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Okay, so you might be wondering at this point why we keep writing about the World Cup. We are well aware that the Philadelphia sports landscape rarely extends beyond the Eagles, Flyers, Phillies and 76ers unless something really weird happens (like St. Joe's going undefeated in basketball in a regular season).
But we persist, because the World Cup is just that important. And we do like the idea of Phillyist being a city that deals on a global scale instead of a really parochial one, because we studied that stuff in school and it sounded interesting. (If any of our professors are reading this site, we assure them that we were paying attention in class and that we do know what we were talking about in discussions.)
So with our consciences clear, we continue our World Cup preview series with a look at the fans who will be rooting for the 16 teams we didn't write about yesterday.
Group E
United States: Believe it or not, a lot of Americans actually understand the intricacies of soccer, and can hold their own in a conversation against the most snobbish Europeans if given a chance. In Germany, the talking will be done by Sam's Army, a traveling supporters' club that spends the entire game singing and chanting for the U.S. team. Although there aren't as many troops in Sam's Army as there are in other supporters' clubs around the world, well over 1,000 of them are expected to be at this year's World Cup.
Italy: They've got slick hair, tight-fitting designer clothes, and lungs ready to shout all kinds of conspiracy theories when the refereeing doesn't go their way. Without a doubt, Italian fans will have the largest egos at this year's World Cup. Calm down, South Philly, because you know in your heart it's true.
Czech Republic: Somewhat like their Eastern European neighbors, Poland, Czech fans will be out in force. The difference is that the Czechs will watch a very entertaining soccer team led by 2004 European Player of the Year Pavel Nedved. Which is bad news for the U.S., but probably good news for the rest of the world.
Ghana: This is Ghana's first World Cup, and when the Black Stars qualified the fans in Accrah celebrated like it. But there's a sense of relief among Ghanaian fans as well, because their team has been one of the powers of African soccer for many years. Now, they've finally got something to show for it -- and the wait to join the world's biggest party is about to come to an end.
Group F
Brazil: Not much of an explanation needed here. Brazilians invented the samba and were the first to make soccer worthy of the title "The Beautiful Game." Combine them and you get a dance that could easily last all the way until the green-and-gold-clad Seleçao's sixth World Cup title.
Australia: This is Australia's first trip to the World Cup since 1974, when it was also held in (West) Germany. Though the Aussies usually pay more attention to cricket, rugby and their own brand of football, they've gone soccer-mad over the last year and will turn up in Germany in droves.
Croatia: Croatian fans will be distinguishable because of their red-and-white checkered jerseys. Beyond that, the team will probably do most of the talking.
Japan: It's a good bet that the Japanese fans will carry some big drums with them. But don't expect there to be as many as there were four years ago, when Japan co-hosted the last World Cup.
Group G
France: When France won the World Cup in 1998, there were as many people celebrating on the Champs-Elysées in Paris as there were when France was liberated from Nazi control at the end of World War II. But les bleus were humiliated at the 2002 World Cup, departing without a single goal scored, and the fickle side of French fans started to show. Things could go either way this time -- France has plenty of talent, but not quite the mental toughness of that championship team.
South Korea: Like Japan's fans, South Koreans turned out in droves to support their team at home in the 2002 World Cup. The difference, though, was that the South Koreans went totally berserk, drowning every stadium and public square in the country in a sea of red. The memories are still there this year, but there have already been reports that there aren't too many South Korean fans in Germany.
Switzerland: The Swiss are supposed to be neutral, right? They won't be at the World Cup, but it's a good bet they won't be as intense as some of their European neighbors.
Togo: This is Togo's first trip to the World Cup, and there's a good chance the team will lose all three games. But Togo's fans will still be happy to be there.
Group H
Spain: Spain is one of the most soccer-mad countries on the planet. But that passion usually only extends as far as the country's club teams, which represent political regions as much as they do pieces of laundry. As a result, the national team hasn't enjoyed the same kind of loyal support. But Spain has a lot of talent this year, and a good run at this year's World Cup could change things.
Ukraine: After emerging from the shadow of communism in recent years, Ukraine arrives at its first ever World Cup as a nation that has embraced Western modernism but is still trying to find its feet somewhat. National pride when the team does well will mean a lot more for Ukraine's fans than for most of the others in Germany.
Tunisia: Tunisia has become a regular presence at World Cups, and so have the country's rabid fans. Expect the contingent to be even bigger this year because of the large Tunisian immigrant communities in many Western European countries.
Saudi Arabia: At the 1982 World Cup, the head of the Saudi soccer federation ran onto the field to protest a call that went against his team when it was playing France. At the 2002 World Cup, Germany hammered the Saudis, 8-0. There is a good chance that the downward trend will continue for Saudi fans this year.
Photo taken by the author
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"European snobs"? I suppose we should be grateful that you're not calling it the "Soccer World Cup". The cheek, it's outrageous!
You could be right about the snobs bit though :-)