World Cup Fever has definitely hit our home. And, I’m soooo glad that I actually woke up early enough to catch the Australia vs Croatia match today (4.30am, Adelaide Time, kickoff). What an incredibly amazing match! Yes, even if there was a really bizarre refereeing that went on. Who says draws can’t be exciting?
Now, the Socceroos move on to the next round. Top 16, baby! Yay! 
Anyway, one thing that I find strange here in Adelaide is how little interest there is in the World Cup. I know that in South Australia, there are two main sports: AFL (which is the big thing during Winter, right now) and Cricket (in the Summer). Not much room for anything else, it seems. Too bad. You see, AFL isn’t played on a world scale. And, unless you grew up with the sport, it’s not as easy to get in to if you don’t have a team that you wish to back solidly. Cricket, on the other hand, is only played in some Commonwealth countries. But, at least, that “world” element in cricket makes it more interesting for me than AFL. I know that I’ve heard people here call Soccer/Football boring. Boring is subjective. And, hey – a few billion people around the world will definitely disagree.
In any case, South Aussies (and some other Aussies) probably won’t be on fire regarding “the beautiful game” any time soon. Some will most likely get more in to the World Cup as the Socceroos move further on. The same way some people got hooked on Rugby Union during the 2003 World Cup Final (Australia vs England).
All I know is that when I saw the footage of Australian Soccer/Football fans partying at Federation Square (Melbourne), I was happy to see Aussies supporting and celebrating the Socceroos that way. And yeah, I was a bit envious. How fun would it be to have that kind of atmosphere in your home city for a real world sport?
Ah, well… Maybe one day.
Anyway. It’ll be tougher to stay up for the upcoming Australia vs Italy match. But, I certainly wouldn’t want to miss it. I’m not making any bets on who’s going to win. But, I’m hoping that the Socceroos will put up a really amazing show — just like they have done during their first round matches against Japan (win), Brazil (lose) and Croatia (draw).
No matter what, I’m cheering on: Go the Socceroos!
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Hi Shai,
Yeah, I’m one of those not so into sport, especially viewing it, but have gotten quite interested in the amazing Socceroos of late, too. I won’t be getting up, but I will be keen to know how they go against Italy.
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I grew up in an area where you couldn’t even buy a soccer ball. I had the opportunity to live and work in San Jose, Costa Rica for a year and learned first hand the excitement that the game can generate. You may want to read my story about working in an internet casino. http://carlhutton.eponym.com/
P.S. I have added you to my blogroll Shai.
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I hope that our country, Philippines, will have prefessional soccer game too. I am tired of the basketball fever…
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Heather: Yeah. It was a shame, the way they lost. But, it was all good fun.
Luminouscarl: Thanks for letting me know. I’ll be adding you to my blogroll back links shortly.
Thank you!
Tingting: I agree! Absolutely. It’ll be great to have the Philippines participate in real world sports.
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