taken thus far. With Charlie Davies in camp on trial, there have been a number of
media members out to see us, including the Miami Herald and Washington Post.
