On Saturday, two of the world’s top professional soccer teams, the Everton Football Club of the English Premier League and the Club Atletico River Plate of the Argentinian Football League, played for the Edmonton Cup at Commonwealth Stadium. Argentina won 1-0.
Okay, so why is she telling us this?
We were once again at Taste of Edmonton tonight. Once the tickets are bought, you have to use them up, they are no good for anything else and we wanted to hear Tom Jackson as well. While we were listening to Mr. Jackson, we noticed a soccer team walking around in the crowds, but the jerseys they were wearing didn't indicate who they were. Of course, their skin tones suggested they were not the English team.
My friends are good soccer fans, as was I once upon a time and we would have gone if the tickets to the event weren't somewhere around $200.00 each. The turnout for the game was sad at only about 16K. It was closer to 30K a couple of years ago when whatever team Beckingham is now playing for came and played an exhibition game against Vancouver. It was about that big a turnout a few years before that game when Brazil came and played. Why Edmonton? Good question, it is because we have a grass playing field, required for international soccer.
We wondered tonight whether the players were a bit disappointed at not being mobbed as they would have been at home, or a bit relieved that they could just walk around unmolested. Don't get me wrong, there were a few people that knew who they were and shook hands and spoke with them. It is just that soccer is not a big sport here and besides, we Canucks are so damned polite...my friends wouldn't go and speak to them.
So, this was a busy weekend here in festival city, the Capital Ex finished, the Taste of Edmonton finished, we had soccer and Indy racing and record breaking temperatures. Well, they felt like they should have broken records, if they didn't I would be surprised. The only thing we went to was the Taste of Edmonton though, you will never catch me at Indy racing - too noisy, hot and crowded and they use temporary stands with no shelter from the sun and last year you had to buy your water from them, you couldn't bring it from home - ppbbbbtttt! At $3.00/bottle FU. They use the downtown airport that is only in partial use these days btw, so no trees or grass anywhere.
Well, I think I have given you enough links to keep you distracted from the fact this is a lame post, so I will quit now.
For more My Town Monday posts, drop over to the new blog page.
Travis Erwin had real life interfere with his care and feeding of the beast he started, so Clair Dickson kindly set up a page devoted solely to MTM. Thank you Clair.
Have a good day all.
13 comments:
the team was just wandering around??
If tix were 200 bucks, maybe it is not hard to understand why the crowd was down!
River Plate was probably thrilled to be able to wander around. They'll have a story to tell for years about how they played up here and got left alone.
Big deal game or no, $200 a seat is too damned much.
Anyway, sounds like you had fun at Taste of Edmonton. I've long been curious to go, but not sure how I'd do in the crowd.
Goodness - $200/ticket?? Sounds a little high to me. I always wonder about things like that - wouldn't it have been better to lower the price and fill ALL the seats? But whatever.
Glad you enjoyed Taste of Edmonton.
Sporting events are always too high but this sort of tops it out.
$200 is more than I'd spend, but the Taste of Edmonton sounds grand!
Gary, they were. I think it was just the wrong crowd, had they been at a sports bar, they would have garnered more recognition.
Leah, I think some of them might have been and yes, there will be people at home that will never believe it. I thought the LA vs Vancouver game was pricey at $80/head a few years ago.
You would do fine depending on the time of day/week, there are always little nooks of quiet.
Sis, I think the same way, especially at that stadium, the #'s it will hold.
Patti, yes, it sure does.
Debra I think the #'s showed a lot of people thought the same. Taste of Edmonton is wonderful.
Hi Reb,
I would love Taste of Edmonton! Not too craxzy about $200 sports seats though, regardless of the sport!
Terrie
I bet the players enjoyed their relatively peaceful evening.
Terrie, I think you would love Taste of Edm. The price is just a bit out there that's for sure.
Travis, I hope they did and that they enjoyed the city.
I wouldn't mind hearing more about the Taste of Edmonton! Fun post!
Barrie, I'll see what I can do.
The price tag for soccer was too high for me to attend. You can get half a box seating at the Royal Winter Fair international show jumping for that.
I agree with Barrie for a post on Taste of Edmonton just to learn what kinds of different food is presented.
Barbara, I 'll see what I can do.
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